Party On Fifth Ave

Album: Blue Slide Park (2011)
Charted: 64
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This celebratory song contains a second generation sample. In 1987 DJ Mark the 45 King lifted the baritone sax solo from Marva Whitney's "Unwind Yourself" and made a breakbeat called "The 900 Number." DJ Mark's tune has subsequently been resampled by many artists including Miller's producer ID Labs for "Party." Another well known use of the track was by Washington, D.C.-based go-go artist DJ Kool for his 1996 hit, "Let Me Clear My Throat."

    DJ Mark went on to become a successful producer, providing the beats for Eminem's "Stan" and Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life.
  • Miller told Billboard magazine how he had to force I.D. Labs to use DJ Mark's sample. He said: "I was like 'Yo, we got to flip this and do a new version of this. Man, it'd be so dope.' Everyone was like, 'That's one of your corny ideas, man. That's corny.' I was like 'E [E Dans of I.D. Labs], make this beat, please, man. Trust me, just make it. It will be the jam.' So he made it."
  • The song's music video features Mac Miller and his crew dressed as elderly men, complete with mobility scooters and canes. Miller recalled to Billboard magazine: "For the video, I told E, 'we should all be old people.' We decided to do it more tongue in cheek so we went and hit the costume store and got some gray wigs. We all had a blast. The song's called 'Party On Fifth Ave' but rarely do you see a party in the video. It's more [of] the feeling you get. It's an old school sample so I felt like, that's old people, it works."

Comments: 1

  • Med Scooters from CanadaIt is nice with mobility scooters as a setup.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.