I Need A Dollar

Depending on the circumstances, this appropriately titled blog post has been true to you at some point or another. No matter who you are - rich, poor, male, female, black, white, employed or unemployed - I imagine you've found yourself in a situation where you needed a dollar. While those circumstances may not have rivaled the poetic picture that Aloe Blacc paints in his destined to be classic Stones Throw cut "I Need A Dollar", it is a theme that all Americans, and all people, can understand at its core.

The video doesn't necessarily do the song justice - the lyrics are rich and potent and its remix potential, from a lyrical and sample stand point, not even fully realized yet (keep your eye out for the 12th Planet remix that should be coming soon).

Just check this portion of the song -

What in the world am I gonna to do tomorrow
is there someone whose dollar that I can borrow
Who can help me take away my sorrow
Maybe its inside the bottle
Maybe its inside the bottle
I had some good old buddy his names is whiskey and wine
hey hey
And for my good old buddy i spent my last dime
hey hey
My wine is good to me it helps me pass the time
and my good old buddy whiskey keeps me warmer than the sunshine

Those lyrics make me feel like Aloe is speaking to homeless people, but this song is truly an anthem for the downtrodden, even if you are at the top when you take your fall. When you're feeling helpless, you turn for help at any angle, and sometimes you don't make the wisest choice (the bottle), but it is all because you are looking to relieve your sorrows and you might go to extraordinary, but unjustifiable lengths to get away from that sorrow and justify your actions simply because they helped you through your tough patch, even if that behavior is not truly justifiable (check out the whiskey/wine/buddy analogy).

Maybe I am reading into deep - but, I f'ing love this song, so please forgive me. Besides when you know you are going to hear a song all summer long - you may as well start getting introspective on the lyrics, right?

Let us know your thoughts on the song on our facebook page or make a comment here. While you are at it - check out these fine fine links to remixes and reworks of Aloe Blacc's "I NEED A DOLLAR"

"Rasta Monsta" - Marky - http://usershare.net/fgyxmy1tyv1a

"I Need A Dollar" (Sterns Edit) - http://tuftsmania.com/blog/2010/05/11/i-like-to-relax-and-listen-to-yacht-funk/

"Juicy Dollars" - DJ Dizzy - http://drop.io/c0egoo7/asset/juicy-dollars-dj-dizzy-mashup-mp3