April 29, 1992 (Miami)

"April 29, 1992 (Miami)" is a song written by American ska punk band Sublime in 1996 from their eponymous album Sublime.[1] The song title refers to the date of the 1992 Los Angeles riots,[2] of which news spread throughout the United States following the acquittal of four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of Rodney King.[3]

"April 29, 1992 (Miami)"
Song by Sublime
from the album Sublime
LanguageEnglish
ReleasedJuly 30, 1996
Genre
Length3:53
Label
  • Gasoline Alley
  • MCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Kahne
"April 29, 1992 (Leary)"
Song by Sublime
from the album Second-hand Smoke
LanguageEnglish
ReleasedNovember 11, 1997
Genre
Length3:47
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul Leary

Background

The official title of the song references the date April 29, 1992; however, the lyric is sung as "April 26, 1992." It has been said this was a mistake, but the take was strong enough the band kept it. Theories have developed about the true integrity of the song's lyrics. The acts of crime including arson, robbery, and vandalism referenced in the lyrics were purportedly committed by Bradley Nowell and other Sublime band members during the 1992 LA riots. The lyrics also offer a justification for the band's participation in the unrest:

They said it was for the black man,

They said it was for the Mexican
And not for the white man
But if you look at the street, it wasn't about Rodney King
It's this fucked-up situation and these fucked-up police

It's about coming up and staying on top

And screaming 187 on a motherfuckin' cop[4]

Despite the reference to "187 on a cop," no police were actually killed during the riots, nor did any significant rioting occur outside of the Los Angeles area as implied by the list of other cities in the song.

Alternate version

After lead singer and guitarist Bradley Nowell's death, the two surviving members of the band released every mix and alternate version that the band had recorded. Along with those recordings, an alternate version of "Miami" was released on their 1997 compilation album Second-hand Smoke titled "April 29, 1992 (Leary)".

Personnel

References
  1. "Sublime - Sublime - Album". MTV. 1992-04-29. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  2. "The Los Angeles Riots, 1992". USC. 1992-04-29. Archived from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  3. "Rodney King Video of Beating Helped Drive Revolution". Huffingtonpost.com. 1991-03-03. Archived from the original on 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  4. "Twenty Years Later, Sublime's "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" Is Still the Best Song About White Boys Piggy-Backing on a Riot". April 2012. Retrieved 2020-05-07.


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