54. Just a Friend by Biz Markie

"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie

Written by Marcell Hall
Produced by Marcell Hall
Released on The Biz Never Sleeps (October 10, 1989)
Released as a single September 26, 1989
Peaked at #9 on Billboard Hot 100
amazon iTunes spotify music video

It's been more than a month since I've written anything for this blog; this project I started more than a year ago; this project that I am not even halfway through. Discipline has never been a strength of mine. I have routines, but they are the kinds of routines that are probably better categorized as ruts. The last few months have been great for ruts and bad for routines.

So now that I have a little break from my normal work routine, I'm going to try to take advantage and not fall as deep into my typically dangerous ruts and routines. I am never sure how successful these types of plans will be, but I have to try something. So let's talk about my 54th favorite song of all time.

"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie is the closest thing to a funny song on my list. That's not to say that I don't enjoy fun songs and funny songs, but I rarely want to place them into categories like best or greatest or favorite. "Just a Friend" is the exception. It will always stick with me and feel special, mostly because of my older brother, Jack.

The only constants for me during the first 16 years of my life were the four of us: mom, dad, Jack, and me. We moved around a lot, so while I made new friends wherever we went, I learned early on that those friendships would probably fade or disappear after our next move. I had best friends over the years, and while I didn't always like my brother, he was always there. Often, even after we would fight about something or annoy each other, he would still feel like my best friend because he was a constant. He was there, and even though there would be another fight over the remote control or another burp he'd blow across the table at me or an argument over whose turn it was to use the computer or me running to my parents to tell on my brother, the good outweighed the bad. I looked up to him, and I think he wanted the best for me. 

Jack was two years older than me, so I always just assumed that he was cool. All older kids seem cool. In retrospect, he probably wasn't that cool, but he was certainly cooler than me. I learned a lot from him. Because I thought he was cool, I often took cues from him about what kinds of music I should listen to. I didn't like everything he did (and he hated some of the stuff I liked), but there was always significant overlap. He introduced me to some music that I still enjoy like Metallica, Jethro Tull, and Alice Cooper. He also introduced me to some music that I never really figured out, like GWAR, but nobody is perfect.

I don't remember when I first heard "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie. I watched too much MTV to have somehow missed it when it came out, but for a long time I didn't remember it. What I did remember was my brother singing the chorus. For some reason, that was it. I don't remember seeing the video or hearing it on the radio, I remember my brother singing it. I also remember not being sure what it was, but wanting to be like my brother, I sang it too. For years I would hum or sing that little tune from the chorus, not really remembering what the rest of the song was. When I did find it again later, it was already so familiar because of Jack. I know I must have heard the actual song before I heard it from my brother, but part of me will always remember it as that song Jack used to sing.

Another thing I remember like this was that Jack would randomly say, "It's all ball bearings nowadays!" That was another thing I didn't really know, but I would say it too because my brother said it, and because it sounded odd and funny. I finally watched Fletch a few years ago, not realizing that's where the line came from. Needless to say, when Chevy Chase said the line, this is how I felt:

I always wanted to seem cool, so I wanted to feel like I was in the loop with my brother. I wanted him to think I was cool too. So I went along and said the line from Fletch and sang the chorus to this song. They are small things, and maybe strange memories to have, but they are a part of who I am because of my brother, and I will always love him for that.

Right now "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie is (probably) my 54th favorite song of all time.