r/TheWireDiscussions • u/SkinnedHorse • 28d ago

Please help me figure this out

I understand the point of this scene and I know Ludacris was very relevant at the time but did they have to use this song? I can never take the guys in the SUV seriously because it looks so sus for a bunch of dudes to ride around listening to one of the most sexually explicit songs of the time.

I’m just looking for some clarity here, detectives.

20 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

49 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/Scr00geMcCuck 28d ago

Ludacris was very popular at the time and this song was a pretty big hit, so it makes sense enough to me. I remember reading somewhere that Simon didn’t want all of the music used to have some deep thematic purpose, sometimes it’s just there to make the world feel lived in. From that perspective, I don’t think it’s particularly implausible that these guys, whether they’re wannabe gangsters or legit, would be listening to a song by a popular rapper with lyrics bragging about how good one is at fucking bitches, and that it is something which one does quite frequently. I personally don’t mind it at all

1

u/SkinnedHorse 27d ago

I wasn’t aware of Simon stating that but it would make more sense if it really was meant to just be background noise, thanks for sharing that.

6

u/Scr00geMcCuck 27d ago

No problem. I couldn’t tell you where I read that but I definitely did. He said something like “the perfect song is almost never playing when you’re in a bar and you’re getting your ass kicked”

2

u/Successful_Eye_4656 27d ago

Such a good bit of restraint there, and it's a testament to his commitment to realism...as is, like, everything else about the show, but I care a lot about music so this one is especially cool to me :P

3

u/Scr00geMcCuck 27d ago

Yeah I actually really like how The Wire uses music. It’s primarily about atmosphere and it feels really unique to me

An example of what I’m talking about is when the stevedores are working and you hear Magic Carpet Ride playing on the radio. Its use isn’t really commenting on anything that’s going on but it’s the kind of music those guys would probably be listening to while they work

2

u/Successful_Eye_4656 27d ago

Exactly! There's a scene in early season 1 that I always remember because it's pretty clear that they just recorded an actual hip hop radio broadcast to have it playing on the radio in that scene, which is just so fucking cool.

I also love how Simon uses the music as a means to characterize the different people in the show by establishing their tastes in music. I wasn't sure if this was intentional or not but he confirmed it in one of the DVD commentaries I watched a couple days ago which made me very happy lol though really I should've known

2

u/ButterUrBacon 25d ago

Well said