Samples

• "Put on Train" by Gene Harris from the album The Three Sounds (1971)
• "Moby Dick" by Led Zeppelin from the album Led Zeppelin II (1969)
• "It's Hot Tonight" by Alice Cooper from the album Lace and Whiskey (1977)

References

• Skinhead - a person who affects a hairless head as a symbol of rebellion, racism, or anarchy
• Geraldo Rivera (1943- ) - an American talk show host/reporter
• Dolemite - a 1974 Blaxploitation film
• G-Spot - nickname of the Hollywood Hills house rented by the Beastie Boys during the recording of Paul's Boutique, owned by Alex and Marilyn Grasshoff
• Phil Rizzuto (1918-2007) - former Yankee shortstop and pitchman for TV's "The Money Store"
• Doris the Finkasaurus - a cartoon dinosaur appearing on the Flintstones
• Press-On Lee Nails - fingernail extensions
• Rapunzel - a fairytale character with long hair
• Funky Pam - Pam Turbov, a friend of the Beastie Boys

Sample & Reference Breakdown

• Guitar sample is from "It's Hot Tonight" by Alice Cooper
• "Insecure born in the junkyard with the junk" - lyric is similar to the line "you insecure born junkyard motherfucker" from the 1974 film Dolemite
• "Why you wanna beat that brat with a bat" - refers to lyrics in "Beat on the Brat" by the Ramones ("beat on the brat with a baseball bat")
• "One man's ceiling is another man's floor" - refers to the title of a Paul Simon song
• "You're all mixed up like pasta primavera/Yo, why'd you throw that chair at Geraldo Rivera, man?" - refers to a televised incident in 1988 when television journalist/talk show host Geraldo Rivera was struck in the face with a flying chair and had his nose broken by a disgruntled skinhead when a brawl erupted on his show "Geraldo"
• Drum fill - a sample from "Moby Dick" by Led Zeppelin
• Backing track of drums, bass, guitar, and piano - a sample from "Put on Train" by Gene Harris
• "Funky Pam" fade-out - Pam Turbov explained: "I just walked into the studio one day, and they start freestyling and saying 'Funky Pam', and it ends up on the record. Pretty cool."

Press

"They achieve supreme poetic genuis with rhymes like, 'You're all mixed up like pasta primavera/Why'd you throw that chair at Geraldo Rivera'" - Melody Maker, August 1989

"...infectious - [What Comes Around] winds up with a wild Beastie version of scat humming" - Rolling Stone, 1989