Standing in the Spotlight

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Standing in the Spotlight

Studio album by Dee Dee King

Released

1989

Recorded

1989

Genre

Rap

Length

31:46

Label

Warner Bros. Records

Producer

Daniel Rey

Professional reviews

All Music Guide link

Dee Dee King chronology

"Funky Man" 12" (1988)

Standing in the Spotlight
(1989)

Standing in the Spotlight is the album by Dee Dee Ramone, under the rap moniker Dee Dee King, released in 1989. The album is considered by many to be one of the biggest failures in recording history. It also gave Dee Dee Ramone the distinction of being one of the first white rappers.

This album was released after Dee Dee left the Ramones and marks a radical shift from the guitar-based pop-punk music he was widely known for. There are many rumors as to how this recording came to be, one being that he spent time in drug rehabilitation with people who turned him on to rap music. Prior to this album, he had recorded a single called "Funky Man"; this was not included on the album.

Despite his frequent boasting about his rapping abilities (especially in relation to other rappers), the album is lacking on many levels. Although considered a strong songwriter with the Ramones (e.g., "53rd & 3rd", "Chinese Rock", "Psycho Therapy"), the lyrics on the album vary from the mundane to the silly. There are many instances where a line seems put in simply to create a rhyme. His rapping style has no signature rhythm (or "flow") and he seems to be trying to make his voice sound deeper than it naturally is; all of this adds to the unintentional humor people derive from the album.

Musically, the songs vary from old school hip-hop (e.g., "Mashed Potato Time", "Commotion In The Ocean") to rock and roll (e.g., "Baby Doll"). The backing music is made up of original recordings, as opposed to the practice of sampling, which was common for rap music at the time.

Debbie Harry sings backup vocals on "Mashed Potato Time" and "German Kid". "German Kid" also features Dee Dee rapping in both English and German (Dee Dee spent a lot of his youth in Germany).

"The Crusher" was re-recorded by the Ramones and released in 1995 on the ¡Adios Amigos! album.