Wear Sunscreen
8.10.08
Wear Sunscreen or Sunscreen Speech are the common names of an essay actually called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.
The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, credited to Baz Luhrmann.
Chicago Tribune column
Mary Schmich's "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one.
The column soon became the subject of an urban legend, in which it was alleged to be an MIT commencement speech given by author Kurt Vonnegut in that same year (in truth, MIT's commencement speaker that year was Kofi Annan). Despite a follow-up article by Mary Schmich on August 3, 1997, in which she referred to the "lawless swamp of cyberspace" that had made her and Kurt Vonnegut "one", by 1999 the falsely attributed story was widespread.
When the column was later turned into a song, Schmich's "wish" came true when Zagreb's Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing started to play the song Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) at every graduation ceremony.
The poem-like piece has drawn frequent comparison to the Max Ehrmann poem Desiderata, which was also the subject of an urban legend misattribution.
"Wear Sunscreen" as a music single and video
The essay was used in its entirety by Australian film director Baz Luhrmann in his remixing of the song Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) from the film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, entitled Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen). It appeared on the album Something for Everybody in April, 1998 and was subsequently released as a single (with the opening words changed to "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99").
Luhrmann explains that Anton Monsted, Josh Abrahams and he were working on the remix when Monsted received an email with the supposed Vonnegut speech. They decided to use it but were doubtful of getting through to Vonnegut for permission before their deadline, which was only one or two days away. While searching the internet for contact information they came upon the "Sunscreen Controversy" and discovered that Schmich was the actual author. They emailed her and, with her permission, recorded the song the next day.
The song features a spoken-word track set over a mellow backing track. The "Wear Sunscreen" speech is narrated by Australian voice actor Lee Perry.[4] The backing is the choral version of Everybody's Free (To Feel Good), a 1991 song by Rozalla, used in the film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. The chorus, also from Everybody's Free, is sung by Quindon Tarver.
The song was a worldwide hit, reaching #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and #1 in the UK and Ireland , partly due to a media campaign by Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles. It was a part of the end credits in John Swanbeck's movie The Big Kahuna, starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli.
The are four versions of the song: the original 7:09 minutes mix from the album Baz Luhrmann Presents: Something For Everybody; a 1999 single release which features an 5:05 minutes edit that lacks both choruses; "Geographic's Factor 15+ Mix" that runs for 4:42 minutes and a "2007 Mix" of the original 7:09 minutes version released on the 10th Anniversary Edition of the William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet soundtrack on which the opening words are changed to "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2007"
The video which uses the 1999 single edit of the song was directed and animated by Bill Barminski. The video aired on all major networks in the United States and was featured on the The Tonight Show, The Today Show and The View as well as VH1 and MTV. It also appeared in the UK, Australia and Japan.
The song also appeared in Germany, but a German version was created soon, named Sonnencreme The German translation is narrated by the German actor Dieter Brandecker.
On August 10, 2008, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at #72, possibly related to Jo Whiley playing it on her show on BBC Radio 1 on August 7.
Parody
The Baz Luhrmann song version inspired numerous parodies. John Safran released a song entitled "Not the Sunscreen Song". The musician and comedian Chris Rock enjoyed great success with his spoken word song "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)." Denis Leary has been rumoured to have performed a version called "Drink Beer" however this is a popular internet myth and upon hearing, sounds nothing like Denis Leary. The song was also parodied in an episode of House of Mouse where Jiminy Cricket performed it. The comedy group Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie also made a parody entitled "The Sunscreen Marketing Board". Jegsy Dodd and the Original Sinners' version, "Grumpy Old Men" was voted favourite track of 2005 by BBC Radio 1 listeners in their annual Festive 50 poll.
There are also many fan-made parodies, including a Star Wars version featuring pieces from the six feature films and also behind-the-scenes, and a person imitating Yoda performing a version by the name of "Everybody Free to Be a Jedi Is". The soundtrack CD for the animated cartoon series King of the Hill contained a parody of "Wear Sunscreen" as well. A German version entitled "FKK (Everybody's free to wear gar nichts)" was published by Die Gerd-Show imitating the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
The song was also parodied by Nob Nation on Irish radio station 2FM with a song called "Not the Sunscreen Song". [7] Also parodied on Norfolk, VA radio station FM99 WNOR by The Tommy and Rumble Morning Show.
The song was also parodied by DJ Chris Tarrant on the London Capital Radio Breakfast Show with a song called "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of '97 - wear slippers"
Hawaiian comedian and observational humourist Frank de Lima recorded Eat Rice which includes island-style advice such as, “Laugh at ethnic jokes; you’re ethnic, whether you like it or not.”
While not an official parody, the track "This Is Your Life" taken from the soundtrack to the movie Fight Club could be considered as a dark reflection of the Sunscreen song.
On the Millennium episode "Via Dolorosa," a serial killer on Florida's death row uttered "wear sunscreen" as his sardonic last words.
Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)
Mary Schmich - Chicago Tribune
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are NOT as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Wear Sunscreen - DM9DDB
Wear Sunscreen or Sunscreen Speech are the common names of an essay actually called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.
The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, credited to Baz Luhrmann.
Chicago Tribune column
Mary Schmich's "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one.
The column soon became the subject of an urban legend, in which it was alleged to be an MIT commencement speech given by author Kurt Vonnegut in that same year (in truth, MIT's commencement speaker that year was Kofi Annan). Despite a follow-up article by Mary Schmich on August 3, 1997, in which she referred to the "lawless swamp of cyberspace" that had made her and Kurt Vonnegut "one", by 1999 the falsely attributed story was widespread.
When the column was later turned into a song, Schmich's "wish" came true when Zagreb's Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing started to play the song Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) at every graduation ceremony.
The poem-like piece has drawn frequent comparison to the Max Ehrmann poem Desiderata, which was also the subject of an urban legend misattribution.
"Wear Sunscreen" as a music single and video
The essay was used in its entirety by Australian film director Baz Luhrmann in his remixing of the song Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) from the film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, entitled Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen). It appeared on the album Something for Everybody in April, 1998 and was subsequently released as a single (with the opening words changed to "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99").
Luhrmann explains that Anton Monsted, Josh Abrahams and he were working on the remix when Monsted received an email with the supposed Vonnegut speech. They decided to use it but were doubtful of getting through to Vonnegut for permission before their deadline, which was only one or two days away. While searching the internet for contact information they came upon the "Sunscreen Controversy" and discovered that Schmich was the actual author. They emailed her and, with her permission, recorded the song the next day.
The song features a spoken-word track set over a mellow backing track. The "Wear Sunscreen" speech is narrated by Australian voice actor Lee Perry.[4] The backing is the choral version of Everybody's Free (To Feel Good), a 1991 song by Rozalla, used in the film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. The chorus, also from Everybody's Free, is sung by Quindon Tarver.
The song was a worldwide hit, reaching #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and #1 in the UK and Ireland , partly due to a media campaign by Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles. It was a part of the end credits in John Swanbeck's movie The Big Kahuna, starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli.
The are four versions of the song: the original 7:09 minutes mix from the album Baz Luhrmann Presents: Something For Everybody; a 1999 single release which features an 5:05 minutes edit that lacks both choruses; "Geographic's Factor 15+ Mix" that runs for 4:42 minutes and a "2007 Mix" of the original 7:09 minutes version released on the 10th Anniversary Edition of the William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet soundtrack on which the opening words are changed to "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2007"
The video which uses the 1999 single edit of the song was directed and animated by Bill Barminski. The video aired on all major networks in the United States and was featured on the The Tonight Show, The Today Show and The View as well as VH1 and MTV. It also appeared in the UK, Australia and Japan.
The song also appeared in Germany, but a German version was created soon, named Sonnencreme The German translation is narrated by the German actor Dieter Brandecker.
On August 10, 2008, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at #72, possibly related to Jo Whiley playing it on her show on BBC Radio 1 on August 7.
Parody
The Baz Luhrmann song version inspired numerous parodies. John Safran released a song entitled "Not the Sunscreen Song". The musician and comedian Chris Rock enjoyed great success with his spoken word song "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)." Denis Leary has been rumoured to have performed a version called "Drink Beer" however this is a popular internet myth and upon hearing, sounds nothing like Denis Leary. The song was also parodied in an episode of House of Mouse where Jiminy Cricket performed it. The comedy group Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie also made a parody entitled "The Sunscreen Marketing Board". Jegsy Dodd and the Original Sinners' version, "Grumpy Old Men" was voted favourite track of 2005 by BBC Radio 1 listeners in their annual Festive 50 poll.
There are also many fan-made parodies, including a Star Wars version featuring pieces from the six feature films and also behind-the-scenes, and a person imitating Yoda performing a version by the name of "Everybody Free to Be a Jedi Is". The soundtrack CD for the animated cartoon series King of the Hill contained a parody of "Wear Sunscreen" as well. A German version entitled "FKK (Everybody's free to wear gar nichts)" was published by Die Gerd-Show imitating the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
The song was also parodied by Nob Nation on Irish radio station 2FM with a song called "Not the Sunscreen Song". [7] Also parodied on Norfolk, VA radio station FM99 WNOR by The Tommy and Rumble Morning Show.
The song was also parodied by DJ Chris Tarrant on the London Capital Radio Breakfast Show with a song called "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of '97 - wear slippers"
Hawaiian comedian and observational humourist Frank de Lima recorded Eat Rice which includes island-style advice such as, “Laugh at ethnic jokes; you’re ethnic, whether you like it or not.”
While not an official parody, the track "This Is Your Life" taken from the soundtrack to the movie Fight Club could be considered as a dark reflection of the Sunscreen song.
On the Millennium episode "Via Dolorosa," a serial killer on Florida's death row uttered "wear sunscreen" as his sardonic last words.
Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)
Mary Schmich - Chicago Tribune
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are NOT as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
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