Cannabis Playlist: #5 — Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill, “I Love You Mary Jane”

'Sugar come by and get me high'… Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon's sexy voice invites us into a dreamy, smoky atmosphere, accompanied by Thurston Moore's guitar riffs and Cypress Hill's slow, rhythmic beats. The collaboration between the two bands on “I Love You Mary Jane” is a cultural milestone that transcends genres and eras. Released on the original soundtrack of the film Judgment Night (1993), which became known for its innovative fusion of rock and hip-hop bands, this song embodies a unique moment in music history, simultaneously disruptive and harmonious.

The title of the track is a declaration of love for cannabis, personified as “Mary Jane”, a metaphor that was already familiar in the cultural lexicon of lovers of this plant. But this song goes beyond the obvious praise. The combination of Sonic Youth’s experimental noise rock with Cypress Hill’s hypnotic rhymes and psychedelic atmospheres transforms this track into a sensory journey — almost like a synesthetic experience of the plant itself.

A hymn to counterculture

The lyrics and musical arrangement capture the duality of 'I Love You Mary Jane'. Soothing and provocative, introspective and expansive. Sonic Youth's distorted guitars and layers of feedback form the perfect foundation for B-Real's slow, immersive rhymes. The result is a track that sounds like the echo of a mind immersed in the relaxing and creative effects of cannabis.

The soundtrack of Judgment Night, in and of itself, is a masterpiece of stylistic fusion, but 'I Love You Mary Jane' stands out as a manifesto. It's not just about normalizing cannabis; it's a celebration of the spirit of experimentation, both musical and cultural, that defined the early '90s.

The love for Mary Jane in this track transcends consumption. It’s a metaphor for freedom, counterculture, and the search for new ways to express one’s artistic self. Like a joint passed around a circle of friends, this song—which was written by Sonic Youth members Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, and Steve Shelley—in collaboration with Cypress Hill members B-Real (Louis Freese), Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud)—brings together disparate musical tribes in an act of sonic communion.

“I’m not sure how much I smoked,” Kim Gordon tells SPIN about recording ‘I Love You Mary Jane’

The Judgment Night soundtrack reached the Top 20 on the Billboard charts, proving to be a far bigger hit than the action/crime film itself. The concept of the album, which was produced by Happy Walters, who previously managed Cypress Hill and House of Pain, brought together alternative rock artists and rappers to create unique and exclusive collaborations:

1. Helmet & House of Pain - “Just Another Victim”
2. Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul - “Fallin'”
3. Living Colour & Run-DMC - “Me, Myself & My Microphone”
4. Biohazard & Onyx - “Judgment Night”
5. Slayer & Ice-T - “Disorder”
6. Faith No More & Boo-Yaa TRIBE - “Another Body Murdered”
7. Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill - “I Love You Mary Jane”
8. Mudhoney & Sir Mix-a-Lot - “Freak Momma”
9. Dinosaur Jr. & Del tha Funkee Homosapien - “Missing Link”
10. Therapy? & Fatal - “Come and Die”
11. Pearl Jam & Cypress Hill - “Real Thing”

Cypress Hill recorded two songs for the album: one with Pearl Jam and one with Sonic Youth. Speaking to SPIN, Kim Gordon recounted how it all happened and joked that she wasn't sure how much weed she ended up smoking during filming.

"When we made our Cypress Hill song, we didn't want to be the ones who made a bad Cypress Hill song," Kim Gordon said, referring to how cool a band they were at the time. Muggs claims that Sonic Youth were the group's second choice, after Ministry said they were too busy.

In Kim Gordon’s opinion, cannabis was a crucial factor in the track’s eventual success. “There were a lot of people sitting around smoking weed, listening to the bass vibration,” Gordon told SPIN. “There was just so much of it… I’m not sure how much I smoked. I didn’t even need to smoke anything, there was so much weed and smoke in the air… It was incredible!” he laughed.

Sonic Youth with Cypress Hill in the studio, early 90s. Photo: B-Real's reddit

B-Real, from Cypress Hill, posted on his page reddit, last year, a photo of the two bands in the studio at the time of recording and commented the following:

“This photo was taken at our studio session for the song “I Love You Mary Jane”. This is one of two songs we contributed to the [Judgement Night] soundtrack. The other was “Real Thing” with Pearl Jam. This was a true collaboration as Sonic Youth played the songs and recorded the chorus, but they allowed Muggs to cut what they played and produce it the way he heard it in his head. Kim did an amazing job on the chorus, so it made it easy for me to create a certified stoner verse. We were honored to team up with them as we were fans of Sonic Youth before all this happened. We actually toured with them at Lollapalooza and they were awesome! We may use this song on our live set this year”.

Listen to the song 'I Love You Mary Jane' here:

'I Love You Mary Jane' Lyrics

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Laura Ramos

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With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 21st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “Say What? Lisbon” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura directed the documentary “Pacientes” and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

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