Clothes Off!, the follow-up to Gym Class Heroes' massive breakout track "Cupid's Chokehold," is another song paying homage to an old tune. "Chokehold" borrowed a lyrical sample from Supertramp's "Breakfast in America." Patrick Stump, vocalist of the immensely popular band Fall Out Boy, dips in for another celebrity chorus in this rap/pop/rock rendition of "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" by the late Jermaine Stewart. This isn't the first time this classic 80s disco track has been covered or even remixed. His original got the remix treatment back on vinyl, and has since been covered by Soozy Q and Clea vs. Da Playaz, to name just a couple. The Gym Class Heroes, however, have a different take on the track. Their version (not featured on this remix single) has got a great R&B vibe with some funky beats and an alteration on the classic lyrics. In this version we also have Patrick singing the words thusly:
"We have to take our clothes off
We have to party all night
We have to take our clothes off
To have a good time, oh no"
It makes for an interesting enough change, but of course it
intentionally muddles with the message of the original song.
What we have here are two different styles of remixing. We have what, in my opinion, is fairly standard club fare from Josh Harris (who has remixed Lil' Kim and The Killers), and a more disco-house vibe from Solitaire (who has remixed The Pussycat Dolls and Rihanna). Now, I must say that I am rather "underwhelmed" by Josh Harris' mix. I believe he went the safe route with this song, relying on an 80s vibe and standard club beats. I feel this does an injustice to the song. I won't say that the Gym Class Heroes' original version is any sort of revelation in music right now, because it isn't. It's nice to see a goofy rapper, but that's where the originality ends. The Gym Class Heroes put a lot of effort and fun into their version of this song, and it would have been great to hear some of that incorporated into Josh's mix since he could have used it well. It appears to have been ignored in favor of just using the vocals of Travie (the rapper) and Patrick. I also felt his mix had a darker feel than the song warranted. These things made it hard to enjoy the mixes for what they were, be it the edited radio version or the censor-free club and dub. Perhaps it would work well at a club, where the energy is fed off the audience and the beat. Plus, being able to chant "We have to take our clothes off!" is a decidedly fun concept, but these mixes just did not do it for me.
Solitaire, on the other hand, provided some very classy mixes, relying on some great, groovy bass lines. The club mix begins to get a little repetitive around 3/5ths of the way through, but it's got energy to carry it through. It was the beatless Solitaire Groove Mix that impressed me the most. This mix employs the strong bass, Travie's raps, Patrick's chorus, and a simple synth to almost mesmerizing effect. By the end of the 5:31 mix, I am waiting for the beat to build up and kick in, dropping me right into their club mix, but alas, that looks like a homework project instead of a reality. The only issue I have with Solitaire's mixes is that they all appear to be censored. Censoring in a radio edit is, of course, necessary. On the other hand, when censoring is used in a club mix, it takes me right out of the mix to hear a blank where a word should be.
Summary: Josh's mixes should do well in a club atmosphere, but for an engaging listen, try the Solitaire Groove Mix.
