Compendium of Heavy Metal

Athletes Who’ve Tackled Music and Lyrics

Athletes who score on the field, on the court, or in the ring occasionally try to expand their game to the recording studio.  After all, they’re aggressive warriors whose talent in their sport makes them feel invincible, who believe music could benefit from a mighty jolt of testosterone.  Sometimes their lyrics and music have been decent, and sometimes, those lyrics and music should have gotten them suspended from the studio, or heavily fined.  These are a few of the athletes who’ve tried crossing over into music:

Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)

Before Cassius Clay solidly backed up all of his brash talk by pulverizing Sonny Liston into Spam and becoming the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, he released the 1963 album, “I Am the Greatest.”  Its same-named single displayed his trademark wit and bravado as he recited lyrics over an uptempo blues shuffle.  Some of those hilarious lyrics include:  “This kid fights great/He’s got speed and endurance/But if you sign to fight him/Increase your insurance!”  Ahead of his time in more ways than one, Clay’s spoken lyrics paved the way for rap.

Chris Jericho

Professional wrestling star, Chris Jericho, bangs his head inside the ring, as well as outside of it — singing (and sounding great) in a heavy metal band called Fozzy.  Strongly influenced by 80s metal, the band’s first two albums featured mostly covers of the lyrics and music by groups including Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, the Scorpions and Judas Priest.  Their third, critically acclaimed release, contained all-original material, sold 100,000 copies, and featured the single “Enemy,” with the lyrics, “You’re my enemy/All that we had has gone away/There are times that fade away/But you’ll still be my enemy.”

Deion Sanders

He’s been a football player and a baseball player, so why not a musician, too?  Well, Deion definitely turned on the neon when he released his rap album, “Prime Time,” in 1994.  Known for his expensive tastes, Sanders capitalized on them in the lyrics of the album’s minor hit single, “Must be the Money.”  Here are a few of those bring-on-the-bling lyrics:  “Diamond Rolex, with ‘gators on my feet/I got two pair for every day of the week/My hair is done, my fingernails too/Six buttons down and I don’t know what to do/Must be the money /That’s turnin’ them on/Must be the money/You know I can’t go wrong.”

Shaquille O’Neal

When NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal released the rap album “Shaq Diesel” in 1993, it surprised skeptics with music and lyrics that took it to #10 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop chart.  And it even spawned two singles that charted respectably.  One was the cocky “(I Know I Got) Skillz,” with lyrics that may or may not have been intentionally humorous:  “I dribble rhymes like basketball-ems/People call me E.T./Extra-Tall-ems.”  The other single was “I’m Outstanding,” brimming with confidently Shaquilicious lyrics like, “Now I’m outstanding/Wave your hands and pump your fist/’Cause when I’m on the court/You know it’s strictly ‘swish!’ “

These songs and their lyrics may not go down in history, but at least these athletes had the courage to give music their best shot.  And that’s definitely the sign of a true champion.

About the Author

To find more lyrics sung by athletes, check out Lyricsaholic and their newest lyrics from sports stars who’ve tried to score with music.

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