Nightmare on My Street

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

About Nightmare on My Street

"A Nightmare on My Street" is the third single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song became a crossover hit in the US, reaching #15 on the Hot 100. The song was released as a single in early 1988. The single was released on Vinyl and Audio Cassette Tape. The song was considered for inclusion in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, but the producers of the film decided against its inclusion. New Line Cinema, copyright holders of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise, sued DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's record label for copyright infringement, forcing the label to destroy a music video produced for the song (though a copy of the video did survive and is available online). Both sides eventually settled out of court. But as a result, vinyl pressings of the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper contain a disclaimer sticker that says, "[This song] is not part of the soundtrack...and is not authorized, licensed, or affiliated with the Nightmare on Elm Street films." The song samples Charles Bernstein's musical motif from A Nightmare on Elm Street. 


Year:
1988
4:55
149 
#2

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Now I have a story that I'd like to tell
About this guy you all know him, he had me scared as hell!
He comes to me at night after I crawl into bed
He's burnt up like a weenie and his name is Fred!
He wears the same hat and sweater every single day
And even if it's hot, outside he wears it anyway!
He's gone when I'm awake but he shows up when I'm asleep
I can't believe that there's a nightmare - on my street!

[Fresh Prince]
It was a Saturday evening if I remember it right
And we had just gotten back off tour last night
So the gang and I thought that it would be groovy
If we summoned up the posse and done rushed the movies
I got Angie, Jeff got Tina
Ready Rock got some girl I'd never seen in my life
That was all right because the lady was chill
Then we dipped to the theater set to ill
We saw Elm Street and man it was def
And everything seemed all right when we left
But when I got home and laid down to sleep
That began the nightmare, but on my street!

[Fresh Prince]
It was burnin in my room like an oven
My bed soaked with sweat, and man, I was buggin
I checked the clock and it stopped at 12:30
It had melted it was so darn hot, and I was thirsty
I went downstairs to grab some juice or a coke
Flipped the TV off, and then I almost choked
When I heard this awful voice comin from behind
It said, ";You cut off 'Heavy Metal' and now you must die!";
Man, I ain't even wait to see who it was
Broke outside my drawers and screamed, ";So long, cuz!";
Got halfway up the block I calmed down and stopped screamin
Then thought, ";Oh, I get it, I must be dreamin";
I strolled back home with a grin on my grill
I figured since this is a dream I might as well get ill
I walked in the house, the Big Bad Fresh Prince
But Freddy killed all that noise real quick
He grabbed me by my neck and said, ";Here's what we'll do.
We gotta lotta work here, me and you.
The souls of your friends you and I will claim.
You've got the body, and I've got the brain.";
I said, ";Yo Fred, I think you've got me all wrong.
I ain't partners with NOBODY with nails that long!
Look, I'll be honest man, this team won't work.
The girls won't be on you, Fred your face is all burnt!";
I patted him on the shoulder said, ";Thanks for stopping by.";
Then I opened up the door and said, ";Take care guy!";
He got mad, drew back his arm, and slashed my shirt
I laughed at first, then thought, ";Hold up, that hurt!";
It wasn't a dream, man, this guy was for real
I said, ";Freddy, uh, pal, there's been an awful mistake here.";
No further words and then I darted upstairs
Crashed through my door then jumped on my bed
Pulled the covers up over my head
And said, ";Oh please do somethin with Fred!";
He jumped on my bed, went through the covers with his claws
Tried to get me, but my alarm went off
And then silence! It was a whole new day
I thought, ";Huh, I wasn't scared of him anyway.";
Until I noticed those rips in my sheets
And that was proof that there had been a nightmare, on my street

FP: Oh man, I gotta call Jeff, I gotta call Jeff
Come on, come on
Come on Jeff, answer 
Come on, man
JJ: Hello?
FP: Jeff, this is Prince, man
Jeff, wake up, 
Jeff, wake up
JJ: What do you want?
FP: Jeff, wake up, man, 
listen to me, Jeff
JJ: It's three o'clock in the mornin, what do you want?
FP: Jeff, Jeff, would you listen to me?
Listen, whatever you do, don't fall asleep
JJ: Man!
FP: Jeff, listen to me, don't go to sleep, Jeff
JJ: Look, look, I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm going to bed
{FC} RRAHHHH!
JJ: Ahhhhhh! 
FP: Jeff! Jeff!
{FC} Ha ha ha ha ha haaaa!
JJ: Ahhhhhh!
FP: Jeff!
{FC} RRAHHHH!
JJ: Jeff! Answer me, Jeff!
{FC} I'm your D.J. now, Princey!

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DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter, the duo became just the third rap group in recorded history to receive platinum certification, after Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs to… more »

1 fan

Written by: JEFFREY TOWNES, PETER BRIAN HARRIS, WILLARD C. SMITH

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Artist Background
"Nightmare on My Street” is performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, a hip-hop duo consisting of rapper Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff).
Release Date
The track was released in 1988 as part of their second studio album, “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper”.
Theme
The lyrics of the song follow a narrative related to the popular "Nightmare on Elm Street" film series, with Will Smith’s character experiencing a frightening encounter with the murderous Freddy Krueger.
Film Association
Although the song references the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise, it was not an official part of any film soundtrack. It was never meant to be directly affiliated with the movie series.
Legal Controversy
New Line Cinema, the owners of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, sued DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's record label for copyright infringement.
Music Video Ban
Due to the lawsuit, the music video for the song was banned and destroyed, making it quite rare. Some bootleg copies have been circulated among fans.
Song Popularity
Despite the controversy, "Nightmare on My Street" reached No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.11 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart in the United States.
Album Success
"He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper", the album featuring "Nightmare on My Street", was DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's most successful album, and it was the first double album in hip hop music.
Censored Version
A cleaned-up version of "Nightmare on My Street" was released in later pressings of "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper", without any references to Freddy Krueger or A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Awards
In 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. However, this win was not for "Nightmare on My Street" but for their song "Parents Just Don't Understand", which was from the same album.

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