https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9909uexu8
It’s one of those skeletons in his closet, like one of those outfits you wore in junior high that you really wish someone hadn’t taken a picture of you wearing. One thing that the esteemed actor Mark Wahlberg wishes people would totally forget.
It’s such a good vibration/Oooohhh oooohhh ooooohhh/It’s such a sweet sensation
I bet he wakes up in the middle of the night with that playing in his head and he mutters to himself: what the hell was I thinking?
Yeah, that song “Good Vibrations” was everywhere in the fall of 1991. The mainstream rap industry, eager for a new great white hope after Vanilla Ice’s fifteen minutes of fame turned into 5, was quick to pounce on the brother of then red hot New Kid On The Block Donnie Wahlberg.
Mark had been in legal trouble before. Having grown up on the streets of Dorchester, a crime ridden area of Boston (for a close-up read Dennis Lehane’s brilliant Kenzie and Gennaro novels and see the movie Gone Baby Gone which is based on one of those novels), Wahlberg knew firsthand about the street culture. He’d actually served some prison time for assault, so that gave him somewhat more street credibility than the aforementioned Vanilla Wafer.
At one point, Mark was part of the first (pre-record deal incarnation) of his brother’s famous group. Yeah, we almost wound up with a gangsta in the New Kids on The Block. But Mark soon realized singing wasn’t for him and decided to have a go at rapping. He formed the Funky Bunch (of which he was the sole white member), adopted the name Marky Mark and recorded an album that was produced and mostly written by Donnie. That album was Music For The People.
“Good Vibrations was released as the first single and it exploded. The club dance beat made it perfect for boogieing down to and Loleeta Halloway’s singing on the chorus gave it an R&B feel. This doubtlessly was more central to its success than the rather weak lyrics.
Donnie D’s on the back up
Drug free, so put the crack up
No need for speed
I’m the anti D-R-U-G-G-I-E my
Body is healthy
My rhymes make me wealthy
And the Funky Bunch helps me
To bring you a show with no intoxication
Come on feel the vibration
But like “U Can’t Touch This”, “Ice Ice Baby” and “Rico Suave”. “Good Vibrations” was a hit. Today, much of the general public knows it as Mr. Wahlberg’s funky little misadventure before he moved to his successful acting career. But was it his only hit?
Actually no. The follow-up “Wildside” did pretty well, making it to 10 on the pop chart. Surprisingly, this Lou Reed sampling tale of urban violence, isn’t too bad. The lyrics aren’t on the level of what NWA or Ice-T or Nas or Notorious BIG would do with similar subject matter. But it is more substantial and holds up slightly better than his big hit.
And that was it for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The follow-up “I Need Money” got some radio play. But disappeared pretty fast. A year later, the Bunch released a follow-up album “You Gotta Believe” which went nowhere. Their status as America’s leading pop rappers had been stolen by Kris Kross.
In 1993, Mark Wahlberg began his transition into acting with a role in the TV movie The Substitute (not the Tom Berenger shoot-em-up). He never officially disbanded the Funky Bunch. But has stated he prefers that that moment in his life be forgotten.
Although he prefers that his attempt at a music career be relegated to the dust-bin of pop culture history, Mr. Wahlberg has shown off his pipes in his movie roles as well. Take this scene from Boogie Nights, the movie that established him as an actor who would not be tied down by his beginning even as he had to show off his own funky bunch in the role.
Or this scene from Ted:
So, no, it’s safe to say that Marky Mark has had way more than one-hit, even if he had to ditch the Funky Bunch to do so. But I bet he still wakes up in the middle of the night with
It’s such a good vibration
playing in his head and moaning “please make it stop”.
More Nope, Not a One Hit Wonder