"Know the Ledge", originally released on the soundtrack for the film Juice under the title "Juice (Know the Ledge)", is a 1992 single released from hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. It was the theme song for the film and a single released from the duo's 1992 album Don't Sweat the Technique. The song features a distinctive sample from Nat Adderley's 1968 hit "Rise, Sally, Rise".

"Know the Ledge" is one of the most well-known showcases of Rakim's storytelling ability, as he shares a first-person narrative of a neighborhood thug and drug dealer who is forced to come to grips with his violent and reckless lifestyle. It became one of Eric B. & Rakim's final hits together as a duo, and was one of the most successful singles released from the Juice original motion picture soundtrack.

Background

The rapper played a more active role in the song than usual. He reveals this years later:

"They let me go up in a little room and see the movie. It was funny I was living in Manhattan downtown on 19th street. So when I got to the crib, me and wifey, she knew I was zoning in the cab. When I got to the crib I had my studio in a little room. I went straight up into the room and found the sample. The bass line. I took the bass line and put the regular drum sample underneath that shit. Half an hour later I had the lights off because I was in there zoning. Wifey came in I was like turn the lights off and close the door back. About an hour later I came out of there with three verses man. It was crazy."

The Ledge may refer to:

See also

Pleased to Meet Me is the fifth studio album by the American rock band The Replacements, released in 1987 by Sire Records. The album was acclaimed by music critics.

Background and recording

Pleased to Meet Me is the only album recorded by the band as a trio. After their previous album Tim, guitarist Bob Stinson either was kicked out of the band (ostensibly for problems with drugs and alcohol, though most of the other Replacements also had serious substance abuse problems at the time) or quit on his own volition due to creative differences. Many have attributed the noticeable shift toward a more accessible American rock and roll sound on Pleased to Meet Me to Bob Stinson's departure. The band recorded the demos for this album in August 1986, while Bob Stinson was still in the band.

Music and lyrics

While the punk roots of the group were still apparent on Tim, by Pleased to Meet Me they were there more in spirit as the band delved into other genres, such as soul and cocktail jazz, alongside tracks featuring their customary hard rocking sound. Perhaps due to the album's recording in soul music center Memphis, Tennessee, or the influence of producer Jim Dickinson, the band augmented its sound with saxophone on the tracks "I Don't Know" and "Nightclub Jitters" and a horn section on "Can't Hardly Wait", which features Big Star vocalist Alex Chilton on guitar. The lyrics and idea for "IOU" were based on an autograph "IOU nothing" that Iggy Pop had given Westerberg backstage several years earlier.

The Ledge is a 2011 drama-thriller film written and directed by Matthew Chapman, starring Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler, Christopher Gorham, and Patrick Wilson.

Plot

The movie opens with detective Hollis Lucetti (Terrence Howard) receiving the news from a doctor that he has been sterile his entire life. Upon reaching home, he questions his wife about who their children's father is. The film quickly switches to Gavin Nichols (Charlie Hunnam), an atheist, standing on a ledge as if to jump to his death. A small crowd forms below Gavin, and Hollis responds to the emergency. At first it looks like a regular suicide attempt. It is quickly revealed to be more complex than that, as Gavin explains to Hollis that he has no other choice than to jump, or somebody else will die.

The movie then recounts the story of the love triangle between Gavin, Shana (Liv Tyler) and Joe (Patrick Wilson). Shana is the new girl at the hotel where Gavin works. She lives with her husband Joe in an apartment just down the hall from Gavin's. Joe is a fundamentalist Christian who infantilizes Shana. During a visit one night, Gavin and Joe discuss religion. Gavin is an atheist, and he neatly picks apart Joe's born again belief system, pointing out that most of the people on Earth would go to Hell, even Catholics, if Joe's faith were correct. Gavin points out that a Chinese child who dies in a traffic accident might never even know about Jesus, and therefore have no chance to be born again. Joe's response is that such an example is not proof of God's unfairness, but merely the reason why Christians are called to proselytize. Their discussion heats up into a full blown argument that ends when Shana asks Gavin to leave.