Last Wednesday Erykah Badu made $3.60 while busking for money in New York City—a tradition that goes back to 1700, apparently, and a subtle reminder that Americans wouldn’t know Art from a Fart unless you beat them over the heads with it. Admittedly, Badu didn’t do herself any favors by singing “GIVE ME SOME MONAYYYY I DON’T WANNA GET A JOOOBBBBB” even though that was a nice, hilarious touch.
Considering that artists like Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, and the Violent Femmes all got their start busking, Badu is merely the latest in a cache of artists who have at other points in recent history tried their hand at street performance—some more successfully than others. Here are some notable videos of other famous musicians busking throughout the years.
Neil Young Outside a Glasgow Train Station—Lovely Black-and-White Footage
How’s this for a gorgeous timestamp of a decade: Neil Young in 1976, looking young, playing the banjo at a train station, surrounded by passersbys reading newspapers emblazoned with period iconography and references to “socialism” and “the war.” Within the black-and-white footage, the crowd is dressed in their working best, and only half the onlookers seem to recognize that the busker outside of this Glasgow train station is Neil Young, who plays here with modest attention. At one poetic moment, a passing gentleman reads a newspaper that happens to have a picture of Neil on the back page.
Billy Corgan Covers the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" in Milan
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman plays a few minor chords for a group of weirdly-eager fans in Italy in 2005, some of whom are mouth-breathers standing a little too close to their idol.
Arcade Fire, in the Dark, on the Steps of a Church
Win Butler sings into a megaphone as the rest of Arcade Fire performs, cellos and all, under the acoustically-rich arch of St. John’s church in London in 2007—no PA! The show is pitch-black, but when the cameras flash you can make out that its a very intimate, impromptu gathering after a gig. The packed-in crowd is almost drunk-sounding as they echo the “WHOA-OH” portions of “Wake Up” with the same brio that Arcade Fire made famous.
The Time That Bono Gave Away His Music for Free and People Were Actually Happy About It
In a gesture aimed at raising money for the homeless, the U2 frontman performs Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” for a Grafton Street crowd in Dublin on Christmas Eve, 2009. We don’t have the best footage, but it’s useful to remember that there were moments in Bono’s history when he could give away music without people hating him for it.
Jessie J "Busking" in Camden Market Looks Staged But Her Voice Is Incredible
Jessie J says she recently “surprised” fans by “busking” at London’s Camden Market before heading out on her world tour, but it appears the word got out and her “impromptu” gig looks more like a scheduled a cappella performance. Other than the fact that she’s singing alone with a guitarist, it doesn’t seem like typical busking, but her melisma-heavy rendition of “Burnin’ Up” sounds incredible—her voice is much more impressive and showy than what we’ve come to expect from her commercial pop hits.
17-Year-Old Biggie Smalls Freestyling on a Brooklyn Streetcorner
The cypher is busking’s distant cousin: a public display of prowess that makes or breaks an artist’s spirit. Around this time Biggie was something of a come-up in Brooklyn, where he reportedly had a dream, read Word Up! magazine, envisioned Salt-N-Pepa and Heavy D up in a limousine, hung pictures on his wall, and listened to Rap Attack every Saturday—Mr. Magic and Marley Marl.
Bruce Springsteen on the Streets of Copenhagen in 1988
Grainy '80s footage of Springsteen shows New Jersey’s finest taking requests on the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen. Naturally, the first person shouts "Play 'Born In the USA'!", a request that Springsteen hilariously ignores, opting instead to play “I’m On Fire” and “The River”. A huge crowd forms, and the street people start singing along with each chorus—a pretty moving impulse. The camera also keeps panning to an eccentric blonde Danish man who is thrilled by the Boss’s presence, and his enthusiasm is pretty silly and great. Even so, the funniest part of the video is when a fellow busker joins in for “Dancing in the Dark”. Do you ever feel sympathetic embarrassment for a person other than yourself? Wait until you see the man in the yellow shirt.
Tiny, Scary Justin Bieber Sings Cliché '90s Swan Songs
The preternaturally “adult” mannerisms that made young Dakota Fanning seem like a creepy animatronic doll are also at play here with young Justin Bieber, who en route to becoming a professional asshole looks slightly terrifying busking on the steps of Avon Theatre in Stratford, Ontario. His voice is pitchy and innocuous, but the eyes are so vacant and his eyebrows and mouth so abnormally stretchy that he looks like a robot whenever he hits a high note. (Still kinda cute though.)
Fran Healy of Travis Forgets the Lyrics to His Own Song in Oxford
Considering that “Sing” has basically five words, this is an impressive omission.