The Beastie Boys Are Really The Ones To Thank For The Term Mullet

Capitalizing on the glam rock look of the late ’70s, the mullet would gain further notoriety a decade later, fueled by a wave of ’80s hair metal bands, when younger rockstars paid homage to their heroes of the ’70s. David Bowie sported the then-unnamed hairstyle during his Ziggy Stardust days — a bright orange cut, short on the sides and long in the back — circa 1972 (via the Library of Congress). Singer Rod Stewart would shortly thereafter adopt the cut, along with the likes of other classic rock artists like Paul McCartney and Keith Richards (via About the 80s).

Decades later, in 1992, the Beastie Boys were looking to expand their sound. With several albums to their name, the Beasties’ style went from the party sound of 1986’s “Licensed to Ill,” to something they were uncertain of a few years into the ’90s (via UDiscoverMusic). Looking to expand their sound, the Beasties teamed up with the producer of their third outing “Check Your Head,” Mario C (via Discogs) to record their new album. Two years later, on June 18, 1994, the Beasties dropped “Ill Communication.” With its lead single “Sabotage” crushing the charts, “Ill Communication” debuted in the No. 1 spot of the Top 200 the week of its release (via Billboard). And while the original track listing for “Ill Communication” didn’t include “Mullet Head” (via Discogs), the Japanese release did (via AllMusic), thus exposing the world to the word mullet.

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