"Pants on the Ground" is a novelty song, which became the first single that civil rightsactivist "General" Larry Platt co-wrote. It was released via American King Music on February 4, 2010.
The song was first performed in 2001 by "General" Larry Platt in the streets of Atlanta during many campaigns for elected municipal officials across the city, and he had professionally recorded it as early as 2002. The "General" was also known for performing the song publicly in events and functions around Atlanta, including a live performance at the Sweet AuburnHeritage Festival in October 2009, and Centennial Olympic Park in 2008.[1]
Platt was encouraged to perform the song during the ninth American Idol season auditions, by civil rightsactivist Sally Harley. After he performed the song in response to her encouragement, it gained popularity as a viral hit.[1] Platt's former manager Jason Mills, released the studio version of the song, without Platt's consent.[citation needed] The single version of the song was released on February 4, 2010, by American King Music for MP3 download where the song has reportedly sold more than 260,000 downloads.[2]
Platt was offered deals by several labels, including Melee Entertainment and Jake Records. Others entered negotiations with Larry Platt to produce a single of the hit song, but due to the unauthorized distribution of the song by American King Music, it was difficult to navigate.[3] It was reported that Platt's former manager intended to promote the song, servicing radio stations to gain exposure, which is a common music industry practice. Platt later secured new management under a firm based in Atlanta, headed up by Earl Little.
The song was performed at the American Idol finale by Platt, accompanied by William Hung, and a crew of dancers who dropped their pants as part of the act.[7]
During some concerts, Florida-based Christian rock band Among the Thirsty, performs a verse from "Pants on the Ground" during the song "One Sound."
The song returned to American Idol on April 7, 2016 (for a short moment during the series finale), as an interjection performance while "No" by Meghan Trainor was sung by other American Idol alumni.
Today hosts Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry also organized a performance of the song. Additionally, Canadian MLAT. J. Burke performed a rendition of the song in criticizing Progressive Conservative opposition leader David Alward, during a session of the New Brunswick provincial legislature. Platt himself made a subsequent appearance on ABC's The View on January 18, 2010 (where he performed the song in its entirety).
^ ab""Idol's" Most Lovable Rejects". MSN. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original on January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)