"Pants on the Ground" is a most unlikely hit song. Sixty-three year old Larry Platt, who performed this original song at the Atlanta auditions for the ninth season of American Idol, is an unlikely singing sensation. He gained instant fame on the "American Idol" show. Soon after his song was released on iTunes it quickly received more than 150,000 hits. As of June 2010 the video has received more than 6 million views on You Tube.
Larry Platt is a long-time American Civil and political rights activist and rapper. He first performed his song in Atlanta during a campaign period for city officials. Platt had been performing this song publicly in the Atlanta area for various events and functions since 2001. Inspiration for writing this song came when Platt observed a young man with his pants hanging below his waist. He thought it to be disrespectful and embarrassing.
Sally Hurley, a civil rights activist, encouraged him to audition for "American Idol" when the auditions were in Atlanta. The "Idol" judges were amazed by the performance. Flatt was not eligible to continue on to Season 9 because he was over the show's age limit of 28. Platt has appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" where he performed a version of the song. He also appeared on the daytime shows "The Today Show" and "The View."
On February 4, 2010, a single of the song was released by American King Music for MP3 download. More than 260,000 downloads were sold in a short time. Since then Platt has had offers by several labels and other companies that are anxious to negotiate to produce another single. The Georgia General Assembly has designated September 4, 2010 as Larry Platt Day. He will be recognized for his "priceless contributions, his great commitment to equality and his outstanding service to Atlanta."
Comments (0):