SAMPLEDWhat Song Does TV Girl's "Not Allowed" Sample?
TV Girl's "Not Allowed" is stitched together from the Yeastie Girlz's 1988 "Ovary Action" record, used with the group's permission. Here's the full breakdown.
Short answer: TV Girl's "Not Allowed" samples the Yeastie Girlz, a feminist a cappella punk group from the Bay Area. The vocal snippets come from their 1988 Ovary Action 7-inch record, including the tracks "You Suck," "FCC," "Fuck Yourself" and "Sue Your Friends."
Where is "Not Allowed" from?
"Not Allowed" is track five on TV Girl's 2016 album Who Really Cares. The album's notes, listed on Discogs, say the music and lyrics are by Brad Petering, and that "Not Allowed" features samples from the Yeastie Girlz's Ovary Action 7-inch, used with permission from the group.
That's an important detail: TV Girl cleared the samples instead of just lifting them.
Who were the Yeastie Girlz?
The Yeastie Girlz were part of the late-'80s punk scene around 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. They sang without instruments, and their songs were blunt, funny and political, mostly about sex, bodies and women's rights. Those short, punchy vocal lines are exactly what makes the hook of "Not Allowed" so catchy.
Led Zeppelin live in Chicago, 1975. Photo: more19562003 via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) (CC BY 2.0).
Are there other samples in "Not Allowed"?
Genius users also list Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" (1971), whose famous drum break has been sampled thousands of times, and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1982). Those are fan-submitted listings, and the album notes only credit the Yeastie Girlz, so treat them as possible references rather than confirmed samples.
Why do so many people search for this song?
"Not Allowed" became one of TV Girl's most popular songs years after release, largely thanks to TikTok and playlists. Listeners kept hearing those odd, chopped-up voices and wondered where they came from. Producers have since flipped "Not Allowed" itself into new tracks and sped-up versions.
What can producers learn from it?
- Vocal chops can be the hook. You don't need a big melody when the samples have personality.
- Old, obscure records are gold. Small-run punk 7-inches are full of sounds nobody else is using. See our guide to where to find records.
- Ask permission. TV Girl cleared these samples. Read our guide to copyrighting your music before you release songs with samples.
Curious about another sample? Read what song Wale's "Conundrum" samples.