Sample Saturday: Earl Sweatshirt - Tourmaline

Welcome to Sample Saturday, where we break down the samples used in some of your favorite songs. This week we will be discussing the sample used in the song “Tourmaline” from Earl Sweatshirt’s 2025 album “Live, Laugh, Love.”

The song “Tourmaline” produced by Theravada explores how Earl Sweatshirt found himself rediscovering himself after years of depression and darkness that has been expressed through his previous albums.

“Tourmaline” samples the song “Easy to Be Hard” covered by The Constellations on their 1968 album “Gemini Star.” The original song was performed by Suzannah Evans & the Company in 1967 for the musical Hair, but the commercially popular song was recorded by the group Three Dog Night on their 1969 album “Stateside.”

Compared to the original version of the song by the off-Broadway cast, The Constellations take a funky-soul approach to the song whereas the original version was more of a rock and pop sound.

In “Tourmaline,” various elements of the sample were used, such as the vocals, the melody, the instrumentation, and other notable elements.

What song do you want to cover next?