"Back of the Van" is a song by singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Ladyhawke. It was her first single, and was from her debut album Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke (album)

Ladyhawke is the eponymous debut album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Produced by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates...

. It was released on 1 April 2008 as a download only single off her website and MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

. The track was re-released on 18 May 2009 as a limited edition single. The song was written by Ladyhawke and Michael Di Francesco.

Reviews

Femalefirst gave the song a positive review and has given it a 4 out of 5 star rating using the public vote. They wrote: "The result is a refreshing blend of rock, dance and pop. As well as writing "Back of the Van", Pip also plays the drums, guitar and synth on the track".

The BBC wrote this about the song while reviewing her debut album: "while the utterly uplifting Back of the Van is a tribute to just saying how you feel. As Ladyhawke reaches nervously for her new lover's hand it's impossible not to join in her sweet, unvarnished declaration, You set me on fire".

Exclaim wrote: "Brown unites her retro influences (classic rock, '80s dance, '00s rehashing of everything in the past) to mould her own unique lovechild. "Back of the Van" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard so far in 2008, evoking the spirit of Fleetwood Mac and spinning disco much better than that half-assed remix of "Dreams" by Deep Dish".

Music video

The video starts by looking up into space and then goes down to see Ladyhawke playing her guitar. Then everything goes blue but Ladyhawke continues to play her guitar. Then things start to move and you see an eye while Ladyhawke keeps turning back to look at something. She then continues to play her guitar while the people moving are now clearly dancing around. Then there is what appears to be fire but turns out to be her outline. Then while she sings you start to see more than one of her also a light starts to shine on her. Then you see shadows dancing while lights shine onto them. Then while Ladyhawke sings you see other people run across the screen. The video ends with Ladyhawke singing and fades into the darkness.

Charts

Chart 2009	Peak position
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	93

Track listing

Original digital download

1. "Back of the Van" (Original) (4:01)
2. "Back of the Van" (3:41)

CD single (re-release May '09)

1. "Back of the Van" [Original]
2. "Back of the Van" [A1 Bassline]
3. "Back of the Van" [Van She Tech Remix]
4. "Back of the Van" [WAWA Remix]
5. "Back of the Van" [WAWA Edit]
6. "Back of the Van" [Fred Falke Valvestate Mix]
7. "Back of the Van" [Fred Falke Ultimate Mix]
8. "Back of the Van" [Mock and Toof Mix]
9. "Back of the Van" [Radio Edit]
10. "Back of the Van" [Radio Mix]