Charly (song)
Encyclopedia
"Charly" is the debut single released by the British
electronic
act The Prodigy
, taken from their debut album Experience. The version featured on the album is the significantly longer "Trip Into Drum & Bass" remix. It was released in the UK on August 12, 1991 through XL Recordings
on vinyl
, CD and cassette tape format .
Almost a year later, it was released as a double A-side single with "Everybody in the Place
" in the US
on June 18, 1992 through Elektra Records
on CD, digipak
and maxi-single format.
On November 22, 2004 the single was released on digital download format. On October 1, 1992, "Charly" had sold over 200,000 copies in the UK which in turn enabled it a Silver
BPI
certification. The Alley Cat Mix of "Charly" features as track number three on the expanded disc two of the band's debut album Experience. "Charly" appears on the band's compilation album "Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005
as track number nine.
, together with Chaz Stevens as an additional producer. The single's cover art was designed by Jay McKendry Jenkins. The song samples a 1970s BBC
Public Information Film
, Charley Says
, (from "Double Deckers" of ITV
's "Say No To Strangers" campaign), in which a little kid is shown with his cat. This sample later resulted in the band being unsuccessfully sued for plagiarism.
The band was criticized by the dance music magazine Mixmag
for inspiring a glut of copycat rave songs which also sampled children's programming, including "Sesame's Treet
" by Smart E's and "A Trip To Trumpton
" by Urban Hype.
" was a short series of informational cartoons produced for children during the 1970s dealing with everyday issues such as not playing with matches and not talking to strangers.
, two weeks later it rose to a peak position of number three where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. The single re-entered the chart almost five years after release at number sixty-six on April 20, 1996. The single re-entered again, a further eight years on from its previous re-entry due to a digital download release of the single. This time at number seventy-three on December 4, 2004. Altogether its spent a total of six weeks within the top ten and twelve weeks within in the top seventy-five.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electronic
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
act The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, taken from their debut album Experience. The version featured on the album is the significantly longer "Trip Into Drum & Bass" remix. It was released in the UK on August 12, 1991 through XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, CD and cassette tape format .
Almost a year later, it was released as a double A-side single with "Everybody in the Place
Everybody in the Place
"Everybody in the Place" is the second official single released by the British electronic dance band The Prodigy from their debut album "Experience"...
" in the US
on June 18, 1992 through Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
on CD, digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
and maxi-single format.
On November 22, 2004 the single was released on digital download format. On October 1, 1992, "Charly" had sold over 200,000 copies in the UK which in turn enabled it a Silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
certification. The Alley Cat Mix of "Charly" features as track number three on the expanded disc two of the band's debut album Experience. "Charly" appears on the band's compilation album "Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005
Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005
Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 is a singles collection from the UK band The Prodigy. It was released on 17 October 2005, and entered the UK album chart at #1 on 23 October.-Formats and singles:The record is available in four versions:...
as track number nine.
Background
"Charly" was written and produced by band frontman Liam HowlettLiam Howlett
Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett , is a member of the English band The Prodigy, occasional DJ, and a music producer.-Life and career:...
, together with Chaz Stevens as an additional producer. The single's cover art was designed by Jay McKendry Jenkins. The song samples a 1970s BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Public Information Film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
, Charley Says
Charley Says
Charley Says was a series of very short cut-out animated cartoon Public Information Films for children, shown in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s for London's Central Office of Information.-Overview:...
, (from "Double Deckers" of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's "Say No To Strangers" campaign), in which a little kid is shown with his cat. This sample later resulted in the band being unsuccessfully sued for plagiarism.
The band was criticized by the dance music magazine Mixmag
Mixmag
Mixmag is a British dance music and clubbing magazine. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 21,250...
for inspiring a glut of copycat rave songs which also sampled children's programming, including "Sesame's Treet
Sesame's Treet
"Sesame's Treet" is a 1992 remix of the "classic" Sesame Street theme song by the English rave group Smart E's. The song reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart....
" by Smart E's and "A Trip To Trumpton
A Trip To Trumpton
"A Trip To Trumpton" was a rave song released in the early 1990s by the group Urban Hype , and was produced by DJ Jack Smooth. It featured samples from the 1960s children's television programme Trumpton...
" by Urban Hype.
Reception
The song received generally mixed reviews from critics, despite its popularity. Dooyoo.co.uk described "Charly" as "An infamous song which was played at very loud volumes for weeks and its music video turned it into one of the controversial songs of its time." Popmatters.com elaborated "Charly" as an electronic track developed in such a way that it would ensure boredom avoidance. Stylusmagazine.com interpreted the song as "All teenage rampage and suckingly vacant insurgency". Amiestreet.com mentioned the single as "One of the early classics of break beat music which paved the way for the electronica explosion of the mid/late Nineties".Music video
A music video directed by Russell Curtis features live footage of one of the costume-wearing Prodigy's early performances and other visual effects. The video contrasts the song's lyrics and "infamous" sample by playing a clip of a government warning to always tell your parents where you were going. The cartoon figure used was an unnamed young child who had a cat named Charley and "Charley SaysCharley Says
Charley Says was a series of very short cut-out animated cartoon Public Information Films for children, shown in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s for London's Central Office of Information.-Overview:...
" was a short series of informational cartoons produced for children during the 1970s dealing with everyday issues such as not playing with matches and not talking to strangers.
US 12 Inch Vinyl Promo
- "Charly" (BeltramJoey BeltramJoey Beltram is an American DJ and record producer, best-known for the pioneering recordings "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm"....
Says Mix) - 5:27 - "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27
- "Everybody in the PlaceEverybody in the Place"Everybody in the Place" is the second official single released by the British electronic dance band The Prodigy from their debut album "Experience"...
" (MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
Dance Hall Version) - 5:33 - "Everybody in the PlaceEverybody in the Place"Everybody in the Place" is the second official single released by the British electronic dance band The Prodigy from their debut album "Experience"...
" (Fairground Mix) - 5:08
US CD Promo
- "Charly" (BeltramJoey BeltramJoey Beltram is an American DJ and record producer, best-known for the pioneering recordings "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm"....
Says Mix) - 5:27 - "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27
- "Everybody in the PlaceEverybody in the Place"Everybody in the Place" is the second official single released by the British electronic dance band The Prodigy from their debut album "Experience"...
" (MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
Dance Hall Version) - 5:33 - "Everybody in the PlaceEverybody in the Place"Everybody in the Place" is the second official single released by the British electronic dance band The Prodigy from their debut album "Experience"...
" (Fairground Mix) - 5:08 - "Your Love" (The Original Excursion) - 6:00
- "Energy Flow (G-Force Part 1)" - 5:18
UK 7 Inch Vinyl Promo
- "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix 7" Edit) - 3:38
- "Charly" (Original Mix) - 3:56
UK 12 Inch Vinyl, Digital Download & CD Promo
- "Charly" (Original Mix) - 3:56
- "Pandemonium" - 4:25
- "Your Love" - 6:00
- "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27
Remixes
- "Charly" (1991 Demo Remix) - 4:07
- "Charly" (Alley Cat Remix) - 5:27
- "Charly" (Alley Cat 7" Edit) - 3:38
- "Charly" (Beltram Says Remix) - 3:29
- "Charly" (Bit Me Remix) - 3:40
- "Charly" (Dave Skywalker Remix) - 5:12
- "Charly" (John O' Callaghan Remix) - 3:55
- "Charly" (Peo De Pitte Remix) - 7:16
- "Charly" (Red Head Remix) - 5:09
- "Charly" (Trip Into Drum & Bass Remix) - 5:13
- "Charly" (Trip Into Drum & Bass Paza Chip Remix) - 3:31
- "Charly" (Zinc Remix) - 4:54
Chart performance
On August 24, 1991, "Charly" debuted at number nine on the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
, two weeks later it rose to a peak position of number three where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. The single re-entered the chart almost five years after release at number sixty-six on April 20, 1996. The single re-entered again, a further eight years on from its previous re-entry due to a digital download release of the single. This time at number seventy-three on December 4, 2004. Altogether its spent a total of six weeks within the top ten and twelve weeks within in the top seventy-five.
| Chart (1991) | 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 ... |
3 |