Porcelain (song)
Encyclopedia
"Porcelain" is a song by American electronica
musician Moby
, featured as the third track and released as the sixth single from his album Play
. It was released on June 12, 2000 in the UK, and reached number 5 in the UK charts, Moby's highest chart position there to date. The U.S. release was released two months later, on August 22, although the song was first featured in the 1998 film Playing by Heart
. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film The Beach
.
The Jonas Åkerlund
-directed version features a close-up of a person's eye and images within it resembling a reflection. This reflection is mostly of Moby singing the song but also includes a variety of people, both adults and children smiling, a baby, and a close-up of a hand playing some of the piano parts of the song.
The Nick Brandt
-directed version features Moby sitting in the back seat of a moving car but no one in the driving seat; the car travels through a town, a long open road, off the road into a forest then finally through hilly fields containing cows. The car narrowly misses crashing at times along the way.
Another music video is from a long take. There is no specific director noted. The video displays the connections and relationships people have throughout the video. A police officer is shown viewing the bay from the start, leaving for coffee, and then returning to his spot. During the time he is gone relations with people change. A women who had rejected a man at the beginning of the video is seen kissing him towards the end. This music video was shot at a small bay area in the town of Manasquan
, which is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey
.
(I): In Australia, the song was released as an A-side with "Honey
".
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
musician Moby
Moby
Richard 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...
, featured as the third track and released as the sixth single from his album Play
Play (Moby album)
Play is the fifth studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released on May 17, 1999 on V2 Records. While some of Moby's earlier work garnered critical and commercial success within the electronic dance music scene, Play was both a critical success and a commercial phenomenon...
. It was released on June 12, 2000 in the UK, and reached number 5 in the UK charts, Moby's highest chart position there to date. The U.S. release was released two months later, on August 22, although the song was first featured in the 1998 film Playing by Heart
Playing by Heart
Playing by Heart is a 1998 comedy-drama film, which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters.-Plot:Among the characters are a mature couple about to renew their vows ; a woman who accepts a date offer from a stranger ; a gay man dying of AIDS and his mother who has...
. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film The Beach
The Beach (film)
The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland, which was adapted for the film by John Hodge. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and features Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet...
.
Composition
Porcelain contains pulsating electronically enhanced string samples, piano rhythms, and wandering vocal solos. The beginning is a reverse sound of sampled strings, taken from "Fight for Survival" by Ernest Gold. This is uncredited in the album liner notes. Moby performs vocals, with additional vocals by Pilar Basso.Music videos
There are three different music videos for this song.The Jonas Åkerlund
Jonas Åkerlund
Jonas Åkerlund is a Swedish film and music video director, and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films...
-directed version features a close-up of a person's eye and images within it resembling a reflection. This reflection is mostly of Moby singing the song but also includes a variety of people, both adults and children smiling, a baby, and a close-up of a hand playing some of the piano parts of the song.
The Nick Brandt
Nick Brandt
Nick Brandt is a photographer who photographs exclusively in Africa, one of his goals being to record a visually poetic last testament to the wild animals and places there before they are gone at the hands of man.-Background and early career:...
-directed version features Moby sitting in the back seat of a moving car but no one in the driving seat; the car travels through a town, a long open road, off the road into a forest then finally through hilly fields containing cows. The car narrowly misses crashing at times along the way.
Another music video is from a long take. There is no specific director noted. The video displays the connections and relationships people have throughout the video. A police officer is shown viewing the bay from the start, leaving for coffee, and then returning to his spot. During the time he is gone relations with people change. A women who had rejected a man at the beginning of the video is seen kissing him towards the end. This music video was shot at a small bay area in the town of Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
, which is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Chart positions
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
56 (I) |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 68 |
| French Singles Chart | 99 |
| German Singles Chart | 63 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 26 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 17 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 79 |
| 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 ... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
18 |
(I): In Australia, the song was released as an A-side with "Honey
Honey (Moby song)
"Honey" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released as the first single from his 1999 studio album Play. It peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart....
".