Sandcastle Disco
Encyclopedia
"Sandcastle Disco" is a song by American pop
artist Solange
. It was released as the second single from her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
. The song is produced by Soulshock & Karlin
, who also wrote the song together with Solange and Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley
.
and her promotional appearances, including debuting the video on TRL
. Solange heavily promoted the song in the US with performances on The Late Show with David Letterman in late August and Jimmy Kimmel Live
in September.
The single received major airplay on UK music channels but did not pick up significant airplay on radio formats. She promoted the song on The Paul O'Grady Show
and Later... with Jools Holland in November 2008. Due to limited radio airplay, the single failed to chart on downloads alone in the proceeded weeks before the release date.
On December 20, 2008, the song notched the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart.
The music video is the directorial debut of Solange Knowles
. The video was almost entirely made using computer-generated imagery
, and features abundant stage and costume changes.
The video begins with Solange singing and dancing in a white room in a blue dress in front of her band. Then in the background CGI clouds appear, and Solange draws a sun with her hand, setting the stage for the video. Next she makes bricks appear and disappear, while palm trees spring up on the sides of the room, continuing to set the video's stage. Solange then plays with some hearts and lets out a rainbow ball that wraps around the room.
Next, Solange jumps onto a life-sized CGI keyboard (wearing a yellow dress), and plays it with her feet. Solange next jumps to a drum set, where she again plays the instrument with her feet. Solange then lies atop of a stringed instrument, and then slides down a microphone (like a firemen's pole) and moves to the next stage. The sun sets and a moon rises as Solange (wearing a brown dress) sits atop of a can of "Solange's, Can I Sing" (parody of Campbell's) Soup. Solange leaves the soup (wearing a gray dress) and returns to the sunlit stage and draws different things (headphones, musical notes, hearts), before flinging them towards herself on the next stage.
Now in a new yellow dress, Solange sings in front of a pastel-colored background, multiplies herself, dances, and then leaps onto a large record-player. She runs laps on the record, and spells out the lyrics "Ba Ba B B Baby", before moving to Solange (in a copper/beige dress) in front of an ocean background. Now in the background, large CGI balloons appear, and Solange grabs hold of one and flies up. Solange then lets go and lands back in front of her band (in a black/yellow feathered dress) singing in front of a CGI elephant, balloons, mushroom, and octopus, as her backing singers join her. Confetti falls around the room as Solange finishes the song and then walks off as the video fades.
UK Download (Nov 24, 2008)
US Remixes Download (Feb 10, 2009)
Australian Remixes Download (April 27, 2010)
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artist Solange
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
. It was released as the second single from her second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer Solange Knowles, released August 18, 2008, on Polydor Records and Music World...
. The song is produced by Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced a large number of successful songs, including Monica's "Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo's "Leave ", and Fantasia's "Truth Is"...
, who also wrote the song together with Solange and Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
.
Release
The song was released in the US in August 2008, but failed to receive a radio adds date, and thrived off moderate digital downloadsMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and her promotional appearances, including debuting the video on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. Solange heavily promoted the song in the US with performances on The Late Show with David Letterman in late August and Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
in September.
The single received major airplay on UK music channels but did not pick up significant airplay on radio formats. She promoted the song on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
and Later... with Jools Holland in November 2008. Due to limited radio airplay, the single failed to chart on downloads alone in the proceeded weeks before the release date.
On December 20, 2008, the song notched the number one spot on the US 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...
chart.
Music video
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
. The video was almost entirely made using computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
, and features abundant stage and costume changes.
The video begins with Solange singing and dancing in a white room in a blue dress in front of her band. Then in the background CGI clouds appear, and Solange draws a sun with her hand, setting the stage for the video. Next she makes bricks appear and disappear, while palm trees spring up on the sides of the room, continuing to set the video's stage. Solange then plays with some hearts and lets out a rainbow ball that wraps around the room.
Next, Solange jumps onto a life-sized CGI keyboard (wearing a yellow dress), and plays it with her feet. Solange next jumps to a drum set, where she again plays the instrument with her feet. Solange then lies atop of a stringed instrument, and then slides down a microphone (like a firemen's pole) and moves to the next stage. The sun sets and a moon rises as Solange (wearing a brown dress) sits atop of a can of "Solange's, Can I Sing" (parody of Campbell's) Soup. Solange leaves the soup (wearing a gray dress) and returns to the sunlit stage and draws different things (headphones, musical notes, hearts), before flinging them towards herself on the next stage.
Now in a new yellow dress, Solange sings in front of a pastel-colored background, multiplies herself, dances, and then leaps onto a large record-player. She runs laps on the record, and spells out the lyrics "Ba Ba B B Baby", before moving to Solange (in a copper/beige dress) in front of an ocean background. Now in the background, large CGI balloons appear, and Solange grabs hold of one and flies up. Solange then lets go and lands back in front of her band (in a black/yellow feathered dress) singing in front of a CGI elephant, balloons, mushroom, and octopus, as her backing singers join her. Confetti falls around the room as Solange finishes the song and then walks off as the video fades.
Track listing
UK CD Single (Nov 24, 2008)- "Sandcastle Disco" (UK Radio Edit) - 3:20
- "Sandcastle Disco" (FreemasonsFreemasons (band)Freemasons are an English dance band from Brighton, East Sussex, England. The act consists of producers Russell Small and James Wiltshire .-2005-2007: Early Career:Their name is taken from the Brighton pub, Freemasons Tavern, Hove, which they frequently...
Club Mix) - 9:00
UK Download (Nov 24, 2008)
- "Sandcastle Disco" (UK Radio Edit) - 3:20
US Remixes Download (Feb 10, 2009)
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Freemasons Club Mix) - 9:00
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Karmatronic Club Mix) - 7:50
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Gomi Main Mix) - 9:13
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Lost Daze Club Mix) - 5:28
- "Sandcastle Disco" (King Britt Main) - 6:52
Australian Remixes Download (April 27, 2010)
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Freemasons Club Mix) - 9:00
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Karmatronic Club Mix) - 7:50
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Gomi Main Mix) - 9:13
- "Sandcastle Disco" (Lost Daze Club Mix) - 5:28
- "Sandcastle Disco" (King Britt Main) - 6:52
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 ... |
149 |
| US 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... |
1 |