The Rockafeller Skank
Encyclopedia
"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat
musician Fatboy Slim
. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby
.
The single peaked at No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart
in June 1998. The song was the first Fatboy Slim single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 72.
.
The song also features four other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers
(a popular Northern Soul
track), Bobby Fuller
's "I Fought the Law (And the Law Won)", and a sample of "Beat Girl
" by John Barry
and his Orchestra. A guitar line from the song "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy
is also sampled.
Fatboy Slim has stated that to clear the samples and release the song he had to release 100% of the track's royalties, 25% to each artist, meaning he receives no royalties himself.
in the computer game FIFA 99. It was also featured in the soundtracks for Digimon: The Movie
, She's All That
, Bruce Almighty
in many media promotions for Osmosis Jones
, in the Playstation
game Gekido
and in advertisements for Suzuki Swift
and Surge soda. It was also used in the theatrical trailer for the film Office Space
and in the reality hit series So You Think You Can Dance
. It is also featured in the PlayStation 2
game Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
, and in the TV series Friends
in the 15th episode of season 5. It's most recent use was in the Wii
game Just Dance 2. In the late 1990's, it was used in a Polaroid camera commercial.
Dylan Moran
referenced the song in his 2004 show Monster.
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine
covered this song on his 2000 debut album Lounge Against the Machine
. Frank Black
covered the song numerous times in his 2007 European tour.
Note: Some mainland European editions omit the album version (track 2)
The edited version is notable at the beginning, as there is a scat
effect on the first word of the song.
12"
Big beat
Big beat is a term employed since the mid-1990s by the British music press to describe much of the music by artists such as The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and Propellerheads typically driven by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns in...
musician Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby
You've Come a Long Way, Baby
You've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second studio album by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 October 1998 through the label Skint Records. The album liner notes state that the album was made at The House of Love. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number...
.
The single peaked at No. 6 in the 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 ...
in June 1998. The song was the first Fatboy Slim single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 72.
Samples
The song features the repeated line "Right about now, the funk soul brother. Check it out now, the funk soul brother", which is a vocal sample of rapper Lord FinesseLord Finesse
Lord Finesse is a Hip hop artist and producer, hailing from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. rap crew.- Career :...
.
The song also features four other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers
Just Brothers
Just Brothers was the American musical duo of the brothers Jimmy and Frank Bryant and several session musicians. Their song "Sliced Tomatoes" was a dancefloor hit in 1972, and was sampled in Fatboy Slim's "The Rockafeller Skank."...
(a popular Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
track), Bobby Fuller
Bobby Fuller
Robert Gaston "Bobby" Fuller was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitar player best known for his singles "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You," recorded with his mid-1960s group, the Bobby Fuller Four....
's "I Fought the Law (And the Law Won)", and a sample of "Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
" by John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
and his Orchestra. A guitar line from the song "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
is also sampled.
Fatboy Slim has stated that to clear the samples and release the song he had to release 100% of the track's royalties, 25% to each artist, meaning he receives no royalties himself.
In popular culture
It was featured as the intro soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
in the computer game FIFA 99. It was also featured in the soundtracks for Digimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 American film adaptation of the first three Japanese Digimon films distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film used footage from the films Digimon Adventure , Our War Game!! , and Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals .In comparison to...
, She's All That
She's All That
She's All That is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Iscove, and is a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion...
, Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck TV reporter who complains to God that He isn't doing His job correctly, and is then offered the chance to try...
in many media promotions for Osmosis Jones
Osmosis Jones
Osmosis Jones is a 2001 live-action/animated comedy film directed by Tom Sito and Piet Kroon for the animated segments and the Farrelly brothers for the live-action segments...
, in the Playstation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game Gekido
Gekido
Gekido is a beat 'em up for the PlayStation game console. The game uses a fast paced beat 'em up system, with many bosses and a colorful design in terms of graphics. The game features the music of Fatboy Slim and Apartment 26. Marvel comic book artist Joe Madureira also contributed...
and in advertisements for Suzuki Swift
Suzuki Swift
The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been applied to the Suzuki Cultus in export markets such as Australasia, Europe, India and North America.- Predecessor :...
and Surge soda. It was also used in the theatrical trailer for the film Office Space
Office Space
Office Space is a 1999 American comedy film satirizing work life in a typical 1990s software company. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a handful of individuals fed up with their jobs portrayed by Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, and Diedrich...
and in the reality hit series So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (Season 3)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox network. Season three premiered May 24, 2007....
. It is also featured in the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 is an arcade game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was produced by Konami and released through Betson Enterprises. The game was released in Japan in August, 2007, while the North American version was released several months later. The...
, and in the TV series Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
in the 15th episode of season 5. It's most recent use was in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game Just Dance 2. In the late 1990's, it was used in a Polaroid camera commercial.
Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran
Dylan Moran is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer, actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his sardonic observational comedy, the UK television sitcom Black Books , and his work with Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Run Fatboy Run...
referenced the song in his 2004 show Monster.
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine
Mark Jonathan Davis , known by his stage name Richard Cheese, is an American musician and comedian. He was born in New York...
covered this song on his 2000 debut album Lounge Against the Machine
Lounge Against the Machine
Lounge Against the Machine is the first album of Richard Cheese, released October 17, 2000. The album title is a play on the name of the band Rage Against the Machine....
. Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
covered the song numerous times in his 2007 European tour.
Track listing
CD- "The Rockafeller Skank" (short edit)
- "The Rockafeller Skank"
- "Always Read the Label"
- "Tweakers Delight"
Note: Some mainland European editions omit the album version (track 2)
The edited version is notable at the beginning, as there is a scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
effect on the first word of the song.
12"
- "The Rockafeller Skank"
- "Always Read the Label"
- "Tweakers Delight"
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
49 |
| 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 ... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
72 |
| 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... |
39 |