Tubthumping
Encyclopedia
"Tubthumping", informally known by its prominent lyric "I Get Knocked Down", is the title of a song released by the Anarcho-punk
band Chumbawamba
on 11 August 1997 through Universal Records
and EMI Electrola. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart
. It was also their best performance in the U.S., peaking at #6 in November of 1997 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song claimed the top spot in Italy
and the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
, from which "Tubthumping" was the first single, put the song in a radical context, quoting a UK anti-road protester, Paris 1968 graffiti, details about the famous McLibel case
and the short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
". "Tubthumping" was placed at #12 on Rolling Stone
s list of the 20 Most Annoying Songs. Most recently, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
ranked the song at #35 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, exclaiming as if in command, "Please, let's all keep knocking [Chumbawamba] down. I don't care what they say, eventually they'll stay down for good."
In the UK, a tubthumper is a politician. The U.S. equivalent of tubthumping is "going on the stump" (campaigning)
The band have performed the song with alternative lyrics on numerous occasions, notably when performing on the Late Show with David Letterman
, a chant of 'Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
' accompanied only by a drumbeat preceded the final chorus. At the 1998 BRIT Awards
, they performed the song with the added line "New Labour sold out the dockers, just like they'll sell out the rest of us" in protest at the New Labour government's refusal to support the Liverpool Dockers' Strike
.
The album version of the song opens with a sample of a monologue performed by Pete Postlethwaite
in the 1996 film Brassed Off
: "Truth is, I thought it mattered; I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." The cover art for the single is based on the logo for the manufacturing company of Arm & Hammer
.
The band received an offer of $1.5 million from Nike
to use the song in a World Cup
advertisement. According to the band it took about "thirty seconds to say no." They did, however, license the song to American video game company Electronic Arts
for use as the opening theme of the game World Cup '98
.
A French version of the song was produced for the French-Canadian market.
The trumpet soloist, Jude Abbott, plays in a jazz/pop style during her solos; however, she references the Baroque Period piece Prince of Denmark's March
at the end of the song.
The song was played as the Flight Day 4 'wake up call
' during the final Space Shuttle
STS-135
mission and flight of Atlantis
in July 2011
for astronaut
Sandy Magnus
on their MUTT Records label. The remixed version of their 1997 smash-hit Tubthumping was done by The Flaming Lips
and Dave Fridmann
. It's a slower version of the song, with a more minor key feeling to the music.
The other two songs on the CD were taken from the album "Readymades And Then Some
".
version of the song was created in 1998 as the beginning track for Dancemania SPEED
.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
covered portions of this song in his song "Polka Power!".
Rock band Phish
played a cover of this song as their encore, which made an appearance on their live album Hampton Comes Alive
. The song was used in the Children in Need
Charity Single by Peter Kay
and it was sung by members of the Animated All Star Band.
They Might Be Giants
covered the song as part of The A.V. Club
's "Undercover" series.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
covered this song for their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks
.
Tubthumping was used as a Wake-up call for astronaut Sandra Magnus
on the Final flight of the Space Shuttle
STS-135
on the 11th July 2011
CD 1 single (EMI, 1997)
CD1 single (EMI, 1997)
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
band Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
on 11 August 1997 through Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
and EMI Electrola. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 2 on 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 ...
. It was also their best performance in the U.S., peaking at #6 in November of 1997 on the 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...
. The song claimed the top spot in Italy
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
and the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Overview
The liner notes on the album TubthumperTubthumper
Tubthumper is an album by the band Chumbawamba, and is the album that catapulted them into the mainstream, released by EMI Electrola GmbH and in the US by Universal Records...
, from which "Tubthumping" was the first single, put the song in a radical context, quoting a UK anti-road protester, Paris 1968 graffiti, details about the famous McLibel case
McLibel case
McDonald's Corporation v Steel & Morris [1997] EWHC QB 366, known as "the McLibel case" was an English lawsuit filed by McDonald's Corporation against environmental activists Helen Steel and David Morris over a pamphlet critical of the company...
and the short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" is a short story by Alan Sillitoe which was set in Irvine Beach, and published in 1959 as part of a short story collection of the same name. The work focuses on Colin, a poor Nottingham teenager from a dismal home in a blue-collar area, who has bleak...
". "Tubthumping" was placed at #12 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the 20 Most Annoying Songs. Most recently, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
ranked the song at #35 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, exclaiming as if in command, "Please, let's all keep knocking [Chumbawamba] down. I don't care what they say, eventually they'll stay down for good."
In the UK, a tubthumper is a politician. The U.S. equivalent of tubthumping is "going on the stump" (campaigning)
The band have performed the song with alternative lyrics on numerous occasions, notably when performing on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, a chant of 'Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
' accompanied only by a drumbeat preceded the final chorus. At the 1998 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, they performed the song with the added line "New Labour sold out the dockers, just like they'll sell out the rest of us" in protest at the New Labour government's refusal to support the Liverpool Dockers' Strike
Liverpool Dockers' Strike
The Liverpool Dockers' Strike lasted from 1995 to 1998.Although referred to as a strike it was strictly a dispute because the employers, the MDHC had actually used the opportunity to sack the dockers who were caught up in a separate dispute.The Liverpool dockers refused to cross a picket line set...
.
The album version of the song opens with a sample of a monologue performed by Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
in the 1996 film Brassed Off
Brassed Off
Brassed Off is a 1996 British film written and directed by Mark Herman. The film, a British-American co-production made between Channel Four Films, Miramax Films and Prominent Films, is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure of their pit...
: "Truth is, I thought it mattered; I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." The cover art for the single is based on the logo for the manufacturing company of Arm & Hammer
Arm & Hammer
Arm & Hammer is a registered trademark of Church and Dwight, an American manufacturer of household products. The logo of this brand is a muscular arm holding a hammer...
.
The band received an offer of $1.5 million from Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
to use the song in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
advertisement. According to the band it took about "thirty seconds to say no." They did, however, license the song to American video game company Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for use as the opening theme of the game World Cup '98
World Cup 98 (video game)
World Cup 98 was the first official FIFA World Cup game developed by EA Sports after obtaining the rights from FIFA in 1997. Unlike the previous World Cup games, which were in 2D and showed a bird's-eye view, World Cup 98 was the first in the franchise to use a 3D engine, utilising DirectX for the...
.
A French version of the song was produced for the French-Canadian market.
The trumpet soloist, Jude Abbott, plays in a jazz/pop style during her solos; however, she references the Baroque Period piece Prince of Denmark's March
Prince of Denmark's March
The Prince of Denmark's March, commonly but erroneously called the Trumpet Voluntary, is a musical composition written circa. 1700, by English baroque composer Jeremiah Clarke .-Composition:For many years the piece was attributed incorrectly to Clarke's elder and more widely known contemporary Henry...
at the end of the song.
The song was played as the Flight Day 4 'wake up call
Wake-up call (service)
A wake-up call is a service provided by most lodging establishments to provide a service similar to alarm clocks via a telephone....
' during the final Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
STS-135
STS-135
STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
mission and flight of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
in July 2011
July 2011
July 2011 was the seventh month of the current year. It began on a Friday and ended after 31 days on a Sunday.- Portal:Current events :This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from July 2011....
for astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Sandy Magnus
Tubthumping (Remix)
"Tubthumping (Remix)" was released in 2003 as a promotional CD by ChumbawambaChumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
on their MUTT Records label. The remixed version of their 1997 smash-hit Tubthumping was done by The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
and Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
. It's a slower version of the song, with a more minor key feeling to the music.
The other two songs on the CD were taken from the album "Readymades And Then Some
Readymades
Readymades is Chumbawamba's first release on their own label MUTT. It continues the eclectic mix of techno, rock and folk of their former albums, albeit to a less ambitious scale than WYSIWYG...
".
Track listing
- Tubthumping (Remix) (by The Flaming Lips and Dave Fridmann)
- Salt Fare, North Sea (Vocal sample by Lal WatersonLal WatersonLal Waterson was an English folksinger and songwriter. She sang with, among others, The Watersons, The Waterdaughters and Blue Murder. She was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and died suddenly in Robin Hood's Bay, of cancer diagnosed only ten days before...
and Olly Knight) - Jacob's Ladder (Not in My Name) (Vocal sample by Harry CoxHarry CoxHarry Fred Cox , was a Norfolk farmworker and one of the most important singers of traditional English music of the twentieth century, on account of his large repertoire and fine singing style....
from the song The Pretty Ploughboy)
In popular culture
A fast eurodanceEurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
version of the song was created in 1998 as the beginning track for Dancemania SPEED
Dancemania
Dancemania is a series of remix compilation albums by i-DANCE. The series deals primarily with dance music, especially eurodance. Despite its tracks have been made by various musicians from all over the world mainly from the European continent, the albums have been released exclusively in Japan.The...
.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
covered portions of this song in his song "Polka Power!".
Rock band Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
played a cover of this song as their encore, which made an appearance on their live album Hampton Comes Alive
Hampton Comes Alive
Hampton Comes Alive is a six-disc live album by the American rock band Phish, released on November 23, 1999, by Elektra Records. It is the band's third live album and the first time complete live Phish concerts were released in their entirety...
. The song was used in the Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
Charity Single by Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
and it was sung by members of the Animated All Star Band.
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
covered the song as part of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
's "Undercover" series.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
covered this song for their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks (video game)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a video game based on the film of the same name. The game was released on December 4, 2007 and was the first release by short-lived video game company Brash Entertainment. It follows The Chipmunks as they play their way from small venues to massive crowds at Burning Munk...
.
Tubthumping was used as a Wake-up call for astronaut Sandra Magnus
Sandra Magnus
Sandra Hall Magnus is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She returned to Earth with the crew of STS-119 Discovery on March 28, 2009, after having spent 134 days in orbit. She was assigned to the crew of STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle...
on the Final flight of the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
STS-135
STS-135
STS-135 was the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter Atlantis and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 launched on 8 July and was originally scheduled to land on 20 July 2011, but the mission was...
on the 11th July 2011
Single versions
12" Promo (Universal, 1997)- "Tubthumping (MAWR Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Original album mix)"
- "Tubthumping (TimeshardTimeShardTime Shard were one of the innovators in underground UK electronic dance music during the 'second summer of love' in 1989. During their first five years Gobber, Psi and Angstrom became known as one of the UK's first live 'acid house' acts, during this time they developed a sound which became...
Mix)" - "Tubthumping (Gunshot Mix)"
CD 1 single (EMI, 1997)
- "Tubthumping" (Original Recording)
- "Farewell to the Crown" (featuring OysterbandOysterbandOysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
) - "Football Song"
- "Tubthumping (Butthumping Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Danny BoyDanny Boy-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
Remix)"
CD1 single (EMI, 1997)
- "Tubthumping" (Original/Invincible Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Butthumping Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Danny Boy Remix)"
- "Tubthumping (MAWR Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Timeshard Mix)"
- "Tubthumping (Gunshot Mix)"
Peak positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| 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.... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norway VG-lista Topp 20 | 2 |
| 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 ... |
2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| US Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
| US Hot 100 Airplay | 1 |
| VH1 Top 10 Video Countdown | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 69 |
| Chart (1998) | Position |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 35 |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
- List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 1997 (Ireland)
- List of number-one singles in 1997 (New Zealand)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 1997 (U.S.)
- Number one modern rock hits of 1997Number one modern rock hits of 1997These are the Billboard magazine Modern Rock Tracks number one hits of 1997....
- Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks number-one hits of 1998Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks number-one hits of 1998Singles at the number-one position on Billboards Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart in 1998:...
External links
- Chumbawamba - "Tubthumping" Music Video. Posted by Universal RecordsUniversal RecordsUniversal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. - [ Song Review], Allmusic
- They Might Be Giants cover "Tubthumping" for A.V. Club Undercover