"6 Underground" | ||||
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Single by Sneaker Pimps | ||||
from the album Becoming X | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 30 September 1996 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | Clean Up | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Sneaker Pimps singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
Music video | ||||
"6 Underground" on YouTube |
"6 Underground" is a song by the English band Sneaker Pimps from their debut studio album, Becoming X (1996). First released as a single in the United Kingdom in September 1996 by Clean-up Records,the song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and had moderate radio airplay in the United States,where it was shipped to modern rock and dance stations in February 1997. After the song was used in the 1997 American film The Saint ,radio stations began playing "6 Underground" more frequently. The single was re-released in May 1997,when it peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States,the song peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number seven on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Both the song and the music video,directed by Toby Tremlett,feature Kelli Dayton (later known as Kelli Ali),the band's lead singer at the time.
The cover artwork of the single uses a photograph of a Lego Space moonscape. The piece is from the Command Centre playset marketed by The Lego Group from 1978 to 1988. After the commercial success and popularity of the album version of the song,the group released several remixes,some of which became hits in dance clubs and radio stations with a dance format. The most popular version was the remix by Nellee Hooper (which appeared as a hidden track on the album and was depicted in the music video).
The horns and the harp melody at the beginning of the song are both sampled from "Golden Girl",a track from the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger (the song plays during a scene when Bond discovers Jill Masterson covered in gold paint). The "a-one two" heard repeatedly in the Nellee Hooper version is sampled from De La Soul's song "Breakadawn".
Chris Corner said,"It's about death in a small town environment. You grow up in this shit town and you yearn to get out. A lot of artists,we just can't survive in a place like that. So,the essence of that song is that living in a small town is like dying. For us it was a huge release to get out and to explore the world,to see what everything else is about. We all wanted that. You know,the northern industrial shithole. And that's really what that song's about." [2]
In his review of the song,Simon Price from Melody Maker wrote,"Cliche of the year. Post-Portishead,post-Garbage. Girl singer. Polite trip hop and gentle junglism. Lamb. Moloko. Sneaker Pimps. The Stone Temple Pilots of The Bristol Sound,basically." [3] In December 1996,Melody Maker ranked "6 Underground" number 30 in their list of "Singles of the Year",adding,"Smokier than Bill Hicks' bedroom,snakier than a python on a hairpin bend,a prime slice of easy sleaze that proved t**p h*p needn't be two dirty words." [4]
The music video for "6 Underground" was directed by Toby Tremlett,and made its debut on 14 January 1997. [5] It uses the "Nellee Hooper edit" of the song. Throughout the video,which gives off a dark atmosphere,the camera focuses on Kelli Dayton singing in the middle of a dark room sitting in a dentist chair that she spins around. The camera follows Dayton as she slowly walks around the darkened room singing the song. There are also several smaller lit rooms with oval windows within the larger dark room,depicting different scenes such as a man dressed in black practicing various poses,a woman dressed in a nightgown who is vacuuming the floor,a young woman posing around a chair in a red tie shirt and black skirt,a toddler dressed in a costume pouring spaghetti from a jar and tossing it around the room,and an overweight man eating spaghetti while sitting in a recliner. The small rooms with the oval windows could depict a view into people's private lives,and even a view into their souls. A can of worms is poured out by a band member. The other band members are usually seen lurking behind Dayton in this video,including in some scenes where the band is standing in one of the small,brightly lit rooms. At the end of the video,the people in the smaller rooms seem to freeze in place,and in the big room,the band poses at Dayton's dentist chair,and then the lights go out.
Chart (1996) | Peak position |
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Scotland (OCC) [6] | 17 |
UK Singles (OCC) [7] | 15 |
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [8] | 62 |
Scotland (OCC) [9] | 11 |
UK Singles (OCC) [10] | 9 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 45 |
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [12] | 31 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [13] | 7 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [14] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
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United Kingdom | 30 September 1996 |
| Clean Up | [15] |
United States | 3 February 1997 |
| Virgin | [16] [17] |
United Kingdom (re-release) | 26 May 1997 |
| Clean Up | [18] |
The song is featured at the beginning of the Beverly Hills,90210 episode "Friends in Deed" from its eighth season. The song is used in 1997 film The Saint. [19] A remix of the song—"Six Underground (The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mix #2)"—is used in the 1998 teen film Can't Hardly Wait ,when character Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt) first walks into the party. In 2000,the song was the main theme for the US primetime soap opera Titans .
Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band,formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album,Becoming X (1996),and its singles "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.
"P.I.M.P." is a song recorded by American rapper 50 Cent for his debut studio album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003). It features production from Mr. Porter of D12 and was mixed by Dr. Dre. The song was released as the third single from Get Rich or Die Tryin' alongside its remix,featuring American rappers Snoop Dogg,Lloyd Banks and Young Buck,on June 24,2003,by Interscope Records,Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.
Mono was a British electronic music duo which had a hit in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono". The group's music is often described as trip hop,based on its similarities to contemporary electronic music acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead. Audible,and frequently cited,influences in Mono's songs include jazzy instrumentation reminiscent of 1960s spy film soundtracks and production styles rooted in 1960s pop music.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio,released on August 1,1995 by Tommy Boy,Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976),"Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed,with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October,the song was included on Coolio's second album,Gangsta's Paradise,in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie Dangerous Minds,and the music video is also themed around the movie.
Becoming X is the debut studio album by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps. It was released on 19 August 1996 in the United Kingdom by Clean Up Records and on 25 February 1997 in the United States by Virgin Records. The album marked the only appearance of Kelli Dayton as lead singer before she was asked to leave the band;Chris Corner replaced her for the band's subsequent albums.
Paul Andrew "Nellee" Hooper is a British record producer,remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer with Scottish composer Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries for the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in 1996.
Splinter is the second studio album by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps,released on 25 October 1999 through record labels Clean Up and Virgin.
"Isobel" is a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk for her second studio album,Post (1995). Written by Sjón based on a story by Björk,the lyrics of "Isobel" tell the story of the title character,who is magically born in a forest and sends a message of instinct amongst the logical thinking of the people of the city. The story of Isobel has been explored in "Human Behaviour" and "Bachelorette",forming a trilogy. The track was released as the second single for the album in August 1995 by One Little Indian. Featuring additional songwriting by Nellee Hooper and Marius de Vries,string arrangements by Eumir Deodato and production by Hooper and Björk,"Isobel" combines a lush orchestral sound with electronic breakbeats.
"Unfinished Sympathy" is a song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack. It was released on 11 February 1991 under the temporary group name Massive. The song was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja,Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall,the song's vocalist Shara Nelson and the group's co-producer Jonathan "Jonny Dollar" Sharp. It was released on 11 February 1991 as the second single from the band's first album,Blue Lines (1991),on the band's Wild Bunch label distributed by Circa Records. The name "Massive" was used to avoid a radio ban,as the track's release coincided with the Gulf War. Produced by Massive Attack and Dollar,the song incorporates various musical elements into its arrangement,including vocal and percussion samples,drum programming and string orchestration by the arranger Wil Malone.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written by the American musician Prince for his band the Family. It first appeared on their only album,The Family (1985). Its lyrics express the feelings of longing expressed by an abandoned lover.
"Betcha by Golly,Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed,originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by American actress and singer Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition later became a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics in 1972 under its better known title,"Betcha by Golly,Wow".
"GoldenEye" is a song written by Irish musicians Bono and the Edge and performed by American singer Tina Turner. It served as the theme for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. Produced by Nellee Hooper and released as a single on November 6,1995,by Virgin (US) and Parlophone (UK),the track was a chart hit in Europe. It topped the Hungarian Singles Chart and reached the top five in Austria,Finland,France,Italy and Switzerland,as well as number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. "GoldenEye" was less successful outside Europe,reaching number 43 in Canada,number 63 in Australia,and number two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by Jake Scott.
"Firestarter" is a song by British electronic dance music band the Prodigy,released on 18 March 1996 by XL Recordings as the first single from their third album,The Fat of the Land (1997). It was co-written and produced by Liam Howlett and features vocals by Keith Flint. It also was the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart,staying on top for three weeks,and their first big international hit,topping the charts in the Czech Republic,Finland,Hungary,and Norway. The music video was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in the London Underground,in black-and-white. Melody Maker ranked the song number two in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996. 24 years later,The Guardian ranked it number eight in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".
"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album,Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song was released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 1996 via Sony Soho Square and in the United States in 1997 via Work Group. It was written by Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie,and produced by Rick Pope,achieving great chart success,peaking at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached No. 3 in Italy,No. 4 in Iceland,and No. 10 in Finland. The accompanying music video was directed by Adrian Moat and filmed in Spain. The B-side to the single is an instrumental,"Slipin' 'N' Slidin'",a song originating from another Jamiroquai track called "Mr Boogie",which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'",just like "Mr Boogie",also has a vocal version.
"Why Can't I Wake Up with You" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by band member Gary Barlow,the song was released on 8 February 1993 by RCA and BMG as the lead single from their second album,Everything Changes (1993). The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and number seven in Ireland
"Keep On Movin'" is a song by British soul and R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released in March 1989 by Virgin from their debut album,Club Classics Vol. One (1989),after "Fairplay". It is one of two songs on the album that features British R&B singer Caron Wheeler and it became one of Soul II Soul's most successful songs. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart upon its release in March 1989 and number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100,and was even more successful on Billboard's R&B charts,where it hit number one.
"Long Hard Road Out of Hell" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson and British trip hop band Sneaker Pimps. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture Spawn. An arena rock and gothic rock song,"Long Hard Road Out of Hell" was written by Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez and produced by Manson and Sean Beavan. Its lyrics are about self-loathing and its title is derived from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667). After the track was written,the Sneaker Pimps' Kelli Ali was recruited to perform background vocals on it,as the Spawn soundtrack featured collaborations between hard rock artists and electronic music artists. The Sneaker Pimps were dissatisfied with the final track and wanted a remix of it to be released as a single instead;conversely,Manson deemed it a personal favorite.
"Spin Spin Sugar" is a song by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps,released in March 1997 by Clean Up as the fourth single from their debut studio album,Becoming X (1996). The album version is typical of the Sneaker Pimps in both style and format;there is a driving bass line produced by a synthesizer keyboard which is accompanied by a second synthesizer loop playing above it. Kelli Dayton provides the vocals.
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While '6 Underground' will not be serviced to modern rock, dance, and triple-A stations until Feb. 3...