"Light Years" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jamiroquai | ||||
from the album The Return of the Space Cowboy | ||||
B-side | "We Gettin' Down" | |||
Released | 20 February 1995 | |||
Genre | Funk | |||
Length | 5:53 | |||
Label | Sony Soho Square, Work | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jay Kay, Toby Smith | |||
Producer(s) | Rick Pope | |||
Jamiroquai singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Light Years" on YouTube |
"Light Years" is a song by the British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, originally released in 1994 as a song from their second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994). It was released as a single on 12 February 1995 by Sony Soho Square and Work, but failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart due to little promotion of the track.
In the United States, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, mainly because the American version of the physical single features three mixes of the song by popular producer David Morales. The American release of The Return of the Space Cowboy also features a live version of "Light Years", performed in Marseille in December 1994, as a bonus track. Two main versions of the song exist: the radio edit, running at 3:59, and an album version, which lasts for 5:53. The music video for the track shows the band snowboarding down St. Anton. Whilst many of the David Morales mixes remain unreleased in the United Kingdom, an edited version of the True Power Mix was available in the region on a mini 3-inch CD, only available through the Coca-Cola Euro '96 promotion. [1]
Larry Flick wrote in a Billboard review of the single, "Jamiroquai complements a horn-riddled funk throwdown with savvy remixes that flirt with mainstream house and hip-hop concepts without eliminating the quirky tone of the original version." [2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "When J.K quotes his master by saying "now I get that sunshine in my life", we don't have to tell you what the best track off Space Cowboy sounds like. Wonderful, of course, and soulful." [3] Roger Morton from NME felt it "gets its funky piano ass out to expose some sunshine-of-my-life spiritedness". [4]
A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Christian Stevenson. [5] It was later made available on Jamiroquai's official YouTube channel in 2009 and had generated almost 1 million views as of October 2021. [6]
Chart (1995–1996) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[ citation needed ] | 112 |
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [9] | 6 |
US Dance Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [10] | 38 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 20 February 1995 |
| Sony Soho Square | [11] |
Japan | 21 May 1995 | CD | Epic | [12] |
United States | 13 February 1996 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Work | [13] |
The Return of the Space Cowboy is the second album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on 17 October 1994 under Sony Soho Square. The album continues the musical direction of their debut, Emergency on Planet Earth (1993), and is characterised by its complex songwriting as a result of Jay Kay's creative block mid-production. Its lyrics addressed street life, hope, loss, Kay's drug use, and social matters regarding Native Americans and youth protests.
Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 28 August 1996 in Japan, then on 9 September 1996 in the United Kingdom under Sony Soho Square. Front-man Jay Kay intended for the album to have a more universal style, revolving around "cars, life and love". Critics have generally praised the album for being more focused and refined than the band's previous work while others panned its lyrics and found the album too derivative. Kay also faced backlash from the press for his use of sports cars in this period despite his environmental beliefs.
"Where Is the Feeling?" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue from her fifth studio album, Kylie Minogue (1994). The song was written by Wilf Smarties and Jayn Hanna, while production was handled by Brothers in Rhythm. It was released on 10 July 1995 as the third and final single from the album, by Deconstruction and Mushroom Records, seven months after the release of the second single. A new version was recorded for the single release, featuring spoken vocals by Minogue.
"Deeper Underground" is a single by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai from the soundtrack to the 1998 film Godzilla. The song was also included as a bonus track on the group's fourth studio album, Synkronized, as well as on the special edition of the group's fifth album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). Released in Japan in May 1998 and in the United Kingdom two months later, "Deeper Underground" became a hit in several countries, giving Jamiroquai their only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, selling over 339,100 copies in the UK as of March 2017.
"Canned Heat" is the second single from British funk group Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized (1999). Released on 24 May 1999, it became their second number-one single on the US Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
"In Your Room" is the fourth and final single released from English electronic music band Depeche Mode's eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). Released on 10 January 1994, the song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number two in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. It is the last single to feature Alan Wilder as a member before his departure in 1995.
"Virtual Insanity" is a song by British funk band Jamiroquai, released on 19 August 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song interpolates parts of Jocelyn Brown's post-disco hit "Somebody Else's Guy" (1984), and its award-winning music video was released in September 1996, garnering 10 nominations and winning four, including for "Video of the Year", at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
"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 achieved 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.
"Pony" is a song by American singer Ginuwine, released as the debut single from his first album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996). Ginuwine co-wrote the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland; the latter made his breakthrough as a producer with the song. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Space Cowboy" is the international lead single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994). Released on 26 September 1994 by Sony Soho Square, the single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, number six in Italy, and number three in Iceland. In the United States, it gave the band their first number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In June 2006, it re-entered the UK Dance Chart at number one. Its music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton. The single contains remixes by David Morales, which further put the single in club circulation.
"My Love Is for Real" is a song by American singer and songwriter Paula Abdul with backing vocals from Israeli singer Ofra Haza. It was released on May 30, 1995, as the first single from Abdul's third studio album, Head over Heels (1995). Intended as Abdul's comeback single, "My Love Is for Real" reached number one in Hungary and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, but it stalled outside the top 20 in the United States, peaking at number 28 in the Billboard Hot 100, and failed to make a major impact in Europe.
"Red Light Special" is a song by American vocal girl group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). Written and produced by Babyface, LaFace and Arista Records released the song as the second single from the album on February 17, 1995. The song found chart success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Little L" is the lead single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). The song was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith and was inspired by the break-up between Kay and his former girlfriend Denise van Outen, which occurred due to conflicting work commitments and which led to Kay's cocaine problem. Kay quit his habit in 2003.
"King for a Day" is the fourth single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized (1999). The song was written by Jay Kay and is a "tribute" to bassist Stuart Zender, who left the band shortly before Synkronized was completed. Jay Kay subsequently rerecorded all the songs on the album without Zender, and added "King for a Day" as the final track on the album. Upon its release on 29 November 1999, the song reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. The video features Jay Kay walking around an old mansion, where each room has a member of the band.
"Love Foolosophy" is the third single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). The song was written by Jason Kay and Toby Smith. The song's title is a play on words, using a made-up portmanteau of "fool" and "philosophy" to express how he is a fool for love.
"You Give Me Something" is a song from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). Written by Jay Kay, Rob Harris, and Nick Fyffe, the song was released in November 2001 as the second single from the album. The track peaked at 16 on the UK Singles Chart, number 17 in Spain, and number 30 in France. The song was the group's first single to be released on the DVD single format.
"Constant Craving" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang and Ben Mink, performed by lang and included on her second solo album, Ingénue (1992). The song was released in the United Kingdom in April 1992 and won lang a Grammy Award in the category for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1993, as well as an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.
"Stillness in Time" is a song by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released in 1994 on their second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994), and the year after as a single by Sony Soho Square. The track was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's highest-charting release to that date. It also reached number one on the UK Dance Chart and number 14 in Scotland.
"Supersonic" is the third single from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized (1999). The song was written by Jay Kay, Toby Smith, Derrick McKenzie, Sola Akingbola, Wallis Buchanan, and Simon Katz while Jay Kay and Al Stone produced it. The track peaked at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart and became Jamiroquai's third No. 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"Groove On" is a song from the British pop duo Thompson Twins, which was released in 1992 as the third single from their eighth studio album Queer (1991). The song was written and produced by Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)