"Lola's Theme" | ||||
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Single by the Shapeshifters | ||||
from the album Sound Advice | ||||
Released | 12 July 2004 | |||
Length |
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Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | The Shapeshifters | |||
The Shapeshifters singles chronology | ||||
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"Lola's Theme" is the debut single of British house duo the Shapeshifters, featuring soul singer Cookie on vocals. It was released on 12 July 2004 as the lead single from the Shapeshifters' debut album, Sound Advice (2004). The song became the duo's biggest hit, peaking atop the UK Singles Chart and charting highly in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In Australia, it was the most successful club hit of 2004.
The name "Lola's Theme" was originally a working title for this record; Lola was Simon Marlin's wife, and it was while listening to her record collection that the initial idea for the track was conceived. [2] She appears handing out candy floss in the music video. [3]
"Lola's Theme" features a sample from the introduction of Johnnie Taylor's R&B hit of 1982, "What About My Love", and it was originally released at the end of 2003 on their own Nocturnal Groove label as a mostly instrumental track featuring a vocal sample taken from Anthony White's 1994 song "Love Me Tonight". [4] "I basically took one phrase from Anthony White's ‘Love Me Tonight’ track from 1994 on Stress Records, twisted that phrase, cut it up, and made a completely new phrase out of it," Marlin told DJ Mag in 2023. "This was the bit that goes, 'I'm a different person / Turn my world around'. If you listen to the original Anthony White, you'll hear exactly the same words in a completely different way." [2]
Due to its immense popularity, "Lola's Theme" was licensed from Nocturnal Groove to Positiva Records. At the same time, the sample of "What About My Love" was then completely replayed by Mark Summers at Scorccio Sample Replays, recreating all elements of the sample (strings, brass sections, piano, etc.). The duo then set about finding a vocalist. After a long search they met Cookie, a gospel singer from the London Community Gospel Choir, [5] [6] who recorded the vocals for the full release, as well as adding verses. [2]
The song is a dance-pop song, utilising elements of "What About My Love" by Johnnie Taylor and lyrics from "Love Me Tonight" by Anthony White. Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of someone who for most of their life felt disillusioned and alienated. It is addressed to an unnamed other, presumably a love interest, who helped the singer to develop a more positive outlook on life.
In the United Kingdom, "Lola's Theme" was released on 12 July 2004, and upon its release, it topped the UK Singles Chart. [7] [8] "Lola's Theme" also topped the American Dance Charts, peaking at number one on the Hot Dance Airplay chart in October 2004. The duo went on to have a further two Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom ("Back to Basics" and "Incredible") and now have a recording contract with Defected Records. "Lola's Theme" was nominated for "Best British Single" at the 2005 Brit Awards. [9]
The music video for "Lola's Theme" was filmed at George Irvin's Funfair in Kingsbury, London; some of the video was filmed at the Irvin's Hellraiser (or Waltzer), the Top Buzz and other rides. The Shapeshifters and Cookie appear in the video, as does remixer Norman Jay.
UK CD single [10]
UK 12-inch single (blue cover) [11]
UK 12-inch single (green cover) [12]
UK 12-inch single (clear vinyl) [13]
UK 12-inch single (Victor Calderone remixes) [14]
| UK DVD single [15]
European CD single [16]
US 12-inch single [17]
Australian CD single [18]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [47] | Platinum | 686,000 [48] |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United Kingdom | 12 July 2004 | CD |
| [7] |
Australia | 9 August 2004 | [49] |
The Shapeshifters is the current alias of English house producer Simon Marlin and a former duo comprising Marlin and Swedish producer Max Reich, from Gothenburg. The Shapeshifters have been signed to Defected Records since 2008, and the duo were previously signed to Positiva. They are best known for their debut single "Lola's Theme", which went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2004.
"Up and Down" is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. Originally released in the Netherlands in February 1998, it reached number four in the United Kingdom in November 1998. It also reached number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1999. The Tin Tin Out remix of the song was sampled in DMC's remix of Cher's "Believe". The "Wooo!" voice in the song is sampled from "Crash Goes Love" by Loleatta Holloway.
"Star Guitar" is a song by English electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers, released as the second single from their fourth album, Come with Us (2002). It reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, and number one on the UK Dance Chart. The song was greeted with praise from critics.
"Kiss (When the Sun Don't Shine)" is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. It was released in November 1999 as the lead single from their third studio album, The Platinum Album (2000). The song reached number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart and peaked within the top 10 in Canada, Denmark, Flanders, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
"Don't Call Me Baby" is a song by Australian house music duo Madison Avenue, released as the first single from their only studio album, The Polyester Embassy (2000). Written by Cheyne Coates, Andy Van Dorsselaer, Duane Morrison, and Giuseppe Chierchia, the song includes a bassline sample from "Ma Quale Idea" by Italo disco artist Pino D'Angiò, which in turn is based on "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead.
"Sha-La-La-La-La" is a song by Danish glam rock band Walkers. The song was co-written by band members Torben Lendager and Poul Dehnhardt. It entered the Danish charts at number eight in the last week of March 1973, and peaked at number two after three weeks, after which it disappeared from the charts. The song achieved worldwide exposure after being covered by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys.
"Uncle John from Jamaica" is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. It was released in May 2000 as the third single from their third album, The Platinum Album (2000), and became a top-10 hit in Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It has been certified gold in New Zealand for sales exceeding 5,000 copies.
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" is a song by Italian electronic music producer Spiller with lead vocals performed by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Various versions of the single were later featured on the German reissue and some UK editions of Ellis-Bextor's debut solo album, Read My Lips. The single was released on 14 August 2000 by Positiva Records and was involved in a highly publicised chart battle against "Out of Your Mind", the first single by Victoria Beckham outside the Spice Girls, in the United Kingdom.
"Ordinary World" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran, released in December 1992 as the first single from their self-titled album (1993), commonly known as the Wedding Album. The ballad reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Mainstream chart, the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and the Italian Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Iceland and Sweden, and No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Who the Hell Are You" is a song by Australian house music band Madison Avenue, released as the second single from their only studio album, The Polyester Embassy (2000). The song was released in Australia on 5 June 2000 and was given a UK release on 9 October 2000. In the United States, the single was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio in January 2001. The song contains elements from Vernon Burch's 1979 song "Get Up".
"As the Rush Comes" is a song by American progressive house group Motorcycle. It was released as the group's first single in January 2004 and topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart the same year, becoming the first year-end number-one Dance Airplay track. Additionally, "As the Rush Comes" became a transatlantic hit, peaking at number 11 in the United Kingdom and reaching the top 20 in Finland, Flanders, and the Netherlands.
"Make Luv" is a song by Italian music producer Room 5 featuring the sampled voice of American R&B singer Oliver Cheatham from his 1983 hit "Get Down Saturday Night". Released in March 2003, "Make Luv" reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for four weeks in March and April 2003. The song also reached the top 10 in Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania.
"Roc Ya Body " is the debut single of American hip hop group MVP featuring rapper Stagga Lee. Released in the United States in August 2003, it reached number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first song issued on Casablanca Records to appear on the Hot 100 since Animotion's "I Want You" in 1986. In 2005, the song was released worldwide, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart, number six on the Irish Singles Chart, and number 15 on the Dutch Single Top 100. The group released a follow-up single called "Bounce, Shake, Move, Stop!" in the United Kingdom the following year.
"Something" is the debut single of Belgian music group Lasgo. It was first released on 15 June 2001 as the lead single from their debut album, Some Things (2001). It became a hit in the band's native Belgium, peaking at No. 5 in the Flanders region, and reached the top 10 in several European countries. In February 2002, it was released in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked within the top 40 in the United States. In 2013, the song was re-released with new additional vocals from British pop singer Taylor Jones.
"Dove (I'll Be Loving You)" is the debut solo single of Italian musician Moony, released on 27 May 2002 from her debut album, Lifestories (2002). It achieved success in several European and Oceanian countries, becoming a top-20 hit in Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. "Dove" remains Moony's biggest solo hit. The music video was shot in Spain by Canadian director Stuart Gosling.
"Husan" is a bhangra dance song produced by British duo Bhangra Knights, which consisted of Jules Spinner and Jack Berry, and Dutch duo Husan, which consisted of Niels Zuiderhoek and Jeroen Den Hengst. The song samples Indian singer Raja Mustaq. Additional music editing was done by Dutch producer Coen Berrier, former collaborator with Mason, and the lyric editor was Nasir Nizami. The original version of the single was produced by Husan for a Peugeot 206 car advertisement and was credited under the name "Bald N Spikey".
"Everytime You Need Me" is a song by German trance group Fragma featuring English singer Maria Rubia. It was released in January 2001 as the third single from their debut album, Toca (2001). The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland while also becoming a top-10 hit in Ireland and Norway.
"You Are Alive" is a song by German trance music group Fragma featuring vocals from German singer-songwriter Damae. It was released on 7 May 2001 as the fourth and final single from their debut album, Toca. The single peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart in May 2001 and charted within the top 20 in Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Romania, and Spain. In the United States, the song reached number 17 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
"Flawless" is a song by American electronica trio the Ones. The song samples Gary's Gang's 1978 song "Keep On Dancin'" and "Wordy Rappinghood" by Tom Tom Club. "Flawless" peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart. According to the Australian Recording Industry Association, the song was the most popular club hit in Australia during 2001.
"Nightmare" is an instrumental composition written, produced, and performed by Italian dance musician Brainbug, released as his debut single. The track was first issued as a single on 25 November 1996 and was re-released in the United Kingdom on 21 April 1997. Following this re-release, the song became a chart hit, reaching number 11 in the United Kingdom, number 14 in Australia, and number 15 in Ireland.
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