"Playmate to Jesus" | ||||
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Single by Aqua | ||||
from the album Megalomania | ||||
Released | 12 September 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 Electron Studio (Copenhagen, Denmark) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:46 | |||
Label | Universal | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Aqua singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Playmate to Jesus" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Playmate to Jesus" |
"Playmate to Jesus" is a song by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua from their third studio album, Megalomania . The song,which was released in 2011,is about universal love and "what goes around comes around". Despite the song's positive critical reaction,it only charted in Denmark,becoming the group's second lowest-charting single. The music video,directed by Michael Sauer Christensen and filmed in Lyngby,Denmark,premiered on 22 September 2011.
"Playmate to Jesus" was written by Aqua members Søren Rasted,Claus Norreen,RenéDif and Lene Nystrøm,and produced by Norreen and Rasted. The song was recorded at Electron Studio in Copenhagen,and later mixed and mastered by Anders Schumann at C4 Studio. [1] The song is about universal love and "what goes around comes around". [2] The sounds in the first seconds of the song are recorded on the spacecraft Discovery. [2] A piano and violins start the song,before the beat kicks in. [3] A Vocoder synth comes through Nystrom's vocal in certain parts of the song,and a synth bass and distorted snare drum are also played. Dif's bridge only appears on the album version. [4]
A preview of "Playmate to Jesus" was uploaded to Universal Music's Danish YouTube account on 6 September 2011. [5] It was released as the album's second single and as a radio single on 12 September,the same day as their club single "Like a Robot", [6] [7] which was originally planned to be released in July. [8] "Playmate to Jesus" is the first track of their third album Megalomania . [9] The track was Aqua's second-lowest charting single. It debuted at number twenty-six on the Danish Singles Chart,issue dated 7 October 2011. The following week the song peaked at number thirteen. In its third and final week on the chart it fell to number thirty-three. It is the group's third single not to chart within the top 10 in Denmark,the others being "We Belong to the Sea" and "Spin Me a Christmas". [10] The song has been certified gold in Denmark by the IFPI for sales of 300,000 units. [11]
Despite the song's commercial performance,critical reactions to the song were mixed to positive. Jon O'Brien of AllMusic,in a review of Megalomania,viewed "Playmate to Jesus" as one of the highlight songs of the album saying,"The sweeping strings,inspired sound effects,and driving country-pop melodies of the lushly produced opener 'Playmate to Jesus',[...] shows the reunion hasn't been completely without merit." [12] Time said the song "has the dubious distinction of sounding vaguely like a Lady Gaga track that didn’t pass quality control," but was "relatively catchy,boasting the kind of musical infectiousness that causes you to hum it under your breath on the subway." [13] Gaffa's Signe Bønsvig Wehding considered the song to be "among the best tracks on the album",along with "Dirty Little Popsong","Sucker for a Superstar" and "Like a Robot". [14] Idolator considered the song to be more old school than "How R U Doin?." [15]
Pictures of shooting the music video in Lyngby,Denmark were released on Aqua's Facebook page on 14 September 2011. [16] A take of the video was also uploaded on their YouTube channel. [17] The video was officially uploaded on YouTube on 22 September. [18] Directed by Michael Sauer Christensen, [8] it is set in an eerie,empty house that is reminiscent of a horror film,where a black cloud wanders through the halls of the house. The members wear black and gray clothing in the video,with Nystrom's costume gradually changing throughout. The video ends by the members exiting the house through the roof and transforming into a beam of light shooting into the sky. [3] The video uses a shortened radio edit of the original song,omitting the bridge.
Adapted from liner notes of Megalomania: [1]
Chart positions
| Certifications
|
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Denmark [7] | 12 September 2011 | Digital download | Universal Music |
Norway [23] |
Søren Nystrøm Rasted is a Danish musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He plays keyboards, guitar and sings backing vocals. He is a member of the Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group Aqua.
René Dif is a Danish musician, singer-songwriter, DJ and actor, best known as the male lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian eurodance group Aqua.
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Aqua is a Danish-Norwegian Europop band, best known for their 1997 single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1995 in Copenhagen and achieved international success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band released three albums: Aquarium in 1997, Aquarius in 2000 and Megalomania in 2011. The group sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles, making them the most profitable Danish band ever.
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EP Phone Home is an EP by the Orange County, California rock band Home Grown, released in 1999 by Outpost Recordings. It was the band's first recording with guitarist Justin Poyser, who replaced Ian Cone the previous year.
Lene Grawford Nystrøm is a Norwegian musician, singer-songwriter and actress who is the female lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group Aqua.
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"Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 by Universal and MCA as the third single from the group's debut studio album, Aquarium. The song was written by band members Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Lene Nystrøm, and was produced by the former two alongside Johnny Jam and Delgado. It was written after Rasted saw an exhibit on kitsch culture in Denmark that featured Barbie dolls. The accompanying music video was directed by Danish directors Peder Pedersen and Peter Stenbæk.
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Megalomania is the third studio album by Danish band Aqua. It was released on 3 October 2011, by Universal Music Group and WaterWorks, over 11 years after the release of their second studio album, Aquarius (2000). The album peaked at number two in Denmark and was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
"Like a Robot" is a song from Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua's third studio album, Megalomania. Initially released as a promotional single on 5 November 2011 producer Lucas Secon reported that "Like a Robot" would be released as the album's international lead single. and was released in Australia and New Zealand in January 2012. It was their song single to come with an "explicit language" warning, with band member René Dif playing it down, saying: "There’s a million rappers out there who do that too."
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