Relax (Deetah song)

Last updated

"Relax"
Relax Deetah cover.png
Single by Deetah
from the album Deadly Cha Cha
B-side "Take Mines"
Released14 September 1998 (1998-09-14)
Genre UK garage (Bump 'n' Flex & M-Dub mixes)
Length3:48
Label FFRR
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Deetah singles chronology
"Relax"
(1998)		"El Paraiso Rico"
(1999)
Audio
"Relax" on YouTube

"Relax" is the first single by Chilean-Swedish singer/songwriter Deetah, released on 14 September 1998 through FFRR Records. Produced by Anders Bagge and Bloodshy and co-written by Deetah and Bagge, the song contains a prominent sample of "Why Worry" by British rock band Dire Straits, therefore Mark Knopfler is also credited as co-writer. "Relax" is included on Deetah's first studio album, Deadly Cha Cha (1999). Upon its release, the song became a top-20 hit in Iceland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the UK, it entered the top 10 on both the Scottish Singles Chart and the UK R&B Singles Chart.

Contents

Background and release

"Relax" was written by Anders Bagge and Deetah under her real name, Claudia Ogalde. The track's composition heavily samples the Dire Straits' 1985 song "Why Worry", so Mark Knopfler is also credited as a writer. Bagge, as "Bag", produced the song alongside Swedish DJ Bloodshy. Additional personnel who worked on the song include Mark "Spike" Stent, who mixed the track, and Arnthor, who engineered it. [1] FFRR Records issued "Relax" as a single in the United Kingdom on 14 September 1998 across various formats. [2] These releases contain "Take Mines" and various remixes of "Relax" as B-sides. [3] [4] [5] CD singles were also issued in Sweden, Germany, South Africa, and Australasia. [1] [6] [7] [8] The song was included as the fourth track on Deetah's 1999 debut album, Deadly Cha Cha, and also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer . [9] [10]

Critical reception

Before the song's release, British trade paper Music Week reviewed "Relax" on 29 August 1998, giving the song a "side-thumb" rating and noting that the "Why Worry" sample caused an "ill effect". [11] Ziad from Record Mirror gave a positive review for the song's Bump 'n' Flex and M-Dub remixes, calling them "excellent" and giving them a five-out-of-five rating. [12] British columnist James Masterton wrote that the song is a "great example of commercial garage with enough hooks to help it cross over to a pop audience", retrospectively calling its "Why Worry" sample "groundbreaking". [13]

Chart performance

"Relax" debuted at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart on the week beginning 20 September 1998, which would become its peak. [14] It is Deetah's highest- and longest-charting UK single, spending eight weeks in the top 100. [15] On the Scottish Singles Chart, the single entered the top 10, peaking at number 10 on 4 October. [16] It was also a top-10 hit on the UK R&B Singles Chart, reaching number four for two weeks. [17] The single's UK sales alone registered on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it debuted and peaked at number 47 on the chart dated 3 October. [18]

Outside the UK, "Relax" became a top-20 hit in Sweden and Iceland. In Sweden, it debuted at number 39 on the Hitlistan chart on 15 October 1998. Over the next three weeks, the song rose and fell within the top 30, then it jumped to its peak of number 20 on 12 November, becoming Deetah's first of three top-50 hits in Sweden. It remained on the ranking for five more weeks, logging 10 weeks in the top 60 altogether. [19] On Iceland's Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 chart, "Relax" first appeared at number 37 on 9 October 1998. [20] The following week, it rose to its peak of number 13, where it spent two weeks. [21] [22] It remained on the listing for five weeks in total, making its last appearance on 6 November. [23]

Track listings

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [18] 47
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [21] 13
Scotland (OCC) [16] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [19] 20
UK Singles (OCC) [14] 11
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [17] 4

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Ever (All Saints song)</span> 1997 single by All Saints

"Never Ever" is a song by English girl group All Saints. Written by All Saints member Shaznay Lewis along with co-writers Robert Jazayeri and Sean Mather and produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes, it was released on 10 November 1997 as the second single from their debut album, All Saints (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Night (Suede song)</span> 1997 single by Suede

"Saturday Night" is the third single from English rock band Suede's third studio album, Coming Up (1996), released on 13 January 1997 through Nude Records. The single continued the success of Suede's previous two hits by entering the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number six. Outside the UK, the song peaked at number one in Iceland, number seven in Finland, number eight in Denmark, and number 11 in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazy (Suede song)</span> 1997 single by Suede

"Lazy" is the fourth single from English rock band Suede's third album, Coming Up (1996). Released on 7 April 1997 through Nude Records, "Lazy" was the fourth single from the album to reach the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine. The song also reached the top 20 in Finland, Iceland, and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dolphin's Cry</span> 1999 single by Live

"The Dolphin's Cry" is a song by American alternative rock band Live, released on August 24, 1999, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, The Distance to Here. The song was co-produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, and features Adam Duritz of Counting Crows on backing vocals. It reached number one on the Canadian RPM Top 30 Rock Report and number two on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Internationally, "The Dolphin's Cry" peaked at number one in Iceland, number seven in Flanders, and number 10 in the Netherlands while reaching the top 50 on the Australian and New Zealand music charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deeper Underground</span> 1998 single by Jamiroquai

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bootie Call</span> 1998 single by All Saints

"Bootie Call" is a song by English girl group All Saints from their debut album, All Saints (1998). The song was written by group member Shaznay Lewis and its producer Karl Gordon. "Bootie Call" was released on 31 August 1998 by London Records as the fourth single from the album. "Bootie Call" achieved chart success, topping the UK Singles Chart on 6 September 1998 and becoming the group's third consecutive number-one single. Internationally, it charted in the top 10 in Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and on the Eurochart Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Don't Know Me (Armand Van Helden song)</span> 1999 single by Armand van Helden

"You Don't Know Me" is a song by American record producer Armand van Helden featuring vocals from American singer Duane Harden. It was released on January 25, 1999, as the lead single from his third studio album, 2 Future 4 U. The creation of the song came about when Helden created a looping track composed of several music samples and left Harden to write and record the lyrics alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ex-Girlfriend (song)</span> 2000 single by No Doubt

"Ex-Girlfriend" is a song by American ska band No Doubt from their fourth studio album, Return of Saturn (2000). The song was released as the album's second overall single in early 2000 and was moderately successful, reaching the top 40 in most countries it charted in, including peaking within the top 10 in Australia, Iceland, and Spain. A review from Billboard magazine called Stefani's vocal performance on the song "fantastic".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonnet (The Verve song)</span> 1998 single by the Verve

"Sonnet" is a song by the English rock band the Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. It was released on 2 March 1998 as the final single from the album. The ballad has the same instrumental layout as "The Drugs Don't Work", consisting of acoustic and electric guitars backed up with a string section mainly consisting of violins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life Is a Rollercoaster</span> 2000 single by Ronan Keating

"Life Is a Rollercoaster" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating from his debut solo album, Ronan (2000). The song was written and produced by New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander, and Rick Nowels, having originally been intended for the second New Radicals album which never came to fruition due to Alexander's decision to break up the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're Gorgeous</span> 1996 single by Babybird

"You're Gorgeous" is a song by British musical project Babybird, released as a commercial single by The Echo Label on 30 September 1996. Babybird member Stephen Jones wrote the song and co-produced it with Steve Power. It was their only top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number three, and reached the top 40 in Australia, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Sweden. Melody Maker ranked "You're Gorgeous" number 11 in their list of "Singles of the Year" of 1996. It is also the track for which the band is best known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fool Again</span> 2000 single by Westlife

"Fool Again" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 27 March 2000 as the fifth and last single from their self-titled debut album (1999). The song debuted and peaked at number two in the band's native Ireland, making it the first Westlife song not to top the Irish chart. It became the band's fifth consecutive UK number-one single and spent 12 weeks on charts. In the UK, it is the band's 14th-best-selling single in paid-for sales as well as their 13th-best-selling single in combined sales as of January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just the Two of Us (Will Smith song)</span> 1998 single by Will Smith

"Just the Two of Us" is a song by American rapper & actor Will Smith. It was released as the fourth single from his debut solo studio album, Big Willie Style (1997), on July 20, 1998. The song was inspired by Bill Withers' and Grover Washington, Jr.'s love song of the same title; Smith's version samples and incorporates lyrics from the original. Instead of love between a couple, "Just the Two of Us" focuses on the relationship between a father and son. The song features Fuzzy and Sauce from the R&B group Somethin' for the People with Fuzzy providing the chorus and ad-libs, while Sauce is a credited as a producer on the track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Mistake</span> 1998 single by Natalie Imbruglia

"Big Mistake" is a song by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia. It was written by Imbruglia and Mark Goldenberg for Imbruglia's debut album Left of the Middle (1997). The song was released as the album's second single on 2 March 1998 by RCA and BMG. Although less successful than "Torn", "Big Mistake" still proved to be a hit in certain territories, reaching number two in Iceland and the United Kingdom, number five in Spain and number six in Australia. It was not released in the United States or Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wishing I Was There</span> 1998 single by Natalie Imbruglia

"Wishing I Was There" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia, released on 25 May 1998 as the third single from her debut album, Left of the Middle (1997). The track was produced by Phil Thornalley and was co-written by Imbruglia, Thornalley and Colin Campsie. The single reached number five in Canada, Hungary, and Iceland, became a top-20 hit in the United Kingdom, and entered the top 30 in Imbruglia's native Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovestruck (Madness song)</span> 1999 single by Madness

"Lovestruck" is a song by English ska band Madness, released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Wonderful (1999), on 19 July 1999. This release marked the first time Madness had put out original material for over 10 years and signified their return to music. "Lovestruck" peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, which was the first time a new Madness release had reached the top 10 since the 1983 release "The Sun and the Rain". The song also charted in Iceland, reaching number 36 on the Íslenski Listinn Topp 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Sweetbox song)</span> 1997 single by Sweetbox

"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is a song by German-based music group Sweetbox. It was released in October 1997 as the second single from their debut album, Sweetbox (1998), the only album that had American singer Tina Harris as the group's frontwoman. The song is based on "Air" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3, played on the track by the German Symphony Orchestra. "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the most successful song of Sweetbox worldwide; it reached the top five in Austria, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, the song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woman Trouble</span> 2000 single by Artful Dodger and Robbie Craig

"Woman Trouble" is a song by Artful Dodger and Robbie Craig featuring British singer Craig David. It reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top 50 in Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand. In 2015, it earned a silver certification for selling over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Capital Xtra included the song in their list of "The Best Old-School Garage Anthems of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobody's Wife (song)</span> 1997 single by Anouk

"Nobody's Wife" is the second single released from Dutch singer-songwriter Anouk's debut studio album, Together Alone (1997). The song, a rock ballad, was written by Anouk, Satindra Kalpoe, and Bart van Veen, and it was produced by George Kooymans, Barry Hay, and John Sonneveld. It was released through Dino Music in the Netherlands and Ireland, BMG in Europe and Australia, and Columbia Records in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drop Dead Beautiful (song)</span> 1994 single by Six Was Nine

"Drop Dead Beautiful" is a song by German soul-pop duo Six Was Nine, included as the opening track on their second studio album, Let It Come Your Way (1994). Written by Mick Leeson and Peter Vale and produced by Mike Vernon, the song was released as the album's lead single in March 1994. Although the song stalled at number 51 on the German Singles Chart, it became a top-10 hit in Denmark and Iceland and reached number one in South Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Relax (Swedish CD single liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. 570 348-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 12 September 1998. p. 45.
  3. 1 2 Relax (UK CD1 liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. FCD 345, 570 287-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. 1 2 Relax (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. FX 345, 570 287-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. 1 2 Relax (UK cassette single sleeve). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. FCS 345, 570 286-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. 1 2 Relax (German CD single liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. 570 349-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. 1 2 Relax (South African CD single liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. MAXCD 132.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. 1 2 Relax (Australasian CD single liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. 570 287-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ "Deadly Cha Cha: Deetah". AllMusic . Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer: Original Soundtrack". AllMusic . Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Reviews: Single Reviews". Music Week . 29 August 1998. p. 11.
  12. ↑ Ziad (19 September 1998). "Hot Vinyl". Record Mirror . p. 4 – via Music Week.
  13. ↑ Masterton, James (20 September 1998). "Week Ending September 26th 1998". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Deetah". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 15, no. 40. 3 October 1998. p. 13.
  19. 1 2 "Deetah – Relax". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (8.10–15.10. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 9 October 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (15.10–22.10. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 16 October 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (22.10–29.10. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 23 October 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.11–12.11. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 6 November 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  24. ↑ Relax (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. FXX 345.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ↑ Relax (UK CD2 liner notes). Deetah. FFRR Records. 1998. FCDP 345, 570 311-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.