"Star 69" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Fatboy Slim | ||||
from the album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars | ||||
A-side | "Weapon of Choice" | |||
Released | 23 April 2001 | |||
Genre | Acid techno [1] | |||
Length | 5:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Norman Cook | |||
Producer(s) | Norman Cook | |||
Fatboy Slim singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Star 69" from YouTube |
"Star 69" (also known as "Star 69 (What the F**k)") is a song by English electronic music producer Fatboy Slim, released on 23 April 2001 as the second single from his third studio album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000). It was released as a double A-side single with "Weapon of Choice", as well as its own standalone release.
The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 40 in Australia, Finland, and Ireland. It was later sampled by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj on their 2017 collaboration "Swish Swish". Despite being promoted as a single, "Star 69" was omitted from edited versions of Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars due to its frequent looping of an expletive.
The vocals on the song consist almost entirely of the repeating verse, "They know what is what, but they don't know what is what, they just strut. What the fuck?", sampled from "I Get Deep" by Roland Clark, which was also used on Fatboy Slim's song "Song for Shelter".[ citation needed ]
A radio edit of the track exists with the word "fuck" taken out. "Star 69" is popular with DJs and has often been remixed and used in mashups due to the vocal hook.[ citation needed ]
The song is included in the compilation CD Soundtrack 1: The Definitive Xbox Compilation, a compilation CD released in Canada to promote the first Xbox console. [2]
CD
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star 69" (full version) | 5:57 |
2. | "Star 69" (radio edit) | 3:35 |
3. | "Weapon of Choice" | 5:38 |
4. | "Weapon of Choice" (video) | 3:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star 69 (Timo Maas remix)" | 7:10 |
2. | "Star 69 (X-Press 2 Wine 'Em, Dine 'Em, 69 'Em Mix)" | 8:20 |
3. | "Star 69 (DJ Godfather Detroit Getto-Tek Mix 1)" | 4:03 |
12-inch vinyl
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star 69" | |
2. | "Star 69 (Timo Maas remix)" | |
3. | "Star 69 (DJ Delite)" |
"Star 69" / "Weapon of Choice"
Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [3] | 23 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [4] | 14 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [5] | 18 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [6] | 40 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [7] | 20 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [8] | 81 |
Ireland (IRMA) [9] | 21 |
Ireland Dance (IRMA) [10] | 1 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] | 85 |
Scotland (OCC) [12] | 6 |
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 10 |
UK Dance (OCC) [14] | 2 |
UK Indie (OCC) [15] | 1 |
"Year-end charts"
Chart (2001) | Position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [16] | 197 |
"Star 69"
Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [17] | 3 |
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
Hungary (Single Top 40) [18] | 33 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 23 April 2001 |
| Skint | [19] |
Australia | 14 May 2001 | CD | [20] |
Norman Quentin Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist for the Hull-based indie rock band the Housemartins, who achieved a UK number-one single with their a cappella cover of "Caravan of Love". After the Housemartins split up, Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton, who produced the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me". He then played in Freak Power, Pizzaman, and the Mighty Dub Katz with moderate success.
You've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second studio album by English electronic music producer Fatboy Slim. It was first released on 19 October 1998 in the United Kingdom by Skint Records and a day later in the United States by Astralwerks. You've Come a Long Way, Baby proved to be Cook's global breakthrough album, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard 200. Praised by critics for its sound and style, the album brought international attention to Cook, earning him a Brit Award in 1999, and was later certified four times platinum by the BPI and platinum by the RIAA. Four singles were released from the album: "The Rockafeller Skank", "Gangster Tripping", "Praise You", and "Right Here, Right Now", all of which peaked within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "Build It Up – Tear It Down" was also released as a promotional single.
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars is the third studio album by English electronic music producer Fatboy Slim. It was first released on 6 November 2000 in the United Kingdom by Skint Records and a day later in the United States by Astralwerks. The album features contributions from Macy Gray, Ashley Slater, Bootsy Collins, Roland Clark, and Roger Sanchez, and its title, referenced in the song "Weapon of Choice", is an allusion to the Oscar Wilde quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
"Praise You" is a song by British big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was released as the third single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998), on 4 January 1999. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and in Iceland, number four in Canada, number six in Ireland, and number 36 in the United States. As of 1999, it had sold over 150,000 units in the US.
"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.
"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998), on 8 June 1998. The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart in June 1998 and topped the Icelandic Singles Chart for a week the same month. It was the second Fatboy Slim single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked "The Rockafeller Skank" at number 199 on their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".
"Weapon of Choice" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim from his third studio album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. It features vocals by American funk musician Bootsy Collins. It was released as a double A-side single with "Star 69" on 23 April 2001, as well as a standalone single release, and a 2010 re-release with remixes. The single peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Right Here, Right Now" is a song by British big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 April 1999 as the fourth single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998). The song samples "Ashes, the Rain & I" by James Gang and an Angela Bassett quote from American science fiction thriller film Strange Days (1995). "Right Here, Right Now" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-40 hit in Australia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the Walloon region of Belgium. It was voted by Mixmag readers as the 10th-greatest dance record of all time.
The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder is a compilation album by English electronic musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 June 2006. In addition to previously released material, the album includes two new tracks: "Champion Sound" and "That Old Pair of Jeans". A collection of music videos titled The Greatest Hits – Why Make Videos was also released in 2006. Hit singles "Ya Mama" and "Star 69" were omitted.
"I See You Baby" is a song by British duo Groove Armada, featuring Gram'ma Funk on vocals. The song was also recorded with the chorus line "shakin' that thang" for various markets around the world, and also for use in American TV commercials. The song was later remixed by Fatboy Slim, with this latter version appearing in airplay. It was also remixed by Futureshock.
"Sunset (Bird of Prey)" is a song by English musician Fatboy Slim from his third studio album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000). The song samples Jim Morrison's vocals from the Doors song "Bird of Prey." Released on 16 October 2000, the single peaked at No. 9 in the United Kingdom, No. 20 in Norway, and No. 25 in Ireland.
"Sexual Revolution" is a song by American singer Macy Gray from her second studio album, The Id (2001). It was released on November 26, 2001, as the album's second and final single.
"Demons" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, featuring Grammy Award-winning American R&B-soul singer Macy Gray. The song was released as a single from Slim's 2000 album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, and later appeared on Gray's 2004 greatest hits compilation The Very Best of Macy Gray as well as Slim's 2006 greatest hits compilation The Greatest Hits - Why Try Harder. It contains elements of Bill Withers' 1973 song "I Can't Write Left-Handed". The gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama covered the song on their 2005 album Atom Bomb. Recently, the song was featured in the Netflix series Sense8.
"Body Movin'" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the second single from their fifth studio album Hello Nasty.
"Song for Shelter"/"Ya Mama" is a song by British big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released as a double A-side single in September 2001. Both songs are on his 2000 album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. "Ya Mama" is on the Charlie's Angels soundtrack and film and in a trailer for Spy Kids. The single peaked at No. 30 on the UK singles chart. Both songs were omitted from his 2006 greatest hits compilation Why Try Harder.
"Talkin' bout My Baby" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released in 2002 as a single from his third studio album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. The 12" single released for the song contained a remix of "Drop the Hate" as its b-side. Upon its release, it peaked at No. 92 on the UK Singles Chart. The vocal samples are taken from the Wet Willie recording "Macon Hambone Blues". The piano sample is Erik Satie's Gymnopédies.
"Retox" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released in 2002 as a 12" vinyl single from his 2000 album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. The single peaked at No. 73 on the UK Singles Chart. The song features Ashley Slater and for this release was remixed by DJ Dave Clarke.
"To Get Down" is a song performed by Timo Maas from his album Loud. featuring the vocals of Phil Barnes. It became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK Dance and Indie charts. It also reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song is featured in the 2003 film The Italian Job, the 2003 video game Music 3000 and a remix by Fatboy Slim appears in the 2002 video game FIFA Football 2003.
The discography of Fatboy Slim, an alias of Norman Cook, an English DJ, big beat musician, and record producer, consists of four studio albums, three live albums, one soundtrack album, two compilation albums, three remix albums, six mix albums, three video albums, five extended plays, 28 singles and 31 music videos.
"Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" is a song by Fatboy Slim, Riva Starr and Beardyman. It features vocals from Beardyman who improvised all of the lyrics and vocals in one take. It was released on 20 June 2013. Aided by a remix by Calvin Harris, the song reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Fatboy Slim's first top ten hit since "Star 69" / "Weapon of Choice" in 2001. A remix by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Ummet Ozcan was released on 23 December 2013.