"The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Bucketheads | ||||
from the album All in the Mind | ||||
Released | February 20, 1995 [1] | |||
Genre | House [2] | |||
Length |
| |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez | |||
The Bucketheads singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" on YouTube |
"The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" is a house music track by Kenny Dope's musical production team the Bucketheads, released in February 1995 by Positiva and Henry Street Music. It was later dubbed into the project's sole album, All in the Mind (1995). The single was a commercial hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, while in the United States, it peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 41 on the Cash Box Top 100. Its music video was directed by British directors Guy Ritchie and Alex De Rakoff. In 2020, Slant Magazine ranked "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" number 48 in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" [3] and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 77 in their "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". [4]
Produced by Masters at Work member Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, the track features samples from Chicago's "Street Player" from their 1979 album Chicago 13.
The lyrics have a single line "these sounds fall into my mind", which repeats throughout the entire song. This line is also the subtitle of the song, which is actually considered a mondegreen; the actual lyric taken from the sample is "Street sounds swirling through my mind..."
Also sampled is "The Preacher Man" (1993) by Green Velvet. The accompanying video was featured on the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Prank Call," on January 28, 1996.
The track once served as the entrance music for former World bantamweight and featherweight boxing champion Prince Naseem Hamed, and is featured on the soundtrack for the 2010 film The Switch .
"The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" was very successful on the charts on several continents, reaching number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States.
In Europe, the song was a top 10 hit in Belgium (3), France (4), Iceland (2), Ireland (10), Scotland (9), Sweden (5), Switzerland (7), and the UK. In the latter, the single peaked at number five in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on March 5, 1995. [5] But on the UK Dance Chart, the song was an even bigger hit, reaching number two. In 1999, it returned to the UK Dance Chart, this time peaking at number 34. Additionally, "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" entered the top 20 in Austria (16), Finland (14), Germany (19), Italy (13), the Netherlands (11) and Spain (12), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the song hit number 12 in July 1995. Outside Europe, it also made it to number eight on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada, number 11 in Australia, number 21 in New Zealand, number 41 on the US Cash Box Top 100 and number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The song was awarded with a silver record in France, with sales of 125,000 singles.
AllMusic editor John Bush declared in a retrospective review that the song has a "great-sounding fusion of disco-funk and house that works well". [6] Larry Flick from Billboard called it "retro-happy" [7] and "an unassuming li'l jaunt back in time that is packed with more than a savvy twist or two." [8] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel wrote, "The hi-NRG Eurodance number is romping good fun and a prime promotional tool for the album All in the Mind ." [9] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton described it as a "annoyingly catchy 70s-styled dance record that comes complete with tongue-in-cheek video featuring neon lights, platform heels and mile-wide afro haircuts. One of the more unconventional dance records at the moment and possibly by definition one of the best." [10] Dave Piccioni from Music Week's RM Dance Update commented, "Another all-time dance classic is reworked, rehashed and brutally stripped. Why do they do it? Well, probably because they come out sounding pretty damn good. Kenny Dope has taken a razor blade to Chicago's "Streetplayer", added some rough and ready beats, some latino congas, and presented a disco gem to a new generation of dancers. The result is slamming, the effect on the floor is similar. A simple sample track that is truly gorgeous." [11]
After the 1995 re-release, another editor, Brad Beatnik, said, "It's the sort of tune that will go down very well on most floors thanks to its carnival atmosphere and very funky disco beats." He added, "A stormer." [12] The magazine's James Hamilton viewed it as "so consistent a seller since late September ['94] that it must surely be the biggest import in ages", describing it as "a marathon bassily burbling percussive 0.125.9bpm underground rhythm groove". [13] John Kilgo from The Network Forty declared it as "a perfect "roll down your windows and crank up the sound" tune". [14] Iestyn George from NME praised it as a "joyous marriage of tribal trance and disco skillfully manipulated by Kenny Dope". [15] Charles Aaron from Spin stated that "more than a Box novelty, "The Bomb!" is essential '90s funk, a house party on the last car of the D to the A train winding its way from Brooklyn up to Manhattan's disco meat-packing district with conductor Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez mixing electro, hip-hop, house, and Chicago (the group)." [16] In her review of the album, the magazine's Leigh Anne Fitzpatrick concluded that "the single alone will leave you chanting the catchy line "These sounds fall into my mind"." [17]
The accompanying music video for "The Bomb!" was directed by British directors Guy Ritchie and Alex De Rakoff on a budget of roughly £1,000, being one of their first music video recordings shot on a Super 8 film camera, inspired by some of the Beastie Boys' music video recording styles. [18] [19] It was filmed in London, as can be discerned from the side of the road being driven on with the car's steering wheel on the right side of the car and double-decker buses, and first aired in March 1995.
The video starts off with a black man with an afro waking up because of an alarm clock alongside two blonde haired white women, one with wavy hair and the other with straight hair, the latter of which gets her hair done into pigtails. After they all get themselves ready to go out to have fun, they walk out of the home and the blonde with pigtails is seen driving through London in a Volkswagen Superbug, which the man with an afro later drives while nodding to the blonde with pigtails, who quickly turns away. The gang are seen walking together through a market area and later go into a record shop where the man with an afro finds a record within the store's inventory of this exact song. They all later leave the record store, walk more through the market area, then the man with an afro departures from the two blondes via a kiss on their cheeks, later entering a nightclub called Carwash. [20]
The video for "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" was later made available on Altra Moda Music's official YouTube channel in 2013. It had generated more than 8.7 million views as of December 2022. [21]
Mixmag ranked the song number 60 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list in 1996, adding,
"A quarter of an hour's worth of mirrorball mayhem, Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales' The Bomb is the ultimate disco cutup track. Shatteringly simple, the genius of The Bomb lies in the way it builds up your anticipation with a protracted burst of hard jacking drums and atonal honking before the perfect disco sample soars away into the distance. A massive hit when Positiva licensed it in early 1995, The Bomb kick-started the trend for raiding old disco 12s. Dozens of producers followed its lead, but none of them ever equalled the definitive original article." [22]
DJ Magazine ranked it number 95 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes" in 1998. [23]
Spex included it in their "The Best Singles of the Century" list in 1999. [24]
Slant Magazine ranked the song 65th in its "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list in 2006. [25]
The Guardian featured the song on their "A History of Modern Music: Dance" in 2011. [26]
MTV Dance placed "The Bomb!" at No. 10 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011. [27]
Idolator ranked the song number 34 in their ranking of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995" in 2015. [28] John Hamilton commented,
"Who would have predicted that The Karate Kid, Part II balladeer and former lead singer of Chicago, Peter Cetera, would experience a mid-’90s career renaissance as a house music diva? (Not even Miss Cleo!) But that’s exactly what happened when noted remixer/producer Kenny "Dope" Gonzales lifted a vintage slice of Chicago’s "Street Player", dressed it with a funky kick, edited the hell out of the horn section and Cetera’s vocals and turned it all out as "The Bomb!""
BuzzFeed listed the song number 44 in their "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" list in 2017. [29]
Mixmag ranked the song as one of "The 20 Best US Rave Anthems of the '90s" in 2019, adding,
"The Bucketheads is a disco-sampling solo project from NYC dance music legend Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez who is also revered for his work as one half of Masters At Work alongside Louie Vega. Sampling the band Chicago's 1979 track 'Street Player', Kenny Dope created a slick piece of house that forces hands in the air everywhere." [30]
Slant Magazine placed the song at number 48 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" in 2020. [3] Same year, Tomorrowland included it in their official list of "The Ibiza 500". [31]
Year | Publisher | Country | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | ASCAP | United States | "1996 Rhythm & Soul Awards" [32] | * |
1996 | International Dance Music Awards | United States | "Best House 12-inch" [33] | 1 |
1996 | Mixmag | United Kingdom | "The 100 Best Dance Singles of All Time" | 60 |
1998 | DJ Magazine | United Kingdom | "Top 100 Club Tunes" | 95 |
1999 | Spex | Germany | "Die besten Singles aller Zeiten" | * |
2006 | Slant Magazine | United States | "100 Greatest Dance Songs" | 65 |
2010 | Pitchfork | United States | "Ten Actually Good 90s Jock Jams" [34] | * |
2011 | The Guardian | United Kingdom | "A History of Modern Music: Dance" | * |
2011 | MTV Dance | United Kingdom | "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" [27] | 10 |
2015 | Idolator | United States | "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995" | 34 |
2015 | Robert Dimery | United States | "1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, and 10,001 You Must Download (2015 Update)" | 1-1001 |
2017 | BuzzFeed | United States | "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s" | 44 |
2019 | Mixmag | United Kingdom | "The 20 Best US Rave Anthems of the '90s" | * |
2020 | Slant Magazine | United States | "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" | 48 |
2022 | Rolling Stone | United States | "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" [4] | 77 |
(*) indicates the list is unordered.
|
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP) [75] | Gold | 250,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [76] | Silver | 200,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio, released on August 1, 1995 by Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976), "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album, Gangsta's Paradise, in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie, Dangerous Minds. The music video is also themed around the movie.
"Jump" is a song by American hip hop duo Kris Kross, released on February 6, 1992, as their first single from their debut studio album, Totally Krossed Out (1992). It achieved international success, topping charts in Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. Additionally, it was the third-best-selling song of 1992 in the United States, with sales of 2,079,000 physical copies that year. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Rich Murray and filmed in Atlanta. Billboard magazine featured "Jump" in their lists of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019 and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also released the hit "The Bomb! " as The Bucketheads.
"I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer.
"Poison" is the debut single of American vocal group Bell Biv DeVoe, released as the first single from their debut album of the same name. The song, in the style of new jack swing, a late-1980s/early-1990s hybrid of R&B, hip hop and swing, was the group's most successful.
"Be My Lover" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group La Bouche and released in March 1995 by Arista and RCA as the second single from their debut album, Sweet Dreams (1995). The song was written by group members Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray with Uli Brenner and Gerd Amir Saraf, who co-produced it with Frank Farian. It remains their most successful song, alongside "Sweet Dreams", and was a worldwide hit. In Europe, it was a number-one hit in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the US, the single reached number five on the Cash Box Top 100, number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks in December 1995. To date, it has sold six million copies worldwide. "Be My Lover" earned La Bouche the 1996 Echo award in Germany in the category for Best Dance Single as well as the ASCAP award in the US for the 'Most Played Song in America'. It was dubbed into many megamix tracks and has had several remix versions.
"Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976, originally appearing on her debut album, Never Gonna Let You Go (1976). Released as a single, the song went to #10 on the Billboard pop charts, and #73 on the Billboard soul chart. The song earned Robinson a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The track also went to number one on the Billboard disco chart for four weeks. "Turn the Beat Around" is considered a disco classic and is featured on many compilation albums.
"Not Over Yet" is a song by British dance act Grace. Originally released in 1993 under the band name State of Grace, it was re-released in March 1995 as the first single from their only album, If I Could Fly (1996). It received critical acclaim from music critics, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Lead vocals and backing vocals were performed by singer Patti Low. In 1995, the lead vocals were replaced by new frontwoman and singer, Dominique Atkins for the album release, although Low's backing vocals remained in place. This Atkins/Low combination appeared on all subsequent re-releases and remixes of the track. The woman who appears in the accompanying music video is Low.
"Believe" is a song by the American singer and actress Cher from her 22nd studio album, Believe. It was released as the album's lead single on October 19, 1998, by Warner Bros. Records. After circulating for months, a demo written by Brian Higgins, Matthew Gray, Stuart McLennen and Timothy Powell, was submitted to Warner's chairman Rob Dickins, while he was scouting for songs to include on Cher's new album. Aside from the chorus, Dickins was not impressed by the track so he enlisted two more writers, Steve Torch and Paul Barry in order to complete it. Cher also later did some adjustments herself to the lyrics but did not get a songwriting credit. Recording took place at Dreamhouse Studio in West London, while production was handled by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling.
"Whoomp! " is the debut single by 1990s rap duo Tag Team, written by members Cecil "DC the Brain Supreme" Glenn and Steve "Rolln" Gibson. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1993. "Whoomp!" reached multi-platinum status and broke records for the number of consecutive weeks in the top 10. Tag Team is considered a one-hit wonder, as their subsequent singles did not find the same success, "Whoomp!" has remained a pop culture staple with multiple placements in film, television, and advertisements. The song has also endured as a mainstay at sporting and arena events.
"If You Could Read My Mind" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Lightfoot wrote the lyrics while he was reflecting on his own divorce. It reached No. 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart on commercial release in 1970 and charted in several other countries on international release in 1971.
"Show Me Love" is a song performed by American singer Robin S. The song was written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane, originally released in October 1990 by Champion Records in the United Kingdom. In 1992, it was remixed by Swedish house music production duo StoneBridge and Nick Nice, and re-released in many European countries as well as the United States and Japan. It became one of the most well known house anthems in the United Kingdom, and Robin's biggest hit to date. It helped to make house more mainstream. In 1993, it was included on Robin S.'s debut album of the same name. Confusion arose with the 1997 hit "Show Me Love" by Swedish singer Robyn, due to their homonymous names and identical titles.
"100% Pure Love" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Crystal Waters from her second studio album, Storyteller (1994). It was released on April 11, 1994 by Mercury and A&M (UK), as the album's lead single. The song was a hit in many countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is certified platinum in Australia and gold in the US. In 1995, it was awarded the prize for Top ASCAP Dance Song. And its accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Nispel, was nominated for Best Dance Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Movin'" is a song written by Randy Muller and Wade Williamston, and performed by R&B/disco band Brass Construction.
"Dreamer" is a song by Italian house group Livin' Joy, written and recorded by Janice Robinson and produced by brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi. Originally released in August 1994, it was re-released in 1995 by MCA and topped the UK Singles Chart at the number one spot that May, ending 1995 as the UK's 40th-biggest-selling single of 1995. In the United States, it went to number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a sleeper hit on pop radio, but finally managed to peak at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100.
"Push the Feeling On" is a house song by the Scottish music group Nightcrawlers and American DJ Marc Kinchen (MK). The original version released in 1992 was also partially disco and acid jazz-influenced and was a minor chart hit in the United Kingdom. The song was later remixed extensively by Kinchen, creating a series of additional remixes for the song. One remix known as "Push the Feeling On (MK Dub Revisited Edit)" became an international chart hit in 1995, reaching the top 10 in various European countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number three.
All in the Mind is the sole studio album by American house music act the Bucketheads, released in August 1995 by Big Beat Records in the United States and shortly after by Positiva Records in the United Kingdom. Unimpressed with what he perceived to be fellow producers copying his characteristic style, producer Kenny "Dope" Gonzales launched the Bucketheads as a stylistic detour to explore influences such as disco, hip hop and Latin music, hoping to throw his audience a 'curveball'. He recorded All in the Mind over a period of three days in his Brooklyn home studio, using an E-mu SP-1200 and Akai S950 for the production of beats and samples.
"Hey Mr. D.J." is a song by American R&B group Zhané, recorded for their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994). Co-written by group members Renée Neufville and Jean Norris, it was released as their debut single in August 1993 and also features a rap from Rottin Razkals member Fam. The song was produced by Naughty by Nature and samples "Looking Up to You" by Michael Wycoff. Originally, the track was recorded and released on the 1993 compilation album Roll Wit tha Flava.
"Got Myself Together" is a house music track by The Bucketheads, released in late 1995. It was the commercial follow-up to global hit The Bomb!, and was the third single taken from the project's sole album All in the Mind.
"It's Alright, I Feel It!" is a song by Nuyorican Soul, a project by the house-garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. It features American singer Jocelyn Brown, who also co-wrote it, and was released in 1997 as the third single from their debut album, Nuyorican Soul (1997). The song peaked at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart, while in the US, it reached number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. A music video was also produced to promote the single.