Woke Up This Morning

Last updated
"Woke Up This Morning"
A3 - woke up this morning.jpg
Single by Alabama 3
from the album Exile on Coldharbour Lane
ReleasedJune 1997
Recorded1997
Genre Alternative dance, trip hop, acid house, acid jazz, blues rock
Length5:18 (album version)
4:05 (Chosen One Mix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Jake Black
  • Rob Spragg
Producer(s) Alabama 3
Alabama 3 singles chronology
"Ain't Going to Goa"
(1996)
"Woke Up This Morning"
(1997)
"Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"
(1997)

"Woke Up This Morning" is a song by British band Alabama 3 from their 1997 album Exile on Coldharbour Lane. The song is best known as the opening theme music for the American television series The Sopranos , which used a shortened version of the "Chosen One Mix" of the song.

Contents

Background and writing

Described as "a propulsive hip-hop song complete with Howlin' Wolf samples and a swelling gospel choir", [1] the song has been cited as a paradigmatic example of a "great theme song", which "generates anticipation, immediately puts the viewer in a focused frame of mind, and creates the kind of sonic familiarity that breeds audience loyalty." [2] Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg wrote the song after hearing about the 1996 Sara Thornton murder case, [3] who stabbed her husband after claiming to be the victim of two years of his abuse, mistreatment and neglect. [4] The song is co-written with Piers Marsh, Simon Edwards, and Jake Black.

"We started with a Howlin' Wolf loop, but a balls of blues lyrics are quite misogynist[ic]," Spragg explained. "So I turned it round to be about a woman who's had enough and gets a gun – it's quite ironic that it's become a New Jersey gangster anthem." [5] The track contains elements of "Tell Me" performed by Howlin' Wolf, a sample from "Standing at the Burying Ground" by Mississippi Fred McDowell and a sample from "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf himself recorded a song titled "Woke Up This Morning" for Chess Records that was released in 2009.

The cover art for the single is in the style of the cover art of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album Déja Vu .

Use in other media

In film

In television

In sport

Charts

1997 chart performance for "Woke Up This Morning"
Chart (1997)Peak
position
Scotland (OCC) [7] 79
UK Singles (OCC) [8] 78
2000 chart performance for "Woke Up This Morning"
Chart (2000)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [9] 41
Scotland (OCC) [10] 60
UK Singles (OCC) [11] 79

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama 3</span> British band

Alabama 3 are a British musical group founded in Brixton, London, in 1995. They are best known for their track "Woke Up This Morning", which was used for the opening credits of the TV series The Sopranos. In the United States, the band is known as A3, to avoid legal conflict with the country music band Alabama.

<i>Exile on Coldharbour Lane</i> 1997 studio album by Alabama 3


Exile on Coldharbour Lane is the debut album by Alabama 3, released on 11 November 1997 on One Little Indian and Geffen. The name and cover are references to Exile on Main St. by The Rolling Stones and Coldharbour Lane a major street in Brixton, South London best known for containing several after-hours clubs and not a few drug dealers. Recording sessions took place from March to June 1997. Exile on Coldharbour Lane did not chart on any album charts in the United States. The song "Sister Rosetta" was featured in the film Barnyard. "Woke Up This Morning" is best known as the opening theme music for the television series, The Sopranos, which used the "Chosen One Mix" of that song. "Woke Up This Morning" was later sampled by Nas on "Got Ur Self A..." from the album Stillmatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Get It Back</span>

"Can't Get It Back" is a song by American recording group Blaque. It was written by Salaam Remi, Marlon Williams, and Hernst "StayBent" Bellevue, and band member Natina Reed for the group's second album, Blaque Out (2002). Production was helmed by Remi with co-production from Bellevue. The song samples from the song "We're Going to a Party" (1977) by American R&B singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Aubrey Gravatt, Joseph Freeman, and Theodore Life are also credited as songwriters. "Can't Get It Back" was released as the first single on October 16, 2001 in the United States where it peaked at 91 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. With Blaque Out eventually being shelved, "Can't Get It Back" was later re-recorded, remixed, and released by British girl group Mis-Teeq in 2003.

"Join the Club" is the 67th episode overall and the second episode of the sixth season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos. Written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and directed by David Nutter, it premiered on March 19, 2006 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got Ur Self a Gun</span> 2001 single by Nas

"Got Ur Self a Gun", also known as "Got Ur Self A..." for the clean versions of the album and single, respectively, is the second single from the 2001 album Stillmatic by the American rapper Nas. The song is produced by Megahertz and samples The Sopranos theme song "Woke Up This Morning", performed by Alabama 3. It reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"...To Save Us All from Satan's Power" is the 36th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 10th of the show's third season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by Jack Bender, and originally aired on April 29, 2001.

"Boca" is the ninth episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It was written by Jason Cahill, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by Andy Wolk and originally aired on March 7, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feels Good</span> 1990 single by Tony! Toni! Toné!

"Feels Good" is a number-one R&B single by Tony! Toni! Toné! featuring a rap verse by Mopreme Shakur. The hit song spent two weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart. It was also their first top-ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. "Feels Good" also peaked at number three on the dance charts.

The HBO television drama The Sopranos received considerable critical attention for effective use of an eclectic array of music. Series creator David Chase personally selected all the show's music, with the producer Martin Bruestle and music editor Kathryn Dayak—sometimes also consulting Steven Van Zandt, who portrays Silvio Dante on the show and is also a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. They often selected music after completing an episode's production and editing, but occasionally filmed sequences to match pre-selected pieces of music.

"Chasing It" is the 81st episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos, the fourth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, and the 16th episode of the season overall. Written by executive producer Matthew Weiner and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on April 29, 2007, and was watched by 6.76 million viewers upon its premiere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Red Rooster</span> Blues standard credited to Willie Dixon

"Little Red Rooster" is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. His vocal and slide guitar playing are key elements of the song. It is rooted in the Delta blues tradition and the theme is derived from folklore. Musical antecedents to "Little Red Rooster" appear in earlier songs by blues artists Charlie Patton and Memphis Minnie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Up Everybody (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song)</span>

"Wake Up Everybody" is an R&B song written by John Whitehead, Gene McFadden and Victor Carstarphen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific State (song)</span> 1989 single by 808 State

"Pacific" is a single by the English electronic music group 808 State, released in 1989. It exists in various mix versions known by different titles, such as "Pacific State" and "Pacific 202".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right Here (SWV song)</span> 1992 single by SWV

"Right Here" is the debut single of American R&B girl group SWV, released on August 20, 1992 by RCA Records, as the lead single from their debut album, It's About Time (1992). The song was written by Brian Alexander Morgan, who also produced it. A remixed version, referred to as "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" and based around a feature of Michael Jackson's 1982 song "Human Nature", was released in July 1993, and charted on the US Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". This version, produced by Teddy Riley, became a number-one R&B single, selling 1,000,000 copies and earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also a number-one hit in Zimbabwe. The music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin, featuring SWV riding horses and fishing.

<i>Neighbours</i> theme song 1987 single by Barry Crocker

The Neighbours theme song is the theme tune to the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Composed by Tony Hatch with the lyrics written by his then wife, Jackie Trent, it was once voted the world's most recognised television theme song. Neighbours was originally recorded by Barry Crocker, who also recorded the updated version. Subsequent versions have been recorded by a variety of artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ante Up (song)</span> 2000 single by M.O.P.

"Ante Up (Robbing-Hoodz Theory)" (rendered on digital platforms as "Ante Up (Robbin Hoodz Theory)", and also simply known as "Ante Up") is a song by American hip hop duo M.O.P. from their fourth studio album Warriorz (2000). Seen as their breakthrough single, it was released in 2000 and reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. A remix of the song features Busta Rhymes, Remy Martin and Teflon. The remix CD includes an additional version which features Funkmaster Flex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama 3 discography</span>

This is the discography of the British electronica/rock band, Alabama 3. The band was founded by The Very Reverend Dr. D.Wayne Love and Larry Love, and consists of twelve studio albums, fourteen singles and two solo efforts from band members. Alabama 3 are best known for "Woke Up This Morning" which was chosen as the opening theme to the HBO hit TV series, The Sopranos. They have also covered songs by Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles and John Prine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moanin' at Midnight</span> 1951 blues song by Howlin Wolf

"Moanin' at Midnight" is a blues song written and recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1951. The recording was released on Chess Records as his debut single. It charted on Billboard's R&B chart, but the B-side, "How Many More Years," became the popular side of the record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fix (Blackstreet song)</span> 1997 single by Blackstreet featuring Ol Dirty Bastard, Slash and Fishbone

"Fix" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Blackstreet, originally appearing as the fourth track on their second studio album Another Level. A remixed version of the song was issued as the third single from the album and features the band Fishbone, as well as Ol' Dirty Bastard and ad-libs by Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash. The song peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997.

<i>Talking Sopranos</i> Podcast about The Sopranos tv series

Talking Sopranos is a 91-episode rewatch podcast hosted by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa in 2020 and 2021, based on the long-running HBO television series The Sopranos (1999–2007). Imperioli played Christopher Moltisanti, and also wrote and produced five episodes, while Schirripa played Bobby Baccalieri in the series. The podcast is available on YouTube, the Talking Sopranos website and on the Max streaming service.

References

  1. Murray Smith, "Just What Is It That Makes Tony Soprano Such An Appealing, Attractive Murderer", in Ward E. Jones and Samantha Vice, eds., Ethics at the Cinema (Oxford University Press, 2010), ISBN   978-0199793167, p. 78. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  2. Ron Sobel and Dick Weissman, Music Publishing: The Roadmap to Royalties (Routledge, 2008), ISBN   978-0203895689, p. 101. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  3. Duncan Campbell, "Face off", The Guardian , September 27, 2007.
  4. David Johannson, "Homeward Bound" Those Soprano Titles Come Heavy", in David Lavery, ed., Reading The Sopranos: Hit TV from HBO (I.B. Tauris, 2006), ISBN   978-1845111212, pp. 35-36. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Q (May 2001).
  6. Gilbert, Gerard (June 14, 2011). "TV credit where credits are due". The Independent .
  7. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  9. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Alabama 3". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2023.