Cosmic Girl (song)

"Cosmic Girl"
Single by Jamiroquai
from the album Travelling Without Moving
B-side Slipin 'N' Slidin
Released 11 November 1996 (1996-11-11) (UK)
14 January 1997 (1997-01-14) (US)
Format CD single, cassette single, 7" single, 12" single
Recorded 1996
Genre Disco
Length 4:03 (Album Version)
3:45 (Radio Edit)
Label Sony Soho Square (UK)
Sony Music/Work (US)
Writer(s) Jay Kay, Derrick McKenzie
Producer(s) Rick Pope
Jamiroquai singles chronology
"Virtual Insanity"
(1996)		 "Cosmic Girl"
(1996)		 "Alright"
(1997)

"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving, released on 11 November 1996 on Sony Soho Square in the United Kingdom and 14 January 1997 on Sony Music/Work Group in the United States. It achieved great chart success, peaking at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song appeared in MTV animated series Daria in the episode "This Year's Model".

Composition

"Cosmic Girl" is a disco song, a dance music song based on rhythmic "looped beats" "to give it an off-center, otherworldly" sound. The syncopated rhythm contains 10 pulses which occur inside a 32-beat pattern, with pulses on beats 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 22, 23 and 26. Coincidentally, the first four beats of this pattern are the same as the George Gershwin song "I Got Rhythm". Jamiroquai's psychedelic lyric evokes a spacey environment, using terms such as "zero gravity", "hyperspace", "galaxy" and "quasar".[1] A disco-era aura is achieved by incorporating early electronic synthesizers along with disco-style string parts also produced by synthesizers.[2]

Performance

While the single, and especially its chart performance, received mixed reviews from critics, it has become one of the better-known tracks of the band, and a concert staple. Live versions usually last for 7–8 minutes, nearly double the duration of the album version. In 2006, it was reissued as part of the "Classic Club Mixes" series, which also included "Space Cowboy", "Deeper Underground", "Love Foolosophy" and "Alright". The B-side to the single was an instrumental, "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'",[3] a rather obscure song originating from another old Jamiroquai tune called "Mr Boogie", which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'", just like "Mr Boogie", also had a vocal version.

Music video

Screenshot from the music video

The video, directed by Adrian Moat, shows three famous supercars driving and racing each other through several highways and mountain roads across a desert landscape from clear day-light to dawn. The cars on the video are a black Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, a purple Lamborghini Diablo SE30 and a red Ferrari F40. Jay Kay appears to be driving the purple Lamborghini with Stuart Zender on the co-pilot seat, but the drivers of the other cars are not shown in detail. It has four different edits: Versions 1–3, and the so-called 'Jay's cut' version. Before filming, Jay's Diablo had to be shipped overseas for the video shoot. Apparently, the company which was hired to transport the car had a driver that was keen to drive the car. Jay let the guy drive the car, but he was involved in an accident which wrecked the car, rendering the $239,000 car completely unusable. The car that appears in the video was rented from a local collector. The F40 was provided by the Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who drove in the video as well. While filming, the driver's side window in Jay Kay's Lamborghini was accidentally smashed. Due to the tight timescales involved, the video was still shot, but with the window removed. This is why Jay Kay appears to be driving around the desert late at night with his windows down. Jay Kay mentioned in an interview that the Lamborghini had its windscreen removed to aid with the filming, due to space limitations inside, and the windscreen angle from outside. The missing windscreen can be seen when the Lamborghini overtakes the black Ferrari on an uphill shot. The video was filmed at the Cabo de Gata, in Spain.

Track listing

UK CD single (663829 2)
  1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) – 3:45
  2. "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" – 3:36
  3. "Didjital Vibrations" – 5:47
  4. "Cosmic Girl" (Classic Radio Mix) – 4:02
UK CD mixes single (663829 5)
  1. "Cosmic Girl" (Album Version) – 4:03
  2. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar Mix) – 7:41
  3. "Cosmic Girl" (David Morales Classic Mix) – 9:22
  4. "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic Dub) – 6:47
US CD single (42K 78501 2)
  1. "Cosmic Girl" (Album Version) – 4:03
  2. "Cosmic Girl" (Classic Mix)
  3. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar Mix) – 7:41
  4. "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic Dub) – 6:47
  5. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar Dub)
Cassette
  1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) – 03:45
  2. "Slipin N' Slidin'" – 03:36
7" Single
  1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) – 03:45

Charts

Chart (1996/1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 33
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[5] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[6] 34
Finland (Suomen virallinen Radiolista)[7] 10
France (SNEP)[8] 23
Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 55
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 12
Italy (FIMI)[11] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 78
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 29
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 45
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[16] 7

References

  1. ↑ Toussaint, Godfried T. (2013). The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?. CRC Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 9781466512023.
  2. ↑ "Reviews: Jamiroquai – Travelling Without Moving – Work". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network (43): 20. March 1997. ISSN 1074-6978.
  3. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=412383
  4. ↑ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Jamiroquai&titel=Cosmic+Girl&cat=s
  5. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  7. ↑ "Listat – Radio Nova – Suomen suosituimmat vko 42/1997".
  8. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl" (in French). Les classement single.
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  10. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 49, 1996". Irish Singles Chart.
  11. ↑ "Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl". Top 40 Singles.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl". Singles Top 100.
  15. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1996-12-07" UK Singles Chart.
  16. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/304158/jamiroquai/chart?f=359

External links

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