Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Encyclopedia
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French
duo Daft Punk
. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007
on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
in 2009. The song was sampled by Kanye West
in his 2007 single "Stronger
". In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 132 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
liner notes, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" contains a sample
of "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong
.
A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was recorded at Bercy
in Paris
from 14 June 2007. It was released as a digital download
single on 15 October 2007, for the live album Alive 2007
. The track contains a part of the "Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls" segment of the Bercy performance that features elements of the songs "Around the World
", "Steam Machine", "Television Rules the Nation". This version of the song won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
at the 51st Grammy Awards
.
Kanye West
's song "Stronger
" from the album Graduation
prominently features a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Two actors who wore the robotic Daft Punk costumes in the film Daft Punk's Electroma
appear in the music video for "Stronger". It was later performed live at the 2008 Grammy Awards with Daft Punk in their trademark pyramid while West was on stage rapping. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
clarified that "Stronger" was "not a collaboration in the studio, but the vibe of the music we do separately connected in what [West] did with the song." He later specified that the live version was "truly a collaboration from the start. We really did it all hand in hand."
Diplo released a remix of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" titled "Work Is Never Over". It appeared in his compilation album Decent Work for Decent Pay.
for "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was produced by Daft Punk
and directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, a veteran director for Toei Animation
, under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto
. It features the four characters shown on the single cover in a vast electronic facility. The victims are transformed by various machines to resemble humans. The video was first released as an individual episode in promotion for the single release. It later appeared as a scene in the feature film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
.
A music video for the live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was directed by Olivier Gondry. It contains footage shot by the audience on 250 cameras at Daft Punk's Brooklyn
performance in KeySpan Park. The video was inspired by the Beastie Boys
concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
. The video had its world premiere online on 26 October 2007, at Webcastr.
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is featured in a popular YouTube
video titled "Daft Hands", which later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
. The video is ranked among the top viewed YouTube videos in the "All Time" category. "Daft Hands" was referenced in Weezer
's "Pork and Beans
" music video along with the variant "Daft Bodies" and multiple other Internet viral video
s.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
duo Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007
Alive 2007
Alive 2007 is a live album by Daft Punk, first released on November 19, 2007. It is the second album recorded live by the duo, following Alive 1997...
on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
in 2009. The song was sampled by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
in his 2007 single "Stronger
Stronger (Kanye West song)
"Stronger" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his third studio album Graduation. It was produced by West and contains an extended outro co-produced with Mike Dean...
". In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 132 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Composition
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" features a robotic vocal performance by Daft Punk. As documented in the DiscoveryDiscovery (Daft Punk album)
Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
liner notes, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" contains a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong
Edwin Birdsong
Edwin Birdsong is a keyboard/organ player who was known in the 70's and 80's for his experimental funk/disco music. He never achieved chart success, but developed a strong fan base, and has also been sampled by other artists many times, most famously by Daft Punk who sampled "Cola Bottle Baby" in...
.
A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was recorded at Bercy
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Opened in 1984, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, often abbreviated as POPB or Bercy, is an indoor sports arena on boulevard de Bercy located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 14 June 2007. It was released as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
single on 15 October 2007, for the live album Alive 2007
Alive 2007
Alive 2007 is a live album by Daft Punk, first released on November 19, 2007. It is the second album recorded live by the duo, following Alive 1997...
. The track contains a part of the "Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls" segment of the Bercy performance that features elements of the songs "Around the World
Around the World (Daft Punk song)
"Around the World" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It appeared on the duo's debut album, Homework and was released as a single the same year. It subsequently became a major club hit around the world and arrived at #1 in dance charts. The song is particularly known for the...
", "Steam Machine", "Television Rules the Nation". This version of the song won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
.
Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's song "Stronger
Stronger (Kanye West song)
"Stronger" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his third studio album Graduation. It was produced by West and contains an extended outro co-produced with Mike Dean...
" from the album Graduation
Graduation (album)
Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released September 11, 2007 on Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2005 to 2007 at Chung King Studios and Sony Music Studios in New York City and at Chalice Studios and The Record Plant...
prominently features a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Two actors who wore the robotic Daft Punk costumes in the film Daft Punk's Electroma
Daft Punk's Electroma
Daft Punk's Electroma is a 2007 film by French duo Daft Punk. The plot revolves around the quest of two robots to become human. The music featured in this film is not by Daft Punk, which is a first for the duo after their previous film and home video releases, D.A.F.T. and Interstella 5555...
appear in the music video for "Stronger". It was later performed live at the 2008 Grammy Awards with Daft Punk in their trademark pyramid while West was on stage rapping. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo; is a founding member of the French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has also produced several works from his record label Crydamoure with label co-owner Éric Chedeville. He and Chedeville formed the musical duo Le Knight...
clarified that "Stronger" was "not a collaboration in the studio, but the vibe of the music we do separately connected in what [West] did with the song." He later specified that the live version was "truly a collaboration from the start. We really did it all hand in hand."
Diplo released a remix of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" titled "Work Is Never Over". It appeared in his compilation album Decent Work for Decent Pay.
Music video
The animated music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was produced by Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
and directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, a veteran director for Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
, under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto
is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His wife is also known as a manga artist.-Space opera:Matsumoto is famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato...
. It features the four characters shown on the single cover in a vast electronic facility. The victims are transformed by various machines to resemble humans. The video was first released as an individual episode in promotion for the single release. It later appeared as a scene in the feature film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
is a feature-length Japanese animated musical film originally released on December 1, 2003. The film is the visual realization of Discovery, an album by Daft Punk. Each track from the album has been animated as an episode in the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band...
.
A music video for the live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was directed by Olivier Gondry. It contains footage shot by the audience on 250 cameras at Daft Punk's Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
performance in KeySpan Park. The video was inspired by the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! is a 2006 concert film of the Beastie Boys. It was created by giving camcorders to 50 audience members of a sold out concert at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2004. The audience members were instructed to keep the cameras rolling at all times...
. The video had its world premiere online on 26 October 2007, at Webcastr.
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is featured in a popular YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video titled "Daft Hands", which later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
. The video is ranked among the top viewed YouTube videos in the "All Time" category. "Daft Hands" was referenced in Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
's "Pork and Beans
Pork and Beans (song)
"Pork and Beans" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on its 2008 album Weezer. It was released in digital form on April 24, 2008. The track debuted at number 19 on Billboards Modern Rock chart, and spent eleven weeks at number one. Critics generally liked the song,...
" music video along with the variant "Daft Bodies" and multiple other Internet viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
s.
Track listing
- "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (Album Version) – 3:43
- "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (Breakers Break Remix) – 4:38
- Remixed and edited by Dominique Torti
- "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (The NeptunesThe NeptunesThe Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
Remix) – 5:12 - "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (Pete HellerPete HellerPete Heller is an English electronic and house music producer. He is recognised in the dance community for his solo work, and his remixes with frequent collaborator Terry Farley. As a duo they have released popular tunes under the names Heller & Farley Project , Fire Island plus The Look and Feel...
's Stylus Mix) – 9:14
Australian track listing
- "Harder Better Faster Stronger" (Alive 2007) – Radio Edit
- "Harder Better Faster Stronger" (Alive 2007) – Extended
- "Harder Better Faster Stronger" (Alive 2007) – Video Clip
Chart positions
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart | 17 |
| Belgian (Walloon) Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
38 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
25 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
3 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Singles Chart | 50 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 58 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
16 |
| Belgian (Walloon) Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
17 |
| French Singles Chart | 19 |
| Hot Canadian Digital Singles | 1 |
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
43 |