Praise You
Encyclopedia
"Praise You" is a song by English big beat
musician Fatboy Slim. It was released as the third single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby
, in 1999. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart
in January 1999 and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States
on 11 May 1999. It also reached No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks
.
The song provided accompaniment to scenes in several movies and TV series, such as Cruel Intentions
(and is also included on the soundtrack
), Sex and the City
(episode 29, "Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women"), Daria
(fifth episode of season three, "Daria Dance Party"), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series 3, episode 20, "The Prom"). In an interview in 2001 during a tour in Moscow, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) revealed to a local newspaper that the song was dedicated to a cloning regime currently undertaken in the UK, and the clones should be "praised" as normal born humans if the scientists were successful.
, as well as a prominent piano sample from the track "Balance and Rehearsal" from a test LP entitled Sessions released by audio electronics company JBL
. The song also features a guitar sample from the opening of "It's a Small World" from the Disneyland Records
-released LP Mickey Mouse Disco
, and the song's bridge
also subtly samples the theme from the cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
.
. Jonze starred in the film under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, along with a fictional dance group The Torrance Community Dance Group. Moreover, the video is called "A Torrance Public Film Production" in its intro.
The video was shot guerrilla
-style (that is, on location without obtaining permission from the owners of the property) in front of puzzled onlookers outside a movie theatre in Westwood, California
. In the video, Jonze and the dance group dance to "Praise You", much to the chagrin of a theatre employee who turns off their portable stereo
. One of the actor-dancers in the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group, Michael Gier, documents the making of the "Praise You" video on his website.
The "Praise You" video came into being because Spike Jonze, unable to work with Fatboy Slim on the video for "The Rockafeller Skank
", recorded and sent his own solo dance video to "Skank" as a gift; Jonze's 'alternate' music video was so well-received by Slim that Jonze's fictional Torrance Community Dance Group was green-lighted for the official video for "Praise You".
Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) is briefly seen in the video as one of the many onlookers, with the clearest view shown at the conclusion of the video, while Jonze is talking about the dance. Cook curiously peers over Jonze to catch a glimpse of the camera before walking off to the right.
The video reportedly cost only US$800 to produce, with most of that money going towards a replacement boombox
and food for the cast and crew.
The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction (awarded to "Torrance Community Dance Group"), and Best Choreography (awarded to "Richard Koufey & Michael Rooney"). It was also nominated for, but did not win, Best Dance Video. The group also put on a dance performance to the song at the awards.
Big beat
Big beat is a term employed since the mid-1990s by the British music press to describe much of the music by artists such as The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and Propellerheads typically driven by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns in...
musician Fatboy Slim. It was released as the third single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby
You've Come a Long Way, Baby
You've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second studio album by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim, released on 19 October 1998 through the label Skint Records. The album liner notes state that the album was made at The House of Love. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number...
, in 1999. It reached No. 1 on the 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 ...
in January 1999 and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 11 May 1999. It also reached No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
.
The song provided accompaniment to scenes in several movies and TV series, such as Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
(and is also included on the soundtrack
Cruel Intentions (soundtrack)
Cruel Intentions is the compilation soundtrack to the 1999 film of the same name. The film's soundtrack peaked at #60 on The Billboard 200...
), Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
(episode 29, "Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women"), Daria
Daria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
(fifth episode of season three, "Daria Dance Party"), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series 3, episode 20, "The Prom"). In an interview in 2001 during a tour in Moscow, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) revealed to a local newspaper that the song was dedicated to a cloning regime currently undertaken in the UK, and the clones should be "praised" as normal born humans if the scientists were successful.
Samples
The song features a prominent vocal sample from the opening of "Take Yo' Praise" by Camille YarbroughCamille Yarbrough
Camille Yarbrough is an American musician, actress, poet, activist, television producer, and author. She is perhaps best known for "Take Yo' Praise", which Fatboy Slim sampled from in his track "Praise You" in 1998. "Take Yo' Praise" was originally recorded in 1975 for Camille Yarbrough's first...
, as well as a prominent piano sample from the track "Balance and Rehearsal" from a test LP entitled Sessions released by audio electronics company JBL
JBL
JBL is an American audio electronics company currently owned by Harman International. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing. Their primary products are loudspeakers and associated electronics. There are two independent divisions within the company — JBL Consumer and JBL Professional...
. The song also features a guitar sample from the opening of "It's a Small World" from the Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records is the original name of the Walt Disney Company's record company.After long associations with primarily RCA Victor Records, with a few select titles on Capitol, Disneyland Records was established by the Disney studio in 1956 with its first release entitled A Child's Garden of...
-released LP Mickey Mouse Disco
Mickey Mouse Disco
Mickey Mouse Disco is an album released by Disneyland Records in 1979. A late entry in the genre of disco, Mickey Mouse Disco included disco-fied versions of Disney classics and Disney-fied versions of disco classics...
, and the song's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
also subtly samples the theme from the cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985...
.
Track listing
UK 12" vinyl- "Praise You"
- "Sho Nuff"
- "The Rockafeller SkankThe Rockafeller Skank"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby....
(Mulder's Urban Takeover Remix)"
Music video
The accompanying video for "Praise You" was directed by Spike JonzeSpike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
. Jonze starred in the film under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, along with a fictional dance group The Torrance Community Dance Group. Moreover, the video is called "A Torrance Public Film Production" in its intro.
The video was shot guerrilla
Guerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available...
-style (that is, on location without obtaining permission from the owners of the property) in front of puzzled onlookers outside a movie theatre in Westwood, California
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Westwood is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles .-History:...
. In the video, Jonze and the dance group dance to "Praise You", much to the chagrin of a theatre employee who turns off their portable stereo
Ghetto Blaster
-Summary:The aim of the game is to find and collect ten tapes of dance music, get people to dance to them by blasting them with notes from your blaster, then delivering them to your record company. These ten music tracks were played by the game throughout...
. One of the actor-dancers in the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group, Michael Gier, documents the making of the "Praise You" video on his website.
The "Praise You" video came into being because Spike Jonze, unable to work with Fatboy Slim on the video for "The Rockafeller Skank
The Rockafeller Skank
"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby....
", recorded and sent his own solo dance video to "Skank" as a gift; Jonze's 'alternate' music video was so well-received by Slim that Jonze's fictional Torrance Community Dance Group was green-lighted for the official video for "Praise You".
Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) is briefly seen in the video as one of the many onlookers, with the clearest view shown at the conclusion of the video, while Jonze is talking about the dance. Cook curiously peers over Jonze to catch a glimpse of the camera before walking off to the right.
The video reportedly cost only US$800 to produce, with most of that money going towards a replacement boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
and food for the cast and crew.
The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction (awarded to "Torrance Community Dance Group"), and Best Choreography (awarded to "Richard Koufey & Michael Rooney"). It was also nominated for, but did not win, Best Dance Video. The group also put on a dance performance to the song at the awards.
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart 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... |
28 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 31 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
4 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 46 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 32 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 44 |
| 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 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
36 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
2 |