"Scam" is a song by the British band Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...

. The song appeared on the band's second album, The Return of the Space Cowboy

The Return of the Space Cowboy

The Return Of The Space Cowboy is the second album by the band Jamiroquai. Released in 1994, it is usually classified under the acid-jazz and funk genre.-Album information:...

. It is most often cited by fans as one of the most powerful protest songs by the band. Live performances of the song during the The Return of the Space Cowboy tour usually began with a lengthy trumpet solo, and have placed the song at the end of a long chain of songs segued into one another (most often in the order "Blow Your Mind

Blow Your Mind (Jamiroquai song)

"Blow Your Mind" is the third single from Jamiroquai's debut studio album, Emergency on Planet Earth. The single was released on June 4, 1993, peaking at #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was also featured on the group's Greatest Hits album, however, in a very edited form...

", "Light Years

Light Years (Jamiroquai song)

"Light Years" is the fourth single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The song peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart due to poor promotion of the track. In the US, the song hit #6 on the U.S. Dance Chart. The American version of the single...

", "Who the Funk Do You Think You Are?", "Emergency on Planet Earth

Emergency on Planet Earth (song)

"Emergency on Planet Earth" is the fourth and final single from Jamiroquai's debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Jay Kay. It has a very environmentalist tone, urging the listener to "stop modernisation going on." The track peaked at #14 on the UK Singles Chart and at #4 on...

", "Scam"). During the following tours, the song was mostly standalone. A "smooth remix" of the song was planned for a cancelled remix album called Interpretations from Beyond, which was scheduled to be released after Travelling Without Moving

Travelling Without Moving

Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album released by British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1996, the album features the international hit single "Virtual Insanity"...

.

Composition and production

The song was created by merging two live-only Jamiroquai songs from the Emergency on Planet Earth

Emergency on Planet Earth

Emergency on Planet Earth is the debut studio album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1993, the album features strong elements of the mixture of the R&B, and funk genres, but it is notable for being one of the group's definitive acid-jazz albums...

era, "Do That Dance" and "Life Goes on" into one. Many elements were taken from both of the songs, such as the horn/trumpet line from the chorus of "Life Goes On", and some chord progressions from "Do That Dance". The album version of the song took heavy damage in terms of sound fidelity, as it was reduced to an "early radio"-like quality.

Theme

The song centres on fraud, the ones who commit it and the ones who are its victims. The song's protagonist tells a story of how he has to "Scam - that's the way to stay alive", because he himself was a victim of a one, as heard in a verse ("See, I had to lose my car, job, wife, dog, and home,/debts and threats on the telephone"). However, it also tells how politicians also lie to their people, giving false promises, and abusing their own powers.