The Rockafeller Skank

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"The Rockafeller Skank"
Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank single cover.png
Single by Fatboy Slim
from the album You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Released8 June 1998 (1998-06-08)
GenreBig beat[1]
Length
  • 3:27 (radio edit)
  • 6:53 (album version)
  • 4:03 (short and video version)
LabelSkint
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim singles chronology
"Going Out of My Head"
(1997) 		"The Rockafeller Skank"
(1998) 		"Gangster Tripping"
(1998)
Music video
"The Rockafeller Skank" on YouTube

"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998), on 8 June 1998. The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart in June 1998 and topped the Icelandic Singles Chart for a week the same month and was the second Fatboy Slim single (after "Praise You") to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76.

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Using self-consciously old-school DJ techniques (scratching and repetition of a spoken phrase, dramatic tempo changes), Fatboy Slim has created an organically simple masterpiece. With the accessibility of Beck, the danceability of ska, and the sunny quality of the Beach Boys, the track has a sparse, magnetic beginning that builds in depth and intensity (with the addition of jangly guitar riffs and more complex beats) to a meticulous, frenetic climax. And the wind-down is no less danceable."[2] Music & Media commented, "Norman Cook's latest outing easily matches the extremely high quality one would expect from a chart veteran with such names as the Housemartins, Beats International, The Mighty Dubcats and Pizzaman on his CV. (...) This time around, he's somehow managed to fuse big beat and dance with surf—seasoned with a slight pinch of punk—and has come up with what is probably the single most infectious sound around on the airwaves right now."[3]

Samples[]

The song features the repeated line "Right about now, the funk soul brother / Check it out now, the funk soul brother", which is a truncated vocal sample of rapper Lord Finesse on the track "Vinyl Dogs Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs, the original line being "Check it out right about now, it's no other than the funk soul brother, the Lord Finesse".[4]

The song also features four other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers (a popular Northern Soul track), The Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law" (featuring DeWayne Quirico's drum intro), and a sample of "Beat Girl" by John Barry and his Orchestra. A guitar line from the song "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy is also sampled.[5]

Fatboy Slim has stated that to clear the samples and release the song he had to release 100% of the track's royalties, 25% to each artist, meaning he receives no royalties himself.[6]

Track listings[]

CD

  1. "The Rockafeller Skank" (short edit)
  2. "The Rockafeller Skank"
  3. "Always Read the Label"
  4. "Tweakers Delight"
  • Some mainland European editions omit the album version (track 2). The edited version is notable at the beginning, as there is a scat effect on the first word of the song. This is removed on the edit featured on the 2006 compilation The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder.

12-inch

  1. "The Rockafeller Skank"
  2. "Always Read the Label"
  3. "Tweakers Delight"

Charts[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 8 June 1998 (1998-06-08)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Skint [40]
United States 28 September 1999 (1999-09-28) Contemporary hit radio
[41]

References[]

  1. ^ "What Are The Best Ibiza Bangers Of All Time?". The O2. Anschutz Entertainment Group. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (27 June 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 25. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 17. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Vinyl Dogs feat. Lord Finesse's Vinyl Dogs Vibe". WhoSampled. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  5. ^ "Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Art of Noise feat. Duane Eddy's Peter Gunn". WhoSampled. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  6. ^ Nick Lawrence (7 May 2007). "Fatboy Slim Interview (May 2006) « HigherFrequency". Higherfrequency.wordpress.com. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  10. ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 10000." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7028." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  13. ^ Danish Singles Chart 24 July 1998
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 29. 18 July 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.6. – 11.6. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 5 June 1998. p. 30. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rockafeller Skank". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  19. ^ "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 110 no. 28. 11 July 1998. p. 46. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". VG-lista.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Singles Top 100.
  25. ^ "Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  28. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  29. ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  30. ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  31. ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  33. ^ "RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  34. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  35. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  36. ^ "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  37. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  38. ^ "British single certifications – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Dancefloor Ground Swell" (PDF). Billboard. 9 October 1999. p. 52. Retrieved 29 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
  40. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 6 June 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  41. ^ "CHR/Pop: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1318. 24 September 1999. p. 81.
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