Freestyler (song)
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| "Freestyler" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bomfunk MC's | ||||
| from the album In Stereo | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Format | CD Single, 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Nu skool breaks, drum and bass, hip hop, electro | |||
| Length | 5:06 | |||
| Label | Sony/Epidrome | |||
| Writer(s) | Raymond Ebanks, Jaakko Salovaara | |||
| Certification | Silver (BPI) | |||
| Bomfunk MC's singles chronology | ||||
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"Freestyler" is the third single released from the Bomfunk MC's' debut studio album In Stereo. It was released in January 2000 and was a worldwide success, topping the charts in Sweden, Germany, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. It also peaked at number two in Denmark and the UK, where it was the 23rd biggest-selling single of the year 2000.[citation needed]
The song is notable for slipping an expletive past the censors. The line "So who the fuck is Alice? She from Buckingham Palace?" (a reference to Smokie's song "Living Next Door to Alice") was aired unedited on MTV.[citation needed] Further references in the lyrics are made to the song "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club, singer Celine Dion and porn film Debbie Does Dallas.
Contents |
[edit] Music video
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The music video was mainly filmed at the Hakaniemi metro station,[1] an underground station on the Helsinki Metro line, in Finland and with platforms 21-metres below sea level. The principal "home boy" featured in the video is Marlo Snellman, a Finnish model/musician who later released his own single entitled "Dust" and today is working as producer for his own projects such as "Hipsters"[2] and "Okta".[3] The actor was only fifteen at the time of shooting and got the part through his mother, Finnish modelling magnate Laila Snellman.[4] Marlo Snellman appears briefly in another Bomfunk MC music video, "B-Boys & Flygirls".
The video begins with Snellman catching a train while listening to "Freestyler" on his MiniDisc player. A character sits across him in the train, who is played by Raymond Ebanks (B. O. Dubb), the lead singer of Bomfunk MC's, and who imbues Snellman with the power to control the flow of time for one or a group of individuals. Realising this ability, Snellman spends the duration of the video pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding dancers and people on his journey until coming across the members of Bomfunk MC's, where the remote control stops functioning and the whole video is sent into a rapid rewind back to the beginning. The music video may be inspired by and seems to use similar themes as System F's 1999 "Out of the blue" music video.[5] The music video is a play on themes of empowerment, with the power of the music being transferred to and in the end taken from Snellman, by Ebanks.
Throughout the music video, a large amount of Sony-provided product placement is visible. In particular, headphones, a portable MiniDisc player and a somewhat out-of-place PlayStation (original) controller. All these consumer items were considered "current", or even futuristic, in the 1999-2000 timeframe when the video was produced.
Near the start, the video features a continuity error, Metro car 178 is seen pulling into the station, but a second later the number has changed to 136.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[6] | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[6] | 1 |
| Danish Singles Chart[7] | 2 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart[6] | 4 |
| French Singles Chart[6] | 8 |
| German Singles Chart[8] | 1 |
| Irish Singles Charts[9] | 3 |
| Italian Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[10] | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart[11] | 2 |
[edit] Decade-end charts
| (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart[12] | 31 |
[edit] In popular culture
- The song was also featured in the video game Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2.
- Featured in a film by Bam Margera: Haggard: The Movie
- A cover version called "SiDStyler" was created by the alternative metal band Machinae Supremacy.[13]
- The song is used by professional darts player Adrian Gray as his walk-on music
- A pastiche named Assembler was created by a group Funky Bong for Assembly 2000 wild demo competition. It ended in 5th place.
[edit] References
- ^ Dr. Giacomo Bottà – University of Helsinki, Popular Culture and Urban Creativity in Helsinki and Berlin, 2006-08.
- ^ Marlo Snellman's band Hipster on Myspace, [1].
- ^ Marlo Snellman as Okta on Myspace, [2].
- ^ Website, Marlo Snellman.
- ^ Youtube
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bomfunk Mc's - Freestyler (song)". Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Bomfunk+MCs&titel=Freestyler&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ^ "Hits of the World: Denmark (IFPI/Nielsen Marketing Research) 08/28/96". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 112 (10): 65. 4 March 2000. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Chartverfurlong - Bomfunk Mc's - Freestyler". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Bomfunk+MC%2527s/single. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ^ http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
- ^ "New Zealand Singles Chart: Chart #1699". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. RIANZ.org.nz. 2009-12-21. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ "Bomfunk Mc's - Freestyler – UK Singles Chart". The Official Charts Company. ChartStats. 2010-02-09. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=28388. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
- ^ http://www.rtl.de/cms/unterhaltung/tv-programm/show/die-ultimative-chartshow/hits-neue-jahrtausend-download.html
- ^ Machinae Supremacy Webography MachinaeSupremacy.com
[edit] External links
- Complete "Freestyler" video, on YouTube, including introduction music, filming credits at the end and a running length of 5:44 minutes.
| Preceded by "Spinning Around" by Kylie Minogue |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single July 9, 2000 - July 23, 2000 |
Succeeded by "I'm Outta Love" by Anastacia |
| Preceded by "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single (first run) 10 September 2000 |
Succeeded by "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams |
| Preceded by "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single (second run) 24 September 2000 |
Succeeded by "Music" by Madonna |
