Pop Muzik

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Not to be confused with Pop music.
"Pop Muzik"
Single by M
from the album New York • London • Paris • Munich
B-side "M Factor"
Released 1979
Format 7", 12"
Genre New Wave, synthpop, dance
Length 3:21
Label MCA / EMI / Sire
Writer(s) Robin Scott
Producer Robin Scott
M singles chronology
"Moderne Man"
(1979)		 "Pop Muzik"
(1979)		 "Moonlight and Muzak"
(1979)

"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song by M, a project by Robin Scott.

Contents

[edit] Concept and chart performance

Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:

I was looking to make a fusion of various styles which somehow would summarise the last 25 years of pop music. It was a deliberate point I was trying to make. Whereas rock and roll had created a generation gap, disco was bringing people together on an enormous scale. That's why I really wanted to make a simple, bland statement, which was, 'All we're talking about basically (is) pop music.[1]

The single was released in the UK first, peaking at number 2 on 12 May 1979, unable to break Art Garfunkel's 6 week stint at number 1 with "Bright Eyes". In August of that same year, it was released in North America, where it eventually climbed all the way to number one in Canada on 27 October[2] and in the U.S. on 3 November.

Along with Scott, other musicians who played on the track were his brother Julian Scott (on bass), then unknown keyboardist Wally Badarou, Canadian synthesiser programmer John Lewis (who died of AIDS in 1985) and Brigit Novik, the backing vocalist.

The single was bolstered by a promotional video that was well received. The clip featured Scott as a DJ singing into a microphone from behind an exaggerated turntable setup, at times flanked by two female models who sang and danced in a robotic manner. One of the sight gags in the video depicted Brigit Novik dressed in blue who actually recorded the backup vocals which are then mimed by the models.

The single's B-side, "M Factor", was featured in two different versions. The original cut appeared on the first UK and European releases of the single, while a slightly remixed version appeared on the single released in the United States and Canada.

The image of the baby on "Pop Muzik"'s single disc pictures Robin Scott's daughter, named Berenice, who is now a singer and piano/keyboard player and composer and and involved with his father's friend Phil Gould and Wally Badarou projects.[citation needed]

[edit] Album

The subsequent full-length album New York • London • Paris • Munich was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, at Queen's Mountain Studio, using their regular engineer David Richards, as well as Julian Scott, Wally Badarou (who would later work with Level 42 and Compass Point All Stars, among others) and Brigit Novik. Additional musicians on the album included drummer Phil Gould (later of Level 42), Gary Barnacle on saxophone and flute and (at the time) local Montreux resident David Bowie, who did occasional handclaps. The album was also released in the U.S. on Sire Records (with a different track listing / order) but it was not a commercial success.

[edit] Other formats

The UK 12-inch single version was notable for the A-side having a double groove such that the two tracks ("Pop Muzik" and "M Factor") both started at the outer edge of the record and finished in the middle (with a long silence at the end of "M Factor" since the track was the shorter of the two). This resulted in a random selection of the two tracks, depending on which groove the needle landed in the lead-in. To further market this idea, the UK record sleeve stated "B side included on A side, full length disco mix of Pop Musik on Seaside". 'Seaside' (in other words "C side") was a simple play on words as the letter C, apart from being the logical next "side" after the A and B sides, is pronounced the same way as the English word "sea", and "seaside" means "beside the sea".

[edit] Remixes and covers

"Pop Muzik"
Single by All Systems Go
Format 7" and 12" vinyl
Genre Male vocal; instrumental; Pop music
Label Unique Records

A cover version by male vocal and instrumental band All Systems Go entered the UK Singles Chart on 18 June 1988. It reached a peak position of number 63, and remained in the chart for 2 weeks. [3]

  • The Barron Knights recorded a brief parody of Pop Muzik ("Chop Suey") as part of their comedy medley "Food for Thought".
  • Other remixes and remakes recorded by other artists have come from all sides since its creation, including Marcus' "Pop Muzic 2001", eX-Girl in 2001, and by Junior Vasquez and the Dub Pistols in 2003.
  • A techno remix of the original M track by Steve Osborne was used by U2 during the introduction to each concert on their 1997-1998 PopMart Tour. The remix was later released as the "Pop Mart Mix" on U2's "Last Night on Earth" single, with new vocals by Bono and slightly altered lyrics.
  • Tricky released a cover version of the song as a B-side to his 1999 single "For Real".
  • A cover of "Pop Muzik" by 3rd Party appeared on the soundtrack album to the 1998 movie A Night at the Roxbury.
  • A version of this song is performed in the stage musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical by Cynthia for the ping pong scene in the pub.
  • In 2001, MTV used a new version for one of the special programs aired to celebrate the channel's 20th anniversary. The lyrics were altered mentioning popular pop artists, mostly at the time, but also for the past 20 years, including Britney Spears, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls.
  • In 2009, a CD of remixes by various artists was released to celebrate the song's 30th anniversary.
  • British pop punk band Buck Brothers released a cover of the song to promote their first tour of America in March 2008. They are planning to release a new revised version of the cover (featuring new guitarist Dom Beckford) in 2011.
  • There is in some cases a misconception that the Band Devo actually made the song this however is not true, but Devo did release a remix of Pop Muzik on the aforementioned remix CD.
  • We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It used the song as the first single of their 2010 reunion.
  • Irish pop rap twin duo Jedward, who have participated in the X Factor and The Eurovision Song Contest, did a version for the 2010 cover album Planet Jedward

[edit] Track listings

[edit] Original 7" single

Original 7" single released by MCA Records and EMI in Europe.

  1. Pop Muzik – 3:21
  2. M Factor – 2:30

[edit] Long version single

Single released as a 7" vinyl in the United States by Sire Records, and as a 12" vinyl in France by Pathé Marconi EMI, both featuring a longer version of the song.

  1. Pop Muzik (Long Version) – 4:58
  2. M Factor – 2:30

[edit] Netherlands 12" single

12" single released in the Netherlands by MCA Records. The B-side "M Factor" was featured on the A-side of the vinyl on this release, with a remix of the title song on the B-side.

  1. Pop Muzik
  2. M Factor
  3. Pop Muzik (Long Version)

[edit] Sweden 7" 1989 release

7" single released in Sweden in 1989 by Freestyle Records.

  1. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10
  2. Pop Muzik (Original 7" Version) – 3:20

[edit] Sweden 12" 1989 release

12" single released in Sweden in 1989 by Freestyle Records.

  1. Pop Muzik (Extended 1989 Hip Hop Remix) – 5:40
  2. Pop Muzik (7" Version) – 3:20
  3. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Dub Remix) – 3:20
  4. Pop Muzik (Original 12" Version) – 5:00
  5. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10

[edit] Germany 12" 1989 release

12" single released in Germany in 1989 by ZYX Records.

  1. Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Club Remix) – 5:38
  2. Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Remix) – 3:20
  3. Pop Muzik (Original '79 Mix) – 3:21

[edit] Germany CD 2001 release

CD single released in Germany in 2001 by ZYX Records.

  1. Pop Muzik (Britannia '89 Remix) - 3:11
  2. Pop Muzik (Cabinet Remix) - 7:38
  3. Pop Muzik (Original Version) - 3:21

[edit] References

  1. ^ superseventies.com interview [1]; last accessed 13 August 2007
  2. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9459a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=ccntousk30frf6h4jsn237nm12
  3. ^ Rice, Tim; Rice, Jonathan; Gambaccini, Paul (1990), Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness World Records and Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-398-8 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
"Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer		 Australian Kent Music Report number one single
9 July 1979 - 23 July 1979 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Some Girls" by Racey
Preceded by
"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" by Robert Palmer		 Canadian RPM number one single
October 27, 1979 - November 3, 1979 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Good Girls Don't" by The Knack
Preceded by
"Rise" by Herb Alpert		 US Billboard Hot 100 number one single
November 3, 1979 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Heartache Tonight" by Eagles
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