Rockit

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This article is about the Herbie Hancock song. For other uses, see Rockit (disambiguation).
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"Rockit"
Single by Herbie Hancock
from the album Future Shock
Released June 1983
Recorded 1982
Genre Electro[1][2]
Length 5:27 (Album Version)
3:54 (Single Version)
Label Columbia
03978
Writer(s) Herbie Hancock
Bill Laswell
Michael Beinhorn
Producer Bill Laswell

"Rockit" is a composition recorded by Herbie Hancock. It was released as a single from his 1983 album Future Shock. The composition was written by Hancock, bass guitarist Bill Laswell, and synthesizer/drum machine programmer Michael Beinhorn.

Contents

History[edit]

Constructed and composed during the recording process at various studios, including Martin Bisi's in Brooklyn NY, the composition is the first recognized popular single to feature scratching and other turntablist techniques, performed by GrandMixer D.ST - an influential DJ in the early years of turntablism.

Some years later turntablists such as DJ Qbert and Mix Master Mike cited the composition as 'revelatory' in the documentary film Scratch, inspiring their interest in the instrument. The single was a major radio hit in the United Kingdom and a popular dance club record in the United States.

Music Video[edit]

The music video, directed by duo Godley & Creme[3] and featuring robot-like movable sculptures (by Jim Whiting) dancing, spinning and even walking in time to the music in a "virtual house" in London, England, garnered five MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, including Best Concept Video and Best Special Effects. The video is unique in that it was edited to the sounds of the scratching of the composition, and it employed new techniques never seen in a music video up until then. Hancock himself appears and plays keyboard only as a black-and-white image on a television, which is smashed on the pavement outside the front door of the house in the closing shot.

Appearances in other media[edit]

  • It was studied for the music and art portion of the 1990-1991 Academic Decathlon competition. The musical focus for that year was Music of the Post-World War II era.
  • It appears in the film Zoolander, where it is used to break Derek's hypnotism during the finale catwalk scene.
  • It was used for the radio program "Showboat" on Soccer AM.
  • It was featured on season 3, episode 4 of 30 Rock during a brief moment when NBC page Kenneth is shown street-dancing for side cash.
  • It was featured on The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVI. It shows a robot playing a synthesizer whilst a pair of robotic legs are dancing in time to the music. This may be a parody of the music video.

Trivia[edit]

The vinyl record GrandMixer D.ST. used to scratch out a rhythm as the tempo was the B-side of Change The Beat by Fab Five Freddy, released in 1982 on Celluloid Records.

Charts[edit]

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 4
Canadian Singles Chart[6] 9
Germany (Media Control AG)[7] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 13
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 8
Netherlands (GfK Dutch Chart)[10] 7
New Zealand (RIANZ)[11] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 4
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 71
US Billboard Hot Black Singles[16] 6
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[16] 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ Vladimir Bogdanov (2003). Backbeat Books, ed. All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop. p. 8. ISBN 978-0879307592. Retrieved 18 June 2013.  "Electro also provided an intriguing new direction for one of the style's prime influences: Herbie Hancock, whose 1973 Headhunters album proved a large fusion hit, came storming back in 1983 with the electro single "Rockit.""
  2. ^ http://theprodigy.info/reviews/dirtchamber.shtml "Herbie Hancock's electro anthem 'Rockit'"
  3. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon; Corey Moss (2002-08-26), The Influence Of VMA Breakthroughs, retrieved 2009-05-08 
  4. ^ "Herbie Hancock – Rockit – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  5. ^ "Ultratop.be – Herbie Hancock – Rockit" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  6. ^ "Rockit in Canada Top 50". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 May 2013. 
  7. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  8. ^ http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement "Rockit" has to be searched manually
  9. ^ "Rockit in Dutch Top 40". Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 18 June 2013. 
  10. ^ "Rockit on Dutchcharts.nl". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 30 May 2013. 
  11. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Herbie Hancock – Rockit". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Herbie Hancock – Rockit". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "Herbie Hancock – Rockit – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Herbie Hancock" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company.
  15. ^ "Herbie Hancock Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Herbie Hancock. Prometheus Global Media.
  16. ^ a b "Future Shock awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 May 2013. 


External links[edit]

Preceded by
"Do It Again Medley with Billie Jean" by Slingshot		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
August 27, 1983 – September 17, 1983		 Succeeded by
"Holiday" / "Lucky Star" by Madonna
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