Say Kids What Time Is It?
| "Say Kids What Time Is it?" | ||||
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| Single by Coldcut | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Format | 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | House, hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:46 (Single version) 2:22 (Music video edit) |
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| Label | Ahead of Our Time | |||
| Producer | Matt Black, Jonathan More | |||
| Coldcut singles chronology | ||||
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"Say Kids What Time Is It?" is the debut single of British dance music duo Coldcut. It is renowned as one of the first tracks to be built entirely around music sampling.
Contents |
[edit] Background
[edit] Release of the single
The single was originally released in early 1987 as a white label 12" single on Ahead of Our Time Records, with only 500 copies pressed for sale. However, as the song started to pick up some popularity, more copies were pressed, again on the 12" vinyl single.
[edit] Song background
The track was built entirely around various samples. The song started with the sampled line "Say kids, what time is it?" from the theme song to the children's television show Howdy Doody, from which the song took its title. The song sampled many hip hop, funk and soul tracks as well.
Coldcut would later gain more popularity in the music scene with their remix of the Eric B. & Rakim song "Paid in Full", which also incorporated the use of various samples. It also used the "Goodnight, kids" sample originally sampled from Howdy Doody[1], previously used by Coldcut on "Say Kids What Time Is It?"
[edit] Influence
Shortly after the release of sample-built records such as "Say Kids What Time Is It?", the popularity of sample-built tracks began to emerge. The tracks "Pump Up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S and "Theme from S'Express" by S'Express, which both similarly incorporated the sample style of "Say Kids What Time Is It?", both peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. Coldcut themselves, still incorporating their sampling style, experienced more success with singles such as "Doctorin' the House".
[edit] Samples used
This is a list of samples used in "Say Kids What Time Is It?"[2]
- Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force - "Looking for the Perfect Beat", originally released in 1982 (12"); first LP release on Planet Rock: The Album, 1986
- Banbarra - "Shack Up" from Shack Up, 1975 (7")
- Beeside - "Change le Beat" from Street Music Material, 1984 (LP)
- Brother D with Collective Effort - "How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise?" from How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise?, 1980 (12")
- Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers - "Bustin' Loose" from Bustin' Loose, 1979 (LP)
- James Brown - "Funky Drummer", originally released in 1970 (7"); first LP release on In the Jungle Groove, 1986
- James Brown - "Get on the Good Foot" from Get on the Good Foot, 1972 (LP)
- James Brown - "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" from Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, 1970 (7")
- James Brown - "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" from Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud, 1969 (LP)
- "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- D. Train - "Music" from Music, 1983 (LP)
- Fat Boys - "Human Beat Box" from Fat Boys, 1984 (12")
- Grandmaster Flash - "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" from The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel, 1981 (12"; portion sampled originally sampled from "Freedom" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and "Birthday Party" by The Furious Five)
- Herman Kelly & Life - "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" from Percussion Explosion, 1978 (LP)
- Hot, Cold Sweat - "Meet Me at the Go-Go" from Meet Me at the Go-Go, 1982 (12")
- Incredible Bongo Band - "Apache" from Bongo Rock, 1973 (LP)
- "I Wan'na Be Like You" from the 1967 film The Jungle Book
- Jimmy Castor Bunch - "King Kong" from King Kong, 1975 (7")
- Jungle Book - "King Louis song" from Walt Disney's Jungle Book
- Kool & the Gang - "Jungle Jazz" from Spirit of the Boogie, 1975 (LP)
- Kurtis Blow - "Christmas Rappin'" from Kurtis Blow, 1980 (LP)
- Kurtis Blow - "Party Time" from Party Time?, 1983 (EP)
- Theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, composed by Ennio Morricone
- Pumpkin and the Profile All-Stars - "Here Comes That Beat!" from Here Comes That Beat!, 1975 (12")
- Sound Experience - "Boogie Woogie" from Boogie Woogie, 1975 (LP)
- Dialogue by Buffalo Bob Smith from the TV series Howdy Doody
- Dialogue by Buffalo Bob Smith from the theme song to the TV series Howdy Doody
- T La Rock - "It's Yours" from It's Yours, 1984 (12")
- Trouble Funk - "Drop the Bomb" from Drop the Bomb, 1982 (LP)
- Trouble Funk - "Let's Get Small" from Let's Get Small, 1982 (12")
- Trouble Funk - "Pump Me Up" from Drop the Bomb, 1982 (LP)
- Trouble Funk - "Say What?" from In Times of Trouble, 1983 (LP)
[edit] Music video
The song's low-budget music video consisted of low-quality, grainy scenes of people partying and dancing, with various speech bubbles and subtitles added during some shots.
The music video was edited to be only 2 minutes 22 seconds long, cutting out roughly 2 minutes of the original track.
[edit] Track listing
- 12" white label single (EFA, MS 17082 02)
A1 "Say Kids What Time Is It?"
B1 untitled
B2 untitled
B3 untitled
B4 untitled
- 12" single (not on label, BOOT 1)
A "Say Kids (What Time Is It?)"
B1 untitled (instrumental cut-up)
B2 untitled (instrumental cut-up)
B3 untitled (samples for scratching)
B4 untitled (samples for scratching)
- 12" single (release credited as "Say Kids", Ahead of Our Time, CCUT 8 TL)
A "Find a Way" (with Queen Latifah)
B1 "Say Kids"
B2 "Untitled (Breaks)"
B3 "Untitled (Breaks)"
