Unbelievable (EMF song)
 |
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (August 2009) |
| "Unbelievable" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) |
||||
| Single by EMF | ||||
| from the album Schubert Dip | ||||
| B-side | "EMF (live at The Bilson)" | |||
| Released | 4 September 1990 (UK) 14 May 1991 (US) |
|||
| Format | CD, 7", 12", cassette | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Alternative dance | |||
| Length | 3:30 | |||
| Label | Parlophone (UK) EMI (US) |
|||
| Writer(s) | EMF | |||
| EMF singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Unbelievable" is a song written and recorded by Gloucestershire indie/alternative dance band EMF, originally appearing on their debut album Schubert Dip. It was released as a single in the UK in 1990, peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number three on 1 December 1990. It was the 32nd best-selling single of 1990 in the UK. In the United States, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 July 1991; if one counts a #1 twice if it had two runs at the top (analogous to the official system of numbering U.S. presidents), it was the 1,000th #1 in Billboard history.
Contents |
Content of the song [edit]
The song contains samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay throughout the track, including the loud exclamation of "oh!" at the start of each chorus along with the words "it's unbelievable" spoken during the bridge. The track was produced by Ralph Jezzard.
Furthermore, in the UK (where the band hailed from), the B-side of the single was a track called "EMF" which included the refrain: E! Ecstasy! M! Motherfucker, motherfucker! F! From us to you....
"Unbelievable" also samples the word "One" that comes in the refrain "Ya Kid K is the one", from the song Spin That Wheel by Euro-Dance act "Hi-Tek 3" featuring Ya Kid K. "Hi-Tek 3" is a side project from the successful dance act Technotronic.
Track listings [edit]
- UK CD (CDR 6273)
- "Unbelievable" – 3:30
- "Unbelievable (The Cin City Sex Mix)" – 5:14
- "EMF (live at The Bilson)" – 3:53
- UK 7" (R 6273)
- "Unbelievable" – 3:30
- "EMF (live at The Bilson)" – 3:53
- US CD (E2-56210)
- "Unbelievable (single version)" – 3:30
- "Unbelievable (Cin City Sex Mix)" – 5:14
- "Unbelievable (Boot Lane Mix)" – 6:20
- "Unbelievable (House Mix)" – 4:26
- "Unbelievable (Hip Hop Mix)" – 4:10
- "EMF (live at The Bilson)" – 3:53
Charts [edit]
Peak positions [edit]
| Chart (1990/1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[1] | 8 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] | 20 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 4 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[3] | 9 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 5 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[4] | 6 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[5] | 12 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[6] | 8 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[7] | 9 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] | 3 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| End of year chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 6 |
Cover versions [edit]
"Unbelievable" has been covered by many other musical acts, including Tom Jones[10] and "Weird Al" Yankovic (briefly in the polka medley "Polka Your Eyes Out"). It was also covered by Shakira in her The Sun Comes Out Tour, the Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch on their debut album Set It Off, but with markedly different lyrics. American grindcore band Anal Cunt covered "Unbelievable" on their Morbid Florist EP in 1993, and by Ashley Amphlett and the Metroheads. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1991 album The Chipmunks Rock the House. German pop rock band The BossHoss recorded a country style version for their album Internashville Urban Hymns. Filipino rock band Chicosci also covered the song for the compilation 90's Music Comes Alive.
Spin Magazine recommended a cover version of this song by an artist known as Femme Fatality in its November 2006 issue.
An altered version of the song, with the refrain "They're Crumbelievable", was used in a 2005 US television advertisement for Kraft Crumbles.[11]
Another altered version of the song, with the refrain "They're Twin-believable" was used during the Minnesota Twins 1991 championship drive and eventual World Series victory.
When Shakira performed it in her 2010-2011 tour, she used the chorus as an interlude during "Whenever, Wherever".
Records [edit]
Due to the amount of air time that "Unbelievable" has received since its release, it may be responsible for the most profanity ever heard over radio. The constant background vocal during the chorus saying "What the fuck was that?" which even appears in the lyrics in the CD booklet, was never edited. This is possibly because the background vocal appears incoherently, and most people dismiss it as undecipherable lyrics.[citation needed] The song has also been used unedited in pre-watershed television adverts.
It was ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2002 and #98 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s in 2007.
Miscellaneous uses [edit]
- The song was in the 1991 action movie The Taking of Beverly Hills
- The song was featured in the 1996 animated movie Space Jam.
- The trailer for the 2005 film Hoodwinked! used this song.
- In 2011 it was released as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band 3.
- The Chicago Wolves use it as one of their goal songs as of 2012.
- The song was also featured in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly
- In a TGI Friday's scene, the song was used in the movie Zookeeper.
- It featured in an advert for Coco Pops Coco Rocks.
- It was featured in Charmed episode Coyote Piper
| Preceded by "Rush Rush" by Paula Abdul |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 20 July 1991 |
Succeeded by "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams |
References [edit]
- ^ "Australian-charts.com – EMF – Unbelievable". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
- ^ "EMF – Unbelievable – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – EMF search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – EMF – Unbelievable". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – EMF – Unbelievable". VG-lista. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – EMF – Unbelievable". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
- ^ "EMF – Unbelievable – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1991". Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ EMF-TheBand.com - The Official EMF Website
- ^ AdFreak: Kraft uses 'Unbelievable' unbelievably
External links [edit]
- "EMF - The Band.com - The Official EMF Website". Retrieved 2007-02-04.
- Ward, Celeste (2005-02-12). "Kraft uses 'Unbelievable' unbelievably". Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- Anderson, Chris (2006-06-30). "Colbert on pop culture: It's Crumbelievable!". The Long Tail. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- "Unbelievable" music video on YouTube
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
|
|||||||||||
