- Pop Muzik
Infobox Single
Name = Pop Muzik
Caption =
Artist = M
from Album = New York • London • Paris • Munich
B-side = "M Factor"
Released =1979
Format =7" ,12"
Recorded =
Genre = New Wave,Synthpop
Length = 3:21
Label = MCA /EMI / Sire
Writer =Robin Scott
Producer = Robin Scott
Certification =
Chart position =- #1 (
Billboard Hot 100 )
- #2 (
UK Singles Chart )
Last single = "Moderne Man"
(1979)
This single = "Pop Muzik"
(1979)
Next single = "Moonlight and Muzak"
(1979)"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song performed by the British band M, fronted byRobin Scott .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 summarize 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. [superseventies.com interview [http://www.superseventies.com/sw_popmuzik.html] ; last accessed
August 13 ,2007 ]The single was released in the UK first, peaking at number 2 on May 12, 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 America, where it eventually climbed all the way to number one on November 3.
Along with Scott, other musicians who played on the track were his brother Julian Scott (on bass), then unknown keyboardist
Wally Badarou , Canadian synthesizer programmer John Lewis (who died ofAIDS in1985 ) and Brigit Novik, the backing vocalist.The single was bolstered by a promotional video that was well received in its day; the clip featured Scott as a DJ singing into a microphone from behind an exaggerated turntable setup, at times flanked by two women who sang and danced in a robotic manner. One of the sight gags in the video depicted a rather plain-looking woman actually recording the backup vocals, which are then mimed by the female models, something that seems to foreshadow a number of incidents that occurred much later in the music industry with groups such as
Milli Vanilli ,C&C Music Factory , and Black Box.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.
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 withLevel 42 and Compass Point All Stars, among others) and Brigit Novik. Additional musicians on the album included drummer Phil Gould (later ofLevel 42 ), Gary Barnacle on saxophone and flute and (at the time) local Montreux residentDavid Bowie , who did occasional handclaps. The album was also released in the U.S. onSire Records , but it was not a commercial success.Other formats
The
12-inch single version was notable for theB-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 tracks.Remixes and covers
The
Barron Knights recorded a brief parody of Pop Muzik ("Chop Suey ") as part of their comedy medley "Food for Thought"."Pop Muzik" was re-released in
remix ed form several times, first in 1989. 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 byJunior Vasquez and the Dub Pistols in 2003.A dance remix of the original M track by
Steve Osborne was used byU2 during the introduction to each concert on their 1997-1998PopMart Tour . The remix was later released as the "Pop Mart Mix" on U2's "Last Night on Earth " single, with new vocals byBono and slightly altered lyrics.Tricky released a cover version of the song as aB-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 .Track listings
Original 7" single
Original 7" single released by
MCA Records andEMI inEurope .
#Pop Muzik – 3:21
#M Factor – 2:30Long version single
Single released as a 7" vinyl in the
United States bySire Records , and as a 12" vinyl inFrance by Pathé MarconiEMI , both featuring a longer version of the song.
#Pop Muzik (Long Version) – 4:58
#M Factor – 2:30Netherlands 12" single
12" single released in the
Netherlands byMCA 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.
#Pop Muzik
#M Factor
#Pop Muzik (Long Version)weden 7" 1989 release
7" single re-released in
Sweden in1989 by Freestyle Records.
#Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10
#Pop Muzik (Original 7" Version) – 3:20weden 12" 1989 release
12" single released in
Sweden in1989 by Freestyle Records.
#Pop Muzik (Extended 1989 Hip Hop Remix) – 5:40
#Pop Muzik (7" Version) – 3:20
#Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Dub Remix) – 3:20
#Pop Muzik (Original 12" Version) – 5:00
#Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10Germany 12" 1989 release
12" single re-released in
Germany in1989 byZYX Records .
#Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Club Remix) – 5:38
#Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Remix) – 3:20
#Pop Muzik (Original '79 Mix) – 3:21Notes
- #1 (
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