Charly (song)

"Charly"
Single by The Prodigy
from the album Experience
B-side	"Pandemonium" "Your Love" "Energy Flow (G-Force Part 1)"
Released	August 12, 1991 (1991-08-12)[1]
Format	vinyl (7 inch), vinyl (12 inch), cassette tape, CD single, digipak, digital download, maxi-single
Recorded	1991; C.W.S. Studios (Essex, England)
Genre	Breakbeat Hardcore
Length	3:56 (Original Version) 5:27 (Alley Cat Mix) 5:13 (Album / Trip Into Drum & Base Version)
Label	XL Recordings, Elektra
Writer(s)	Liam Howlett
Producer	Liam Howlett, Chaz Stevens
Certification	Silver (BPI)[2]
The Prodigy singles chronology
"Charly" (1991) "Everybody in the Place" (1991)
Alternative Cover Digital Cover Music video "Charly" on YouTube

"Charly" is the debut single released by the British electronic act The Prodigy, taken from their debut album Experience. The version featured on the album is the significantly longer "Trip Into Drum & Bass" remix. It was released in the UK on August 12, 1991 through XL Recordings on vinyl, CD and cassette tape format .^[1] Almost a year later, it was released as a double A-side single with "Everybody in the Place" in the US on June 18, 1992 through Elektra Records on CD, digipak and maxi-single format.^[3]

On November 22, 2004 the single was released on digital download format.^[4] On October 1, 1992, "Charly" had sold over 200,000 copies in the UK which in turn enabled it a Silver BPI certification.^[2] The Alley Cat Mix of "Charly" features as track number three on the expanded disc two of the band's debut album Experience. "Charly" appears on the band's compilation album "Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005 as track number nine.

Background

"Charly" was written and produced by band frontman Liam Howlett, together with Chaz Stevens as an additional producer. The single's cover art was designed by Jay McKendry Jenkins. The song samples a 1970s BBC Public Information Film, Charley Says, (from "Double Deckers" of ITV's "Say No To Strangers" campaign), in which a little kid is shown with his cat. This sample later resulted in the band being unsuccessfully sued for plagiarism.

The band was criticized by the dance music magazine Mixmag for inspiring a glut of copycat rave songs which also sampled children's programming, including "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's and "A Trip To Trumpton" by Urban Hype.

Reception

The song received generally mixed reviews from critics, despite its popularity. Dooyoo.co.uk described "Charly" as "An infamous song which was played at very loud volumes for weeks and its music video turned it into one of the controversial songs of its time."^[5] Popmatters.com elaborated "Charly" as an electronic track developed in such a way that it would ensure boredom avoidance.^[6] Stylusmagazine.com interpreted the song as "All teenage rampage and suckingly vacant insurgency".^[7] Amiestreet.com mentioned the single as "One of the early classics of break beat music which paved the way for the electronica explosion of the mid/late Nineties".^[8]

Music video

A music video directed by Russell Curtis features live footage of one of the costume-wearing Prodigy's early performances and other visual effects. The video contrasts the song's lyrics and "infamous" sample by playing a clip of a government warning to always tell your parents where you were going. The cartoon figure used was an unnamed young child who had a cat named Charley and "Charley Says" was a short series of informational cartoons produced for children during the 1970s dealing with everyday issues such as not playing with matches and not talking to strangers.

Track listing

US 12 Inch Vinyl Promo

1. "Charly" (Beltram Says Mix) - 5:27
2. "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27
3. "Everybody in the Place" (Moby Dance Hall Version) - 5:33
4. "Everybody in the Place" (Fairground Mix) - 5:08

US CD Promo

1. "Charly" (Beltram Says Mix) - 5:27
2. "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27
3. "Everybody in the Place" (Moby Dance Hall Version) - 5:33
4. "Everybody in the Place" (Fairground Mix) - 5:08
5. "Your Love" (The Original Excursion) - 6:00
6. "Energy Flow (G-Force Part 1)" - 5:18

UK 7 Inch Vinyl Promo

1. "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix 7" Edit) - 3:38
2. "Charly" (Original Mix) - 3:56

UK 12 Inch Vinyl, Digital Download & CD Promo^[4][9]

1. "Charly" (Original Mix) - 3:56
2. "Pandemonium" - 4:25
3. "Your Love" - 6:00
4. "Charly" (Alley Cat Mix) - 5:27

Remixes

• "Charly" (1991 Demo Remix) - 4:07
• "Charly" (Alley Cat Remix) - 5:27
• "Charly" (Alley Cat 7" Edit) - 3:38
• "Charly" (Beltram Says Remix) - 3:29
• "Charly" (Bit Me Remix) - 3:40
• "Charly" (Dave Skywalker Remix) - 5:12
• "Charly" (John O' Callaghan Remix) - 3:55
• "Charly" (Peo De Pitte Remix) - 7:16
• "Charly" (Red Head Remix) - 5:09
• "Charly" (Trip Into Drum & Bass Remix) - 5:13
• "Charly" (Trip Into Drum & Bass Paza Chip Remix) - 3:31
• "Charly" (Zinc Remix) - 4:54

Chart performance

On August 24, 1991, "Charly" debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, two weeks later it rose to a peak position of number three where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. The single re-entered the chart almost five years after release at number sixty-six on April 20, 1996. The single re-entered again, a further eight years on from its previous re-entry due to a digital download release of the single. This time at number seventy-three on December 4, 2004. Altogether its spent a total of six weeks within the top ten and twelve weeks within in the top seventy-five.

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[10]	3

External links

• Charly video on Youtube

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.discogs.com/release/23896
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
3. ^ http://www.discogs.com/release/7743
4. ^ ^{a b} http://shop.xlrecordings.com/release/~charly12vinyl-0/
5. ^ http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/music-records/their-law-the-singles-1990-2005-the-prodigy/1019226/
6. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/p/prodigy-theirlaw.shtml
7. ^ http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-prodigy/their-law-the-singles-1990-2005.htm
8. ^ http://amiestreet.com/music/the-prodigy/charly/
9. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000732Y
10. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=253