Block Rockin' Beats

"Block Rockin' Beats" is a song by British big beat duo The Chemical Brothers. It was released as the second single from their second album, Dig Your Own Hole, in March 1997. The single topped the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.[1]

"Block Rockin' Beats"
Single by The Chemical Brothers
from the album Dig Your Own Hole
Released	24 March 1997 (1997-03-24)
Recorded	1996
Genre	Big beat
Length	5:14 (album version) 5:00 (single version)
Label	Freestyle Dust
Songwriter(s)	Tom Rowlands Ed Simons Jesse Weaver
Producer(s)	The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers singles chronology
"Where Do I Begin" (1997) "Block Rockin' Beats" (1997) "Elektrobank" (1997)
Alternate covers
CD2

There are two different edits of "Block Rockin' Beats" available; one is the version found on Dig Your Own Hole, which has an intro, and the other version begins with the bassline. The B-side "Morning Lemon" is also available on the second disc of the limited edition Singles 93–03.

Blender listed the song on number 346 on its ranking of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005.[2]

Samples

The drums are sampled from "Changes" by Bernard Purdie. The vocals, "Back with another one of those block rockin' beats" is a sample from American rapper Schoolly D's 1989 song "Gucci Again".

Another reviewer opines that the track uses (without compensation) the bassline from the track "Coup" by 23 Skidoo.[3][4] The opening bass riff resembles the intro from the Pink Floyd song "Let There Be More Light", while the bass sound has been sampled from The Crusaders' song "The Well's Gone Dry".[5]

"Morning Lemon" opens with a vocal sample of a man singing "Morning lemon", and ends with a sample of Ice Cube saying "Take that, motherfuckers!" (from his song "What They Hittin' Foe?").

Critical reception

BBC noted, "Not only was the song an undeniable earworm, but it took the art of sampling to a new level - borrowing its drums from Bernard Purdie and its vocals from US rapper Schoolly D. There have even been suggestions that the track covertly samples Pink Floyd too."[6] Larry Flick from Billboard described the track as "a genre-spanning revelation" and commented further that "After one spin, you'll be chanting the hook for hours, and the blend of scratchy funk beats and acidic keyboards are sure to get the body moving."[7] Complex said that "there was something about the combined fury of that Schoolly D vocal sample, that hypnotic bassline and those big drums that turned this one into an anthem for the breakbeat set."[8] Terri Sutton from Salon called it "incorrigible" with its "frantic faux guitar interplay, funky bass and underwater detonations."[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Chemical Brothers.

12-inch

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Block Rockin' Beats"	5:00
2.	"Morning Lemon"	4:35
3.	"Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts remix)"	9:55

CD one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Block Rockin' Beats"	5:00
2.	"Prescription Beats"	5:13
3.	"Morning Lemon"	4:35

CD two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Block Rockin' Beats"	5:00
2.	"Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts remix)"	9:55
3.	"Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts bonus beats)"	3:49
4.	"Block Rockin' Beats (radio edit)"	3:24

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 28 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 44 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[12] 9 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[13] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 12 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 6 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 29 Norway (VG-lista)[19] 13 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[20] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 12 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 1 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[23] 2 US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[24] 5 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[25] 40 US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[26] 11

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[27] 52 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[28] 77 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 88

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30]	Silver	200,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

In popular culture

"Block Rockin' Beats" was used in the 2003 Ongoing History of New Music episode "Alt-Rock's Greatest Instrumentals". Also, it is in a soundtrack of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. In 2018, it appeared in a television advertisement for the PlayStation Classic.

References

1. "The Chemical Brothers | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
2. "Blender Magazine: Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
3. Andrew Unterberger (10 October 2003). "The Chemical Brothers - Singles: 93 – 03". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
4. Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
5. Look for equal entries in WhoSampled’s page for Block Rockin’ Beats and the one for B-Boy Bouillabaisse, for the latter song is using apparently the same sample.
6. "30 tracks that shaped dance music over the last 30 years". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
7. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 26 April 1997. p. 73. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
8. "The 15 Best Songs From the Electronica Era". Complex. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
9. Sutton, Terri (April 1997). "Sharps and Flats". Salon. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. "Australian-charts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "Ultratop.be – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
12. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3247." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
13. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3229." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 15. 12 April 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
15. "The Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (01.05.1997 – 07.05.1997)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 25 February 2018.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Block Rockin' Beats". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
18. "Charts.nz – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Top 40 Singles.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". VG-lista.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
21. "Swedishcharts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Singles Top 100.
22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
23. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
24. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
25. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
26. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
27. "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
28. "Romanian Top 100 Singles Airplay – Top of the Year 1997" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
29. "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
30. "British single certifications – Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2020.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics