Remember Me (Blue Boy song)
Remember Me is a 1997 song by British DJ Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore under his pseudonym Blue Boy. It peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1997[2] and number two on the American dance chart.[3] Additionally it peaked within the Top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the track reached number 13.
"Remember Me" | ||||
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Single by Blue Boy | ||||
Released | 1997 | |||
Genre | Dance[1] | |||
Label | Pharm, Jive, Om, Altra Moda Music | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Lex Blackmore | |||
Blue Boy singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Remember Me" on YouTube |
Background
The track originally appeared on Mark Farina's remix album Mushroom Jazz Volume One. Jive Records got hold of it and earmarked it for single release. The radio edit was remixed by Sure Is Pure, who were also responsible for a remix of Lost in Music, and was released on the Pharm sublabel imprint.
The track is built around samples from "Woman of the Ghetto" by Marlena Shaw: "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies, I", in reference to African-American maids raising white children for little pay, came from a live version, whereas the "ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging..." sample repeated throughout the song is the scat portion of the original song's refrain.[4] Shaw had the following to say about it:
When it first happened, and the Mushroom Jazz people contacted me from San Francisco, I was kind of excited about it. But then, once I actually HEARD it, my first reaction was 'Oh my goodness! How in the world can I possibly stand onstage and sing those same notes, and those same lyrics, over and over again?'! You know, 'I'm the one who had your babies - ha-ha-ha-ha'! I mean, it’s different when it's being recorded and you're just pushing the button! But then, once I got used to the idea, I became excited all over again! And actually several other people have sampled the song since, though with them it's been the onstage version I did on the (1973-released) 'Live At Montreux' album that seems to have got more attention - I guess because it was more spontaneous. Which, as I say, is something that HAPPENS in my live performances! And I particularly liked the St. Germain version, which had more of a jazz flavour to it.[5]
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "wickedly catchy dance anthem" and noted further that "while the groove is appropriately aggressive and street-credible, the song is iced with accessible keyboards, and a loopy hook takes up permanent residence in the brain upon impact."[6] Australian music channel Max placed "Remember Me" at number 557 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[7]
Track listing
- UK CD
Catalogue number CDPHARM1
- "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 7" edit) – 3:50
- "Remember Me" (original 12") – 7:04
- "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 12" remix) – 10:46
- "Remember Me" (Cavern 3 remix) – 10:11
- "Remember Me" (Rae and Christian remix) – 6:57
- Europe CD
European release on Jive Records (catalogue number 051628-2)
- "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 7" edit) – 3:49
- "Remember Me" (original 7" edit) – 3:54
- "Remember Me" (Deep Zone club mix) – 7:30
- "Remember Me" (Dub Zone) – 8:30
- "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 12" remix) – 10:46
- "Remember Me" (original 12" mix) – 7:04
- "Remember Me" (Sub Dub) – 8:13
Cover versions
In late 2008, the Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala started performing this song as part of their live sets, eventually recording a cover version of it as a B-side to the "Sundown Syndrome" single. This cover became quite popular in Australia, reaching number 78 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009.[8]
In late 2010, Gianni Luminati of Walk off the Earth released a song on YouTube, "Jammin' a Hammock", playing 3 instruments simultaneously, while lying in a hammock; it is an interpretation of this song.[9]
In November 2012, British musician Daley sampled this song for his own composition "Remember Me", with the refrain sung by Jessie J.[10]
In 2013, the South African group Goldfish sampled the song for their track Three Second Memory. TheSouthAfrican.com called the song "Where to start? Obviously the title track, which takes the vocal sample "Remember Me" and builds around it to a level which justifies its standing as the basis of the album."[11]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[45] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] | Gold | 400,000![]() |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- Roseberry, Craig (13 November 1999). "Guidance Recordings Tends Roots of Chicago-style House". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 46. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 42. 18 October 1997. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "Why do people love to sample Marlene Shaw?". Electric Soul Show. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Lewis, Pete. "MARLENA SHAW: California Soul II Soul". Blues & Soul. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Single Reviews > New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 32. 9 August 1997. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- "Top 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time – 2012". Max. 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "Hottest 100 2009". Triple J. ABC Online. 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- "Jammin' a Hammock - Walk off the Earth" on YouTube
- Ferrol, Natalie. "Jessie J and Daley cover Blue Boy's Remember Me (I'm The One Who Had Your Babies)". MOBO Awards. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- Hillyer, Tim (15 April 2014). "Album Review: 'Three Second Memory' – Goldfish". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.. TheSouthAfrican.com.
- "Australian-charts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Austriancharts.at – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Ultratop.be – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Ultratop.be – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Ultratop Dance: 19/04/1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3285." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 25. 21 June 1997. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510. see last week position.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 24. 14 June 1997. p. 15. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "Blue Boy: Remember Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Lescharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Íslenski Listinn: Topp 40: Nr. 212 vikuna 13.3. '97 – 19.3. '97" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. 14 March 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Blue Boy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 22. 31 May 1997. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Blue Boy - Remember Me" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". VG-lista. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 29. 19 July 1997. p. 59. ISSN 0006-2510. see last week position.
- "Swedishcharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Swisscharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1997". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Rapports annuels 1997" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "Jahrescharts – 1997" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
- "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Top of the Year 1997" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 September 2005.
- "Årslista Singlar – År 1997". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.. Hitlistan.se.
- "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- "Hot Dance Club-Play Singles". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. YE-44. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- "British single certifications – Blueboy – Remember Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 August 2020.