Killer (Adamski song)

"Killer"
Single by Adamski
from the album Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy
B-side	"Bassline Changed My Life" "I Dream of You"
Released	21 March 1990[1]
Format	7" 12" CD
Recorded	1989–90[2]
Genre	Acid house soul IDM experimental rock
Length	4:10
Label	MCA
Writer(s)	Adamski Seal
Producer(s)	Adamski
Certification	Gold (BPI)[1]
Adamski chronology
"N-R-G" (1990) "Killer" (1990) "The Space Jungle" (1990)
Seal chronology "Killer" (1990) "Crazy" (1990)

"Killer" is a song by British acid house producer Adamski. Written by Adamski and Seal and produced by Adamski, "Killer" was Adamski's breakthrough single, but is now more notable for introducing Seal as a vocalist. A major hit in the UK, it reached number one, spending four weeks at the top of the chart in May and June 1990.^[3] In total, the single sold over 400,000 copies in the UK, earning it a BPI Gold certification.^[1]

Content

Lyrically, the title of the song comes from the line "It's the loneliness that's the killer," which occurs only once in the introduction to the Seal version and not at all in the Adamski version. The distinctive opening bassline and keyboard melody during the chorus, however, are preserved in almost every version of the song in some form.

The song also contains the lyrics "Racism in amongst future kings can only lead to no good, and besides, all our sons and daughters already know how that feels", which were reused in Seal's song "Future Love Paradise" featured on his debut album. "Killer" was featured in the film Miami Twice based on the TV series Only Fools and Horses.

Chart performance

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[4]	112
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5]	11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6]	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7]	14
Germany (Media Control Charts)[8]	2
Ireland (IRMA)[9]	5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11]	29
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12]	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13]	15
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3]	1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[14]	23

Seal version

"Killer"
1991 7" UK single
Single by Seal
from the album Seal
B-side	"Hey Joe" (live) "Come See What Love Has Done" (live)
Released	4 November 1991
Format	7" 12" CD
Recorded	1991
Length	4:17 (radio version) 6:33 (single version) 6:21 (album version)
Label	ZTT (1991) Warner Bros. (2005)
Writer(s)	Adamski Seal
Producer(s)	Trevor Horn
Seal singles chronology
"The Beginning" (1991) "Killer" (1991) "Violet" (1992)
"Walk On By" (2004) "Killer 2005" (2005) "A Father's Way (2006)

In 1991, Seal re-recorded "Killer" for his eponymous debut album, produced by Trevor Horn. The single release of Seal's version peaked at #8 in the UK,^[15] squeezed onto the Billboard Hot 100 at #100^[16] and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with a remix by William Orbit.^[17]

The music video for this version used computer-generated science-fiction themed imagery, largely built around a partial re-creation of the M. C. Escher print Another World. The video was produced and directed by Don Searll. The song won Best British Video at the 1992 Brit Awards.

4 January 2005 saw a new single release of "Killer", containing new remixes of both "Killer" and "Crazy". This brought the single back to the Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it reached number one.^[17]

Chart performance

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[18]	95
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19]	75
Irish Singles Chart[20]	6
UK Singles Chart[15]	8
Chart (1992)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[16]	100
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play[17]	9
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[21]	14
Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play[17]	1
US Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales[21]	3

Track listings

U.S. maxi-single (1991)

1. "Killer" (single version)
2. "Killer" (William Orbit remix)
3. "Whirlpool" (live)
4. "Killer" (live)
5. "Come See What Love Has Done" (live)
6. "Hey Joe" (live) ("Billy Roberts" cover)
7. "Killer" (William Orbit dub)

U.S. maxi-single (2005)

1. "Killer" (Peter Rauhofer remix part 1)
2. "Killer" (Peter Rauhofer remix part 2)
3. "Killer" (Morel's Pink Noise vocal mix)
4. "Killer" (DJ Monk remix)
5. "Killer" (Jim Albert's Loneliness Is the Killer mix)
6. "Crazy" (Ananda Project vocal mix)
7. "Crazy" (Orange Factory mix)

George Michael version

"Killer" / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
Single by George Michael
from the album Five Live
Released	10 April 1993
Format	12" CD
Recorded	22 March 1991 Wembley Arena
Genre	Acid house
Length	5:58
Label	Hollywood (U.S.) Parlophone (Rest of the world)
Writer(s)	Adamski Seal Norman Whitfield Barrett Strong
Producer(s)	George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Somebody to Love" (1993) "Killer" / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1993) "Jesus to a Child" (1995)

In 1991, George Michael performed "Killer" live at the Wembley Arena in a version that was released on the 1993 EP Five Live. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was also recorded and released on the same album. The two songs were blended together in the live performance, then remixed several times. The P.M. Dawn extended and radio remix for the "Killer"/"Papa" combination was released in 1993. Michael shot a video for the release, in which he did not appear personally. It was during the time when Michael refused to exploit his outward look, which he thought would distract the audience from the music, his main concern. The video was directed by Marcus Nispel.

Track listing

1. "Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (English edit)
2. "Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (Ligosa Mix)
3. "Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (P.M. Dawn Remix)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Top Singles[22]	19
US Billboard Hot 100[23]	69
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[23]	5

ATB version

"Killer"
Single by ATB
from the album Movin' Melodies
Released	31 May 1999
Format	12" CD
Genre	Dance hard house
Length	4:01
Label	Kontor (Germany) Radikal (U.S.)
Writer(s)	Adamski Seal
Producer(s)	André Tanneberger Woody van Eyden
ATB singles chronology
"Don't Stop!" (1999) "Killer" (1999) "The Summer" (2000)

Trance act ATB recorded a version in 1999, released as a single on 31 May 1999 in Germany and on 19 September 2000 in the United States. The ATB version peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart and #36 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Featuring vocals by Drue Williams, it was the producer's first fully vocal-based song under the ATB name.

The song uses elements from both Adamski and Seal's versions, updated with more contemporary production techniques. The UK radio edit differs from others in that it includes ATB's signature guitar sound.

The song featured on the acclaimed^[24] 2000 mix album CreamLive.

Track listings

• "Killer" (Germany release)

1. "Killer" (Video Edit) 4:08
2. "Killer" (Radio Edit) 4:01
3. "Killer" (Killer Mix) 5:56
4. "Killer" (Original Mix) 6:15

• "Killer" (US release)

1. "Killer" (UK Radio Edit) 3:25
2. "Killer" (Radio Edit) 4:00
3. "Killer" (2000) 5:52
4. "Killer" (Trevor & Simon Remix) 6:50
5. "Killer" (Lost Witness Remix) 7:45
6. "Killer" (Joe Fandango Remix) 7:11
7. "Killer" (Video Edit) 4:06

• "Killer" CD 1 (UK release)

1. "Killer" (UK Radio Edit) 3:28
2. "Killer" (Lost Witness Remix) 7:48
3. "Killer" (Lock 'n Load Remix) 8:25

• "Killer" CD 2 (UK release)

1. "Killer" (Killer 2000 Mix) 5:55
2. "Killer" (Trevor Reilly & Simon Foy Remix) 6:52
3. "Killer" (Joe Fandango Remix) 7:11

• "Killer" (The remixes) (Canada release)

1. "Killer" (UK Radio Edit) 4:02
2. "Killer" (Joe Fandango Remix) 7:16
3. "Killer" (Lost Witness Remix) 7:49
4. "Killer" (Lock N' Load Remix) 8:29
5. "Killer" (Joe Fandango Dub) 5:27
6. "Killer" (Lost Witness Dub) 7:45
7. "Killer" (Trevor & Simon Remix) 8:57
8. "Killer" (Gareth Jones Radio) 3:20

• "Killer 2000" (Australia release)

1. "Killer 2000" (UK Radio Edit) 3:26
2. "Killer 2000" (Killer 2000 Mix) 5:51
3. "Killer 2000" (Lost Witness Vocal Remix) 7:45
4. "Killer 2000" (Lock 'n Load Vocal Remix) 8:23
5. "Killer 2000" (Trevor & Simon Remix) 6:50
6. "Killer 2000" (Joe Fandango Mix) 7:11

Chart performance

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Dutch GfK chart[25]	25
Dutch Top 40[26]	22
Finnish Singles Chart[27]	16
Germany (Media Control Charts)	31
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	24
Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[28]	33
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	20
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	36
UK Singles Chart[29]	4
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play[30]	36
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[30]	32

Other versions

Other versions of "Killer" were performed by Northern Kings on the 2008 album Rethroned, Nina Hagen on her 2011 album Volksbeat, power metal band Angel Dust on the 2002 album Of Human Bondage, girl group Sugababes as a B-side to the 2003 single "Shape", Scottish garage rock band Sons and Daughters as a B-side to their 2007 single "Gilt Complex", UK alternative rock band 2:54 as a B-side to the 2012 vinyl single "Sugar"^[31][32] and Rhythm Police on the 2009 remix release "Killer". In 2010 Tiësto contributed a remix of the song for the game DJ Hero 2. In 2013, British rock band Bastille also made a more electronic heavy cover of "Killer" on their second mixtape Other People's Heartache Part 2.

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 2005 (U.S.)

References

1. "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Adamski'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
2. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/11/how-we-made-killer
3. "Official Charts > Adamski". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
4. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". imgur.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
5. "Austriancharts.at – Adamski – Killer" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
6. "Ultratop.be – Adamski – Killer" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
7. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
8. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Adamski - Killer (song)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
9. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know > Search results for 'Adamski'". Fireball Media. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
10. "dutchcharts.nl > Adamski - Killer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
11. "Charts.org.nz – Adamski – Killer". Top 40 Singles.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Adamski – Killer". Singles Top 100.
13. "Swisscharts.com – Adamski – Killer". Swiss Singles Chart.
14. "Billboard > Artists / Adamski > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
15. "Official Charts > Seal". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
16. "Billboard > Artists / Seal > Chart History > The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
17. "Billboard > Artists / Seal > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
18. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
19. "dutchcharts.nl > Seal - Killer... On The Loose" (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 April 2009.
20. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know > Search results for 'Seal' (page 1)". Fireball Media. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
21. "allmusic > Seal > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
22. Top Singles - Volume 58, No. 5, August 14 1993. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
23. Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - George Michael. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
24. Rated 4.5/5 stars by Allmusic http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/cream-live-mr0002978718
25. "dutchcharts.nl - atb - Killer (Dutch)". Retrieved 19 April 2009.
26. "Nederlandse Top 40, 7 Augustus 1999/Week 32 (Dutch)". Retrieved 19 April 2009.
27. "Atb: Killer". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
28. "australian-charts.com > ATB - Killer 2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
29. "Chart Stats - ATB - Killer". Retrieved 19 April 2009.
30. "allmusic ((( ATB > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Retrieved 19 April 2009.
31. "It's All Indie: 2:54 cover Seal's 90's classic 'Killer'". Retrieved 31 May 2014.
32. "2:54 - Sugar/Killer (Vinyl) at Discogs". Retrieved 31 May 2014.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics