One Pound Fish
| "One Pound Fish" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Single by £1 Fish Man | |||||||
| Released | 7 December 2012 | ||||||
| Format | Download | ||||||
| Recorded | 2012 | ||||||
| Genre | Bhangra, dance-pop | ||||||
| Length | 2:27 | ||||||
| Label | Warner Music Group | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Muhammad Shahid Nazir | ||||||
| |||||||
"One Pound Fish", often stylised as "£1 Fish", is a novelty song performed by British-based Pakistani fish trader and recording artist Muhammad Shahid Nazir, credited as £1 Fish Man. It was released on 7 December 2012 for download in the United Kingdom, reaching number 28 in the UK Singles Chart, number 4 in the UK Dance Chart, and number 1 in the UK Asian Chart.
Background
Following brief employment at a pound shop, Muhammad Shahid Nazir, a Pakistani immigrant to UK, originating from the town of Pattoki in Punjab,[1] who had settled in East London, began work on a fish stall at Queen's Market, Upton Park where his employer instructed him to use a trader's call to attract customers. He soon composed the song "One Pound Fish" with the lyrics:[2]
It became an internet smash and a viral video after passing customers uploaded videos of Nazir performing his song onto YouTube.
A music video to accompany the release of "One Pound Fish" was first released on 10 December 2012 at a total length of two minutes and thirty-six seconds. It featured Bollywood-style dancers and an appearance from former weather forecaster Michael Fish.[3]
In 2012 it was rumoured that Nazir had been deported to Pakistan after his visa had expired, although this was not the case.[4]
Covers and remixes
The song has since been covered by many artists[5] including Alesha Dixon. Mindless Behavior performed it live on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast Show, and both Timbaland and Boy Better Know made remixes sampling from the song.
Chart performance
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Asia Download (Official Chart Company)[6] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 169 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 73 |
| Scotland (Official Charts Company)[9] | 24 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] | 28 |
| UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[11] | 4 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 7 December 2012[12] | Download | Warner Music Group |
References
- ↑ 11 Dec 2012 (2012-12-11). "One Pound Fish song makes bid for Christmas No1". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ Battersby, Matilda (November 26, 2012). "YouTube's £1 Fish Man offers Christmas number one challenge to the X Factor". London: The Independent. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Michael Fish Stars in Fish Video". London: Thesun.co.uk. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "One Pound Fish man 'not deported'". BBC News. 2013-01-03.
- ↑ Susannah Butter (2012-11-20). "The One Pound Fish Man: Everyone's Hooked, Including Warners". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "Asian Chart". Officialcharts.com. 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – One Pound Fish Man – One Pound Fish" (in French). Les classement single.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 06, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2012-12-29". Scottish Singles Top 40.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-01-05" UK Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-01-05" UK Dance Chart.
- ↑ "iTunes – Music – One Pound Fish (Remixes) – EP by £1 Fish Man". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2012-12-21.