The Rockafeller Skank

"The Rockafeller Skank"
Single by Fatboy Slim
from the album You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Released	June 8, 1998 (UK) September 22, 1998 (US)
Format	12" CD
Genre	Big beat dance-rock surf rock
Length	3:27 (radio edit) 7:27 (album version) 4:03 (short version)
Label	Skint
Producer(s)	Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim singles chronology
"Everybody Loves a Carnival" (1997) "The Rockafeller Skank" (1998) "Gangster Trippin" (1998)

"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby.

The single peaked at number six in the UK Singles Chart in June 1998.^[1] The song was the second Fatboy Slim single (after "Praise You") to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76.

Samples

The song features the repeated line "Right about now, the funk soul brother / Check it out now, the funk soul brother", which is a truncated vocal sample of rapper Lord Finesse on the track "Vinyl Dog Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs, the original line being "Check it out right about now, it's no other than the funk soul brother, the Lord Finesse".^[2]

The song also features four other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers (a popular Northern Soul track), Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law" (featuring DeWayne Quirico's drum intro), and a sample of "Beat Girl" by John Barry and his Orchestra. A guitar line from the song "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy is also sampled.^[3]

Fatboy Slim has stated that to clear the samples and release the song he had to release 100% of the track's royalties, 25% to each artist, meaning he receives no royalties himself.^[4]

Usage in media

• The radio version of the song was featured on the 1999 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 3.
• The song is featured in She's All That in a choreographed dance number.
• The song was also used in the films Digimon: The Movie and Bruce Almighty.
• The song was used in the video game FIFA 99.
• The song was used in the 1999 Surge Cola commercial with The Sandlot cast member Patrick Renna.
• The song was used in the PlayStation video game Gekido.
• The song was used during the trailer for the 1999 film, Office Space.
• The song was played during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.
• The song is featured in the episode 15 of the 5th season of the American sitcom Friends ("The One With The Girl Who Hits Joey"), during the party staged by Ross to his neighbors.
• The song was also used in the TV series Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Being Erica, Daria, Saturday Night Live, 20 to 1, Sex and the City, and Streetmate.
• The song was featured on the third soundtrack to Packed to the Rafters.
• The song was used in the film American Pie, but did not appear on the soundtrack.^[5]
• The song was used in the promo trailer for Osmosis Jones.
• The song was used in trailers for Connie and Carla and Corporate Affairs.
• The song was featured in the 3rd episode of the 2nd Series of The Catherine Tate Show.
• The song was used in a promo for Sex Tape on FX.
• The song was used in the PlayStation 2 video game Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2.

Track listing

CD

1. "The Rockafeller Skank" (short edit)
2. "The Rockafeller Skank"
3. "Always Read the Label"
4. "Tweakers Delight"

Note: Some mainland European editions omit the album version (track 2)

The edited version is notable at the beginning, as there is a scat effect on the first word of the song. This is removed on the edit featured on the 2006 compilation The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder.

12"

1. "The Rockafeller Skank"
2. "Always Read the Label"
3. "Tweakers Delight"

Charts

Chart (1998-2000)	Peak Position
Australia (ARIA)[6]	32
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7]	23
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[8]	5
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	49
France (SNEP)[9]	69
Germany (Official German Charts)[10]	28
Ireland (IRMA)[11]	15
Italy (FIMI)[12]	20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13]	45
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14]	17
Norway (VG-lista)[15]	20
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16]	16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17]	24
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18]	6
US Billboard Hot 100	76
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	39
US Billboard Mainstream Top 40	21
US Billboard Top 40 Tracks	33
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	2

References

1. "Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2012-03-31. First appeared in chart (at position): 20/06/1998 (6) ... Highest position in chart: 6
2. "Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Vinyl Dogs feat. Lord Finesse's Vinyl Dogs Vibe". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
3. "Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Art of Noise feat. Duane Eddy's Peter Gunn". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
4. Nick Lawrence (2007-05-07). "Fatboy Slim Interview (May 2006) « HigherFrequency". Higherfrequency.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
5. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163651/soundtrack
6. "Australian-charts.com – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
9. "Lescharts.com – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in French). Les classement single.
10. "Musicline.de – Fatboy Slim Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
11. "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
12. "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: F". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
14. "Charts.org.nz – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Top 40 Singles.
15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". VG-lista.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Singles Top 100.
17. "Swisscharts.com – Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank". Swiss Singles Chart.
18. "Archive Chart: 1998-06-20" UK Singles Chart.

External links

• Official music video on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics