Feel Good Inc. Explained

Feel Good Inc.
Cover:Feel Good Inc. Artwork.jpg
Alt:The song's title written on the back of a shirt
Type:single
Artist:Gorillaz featuring De La Soul
Album:Demon Days
B-Side:
  • "Spitting Out the Demons"
  • "Bill Murray"
  • "68 State"
Studio:
  • Kong (Essex, England)
  • 13 (London, England)
Genre:
Length:
  • 3:42 (album version)
  • 3:28 (radio edit)
Label:
Producer:
Chronology:Gorillaz
Prev Title:Lil' Dub Chefin'
Prev Year:2002
Next Title:Dare
Next Year:2005

"Feel Good Inc." is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring American hip-hop group De La Soul. Released on 9 May 2005 as the lead single from the band's second studio album, Demon Days, the single peaked at 2 in the United Kingdom and No. 14 in the United States, topping the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for eight consecutive weeks and appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end rankings for both 2005 and 2006. The song peaked within the top 10 in 16 countries, reaching No. 1 in Spain, Poland and Greece, and has been certified five times platinum in Canada and triple-platinum in the United Kingdom.

The song was listed in Pitchfork Media and Rolling Stones Best Songs of the 2000s. "Feel Good Inc." was nominated for three Grammys at the 2006 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, ultimately winning for Best Pop Collaboration.[6] Popdose ranked it 26th on their list of 100 best songs of the decade.[7]

Music video

Background

The main themes of the video are intellectual freedom and the media's dumbing down of mass culture.[8] Jamie Hewlett said in an interview that the inspiration for some scenes in the video came from Hayao Miyazaki; specifically, the windmill-powered landmass, which has been compared to that of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky.[9] On 26 April 2022, the video was re-uploaded to the Gorillaz YouTube channel with commentary from virtual band member Murdoc Niccals.[10] The music video filmed in February 2005.

Synopsis

At the beginning of the video, the camera rises up to the top of the Feel Good Inc. tower, and a sample of the Spacemonkeyz dub of "Clint Eastwood", entitled "A Fistful of Peanuts", can be heard. The camera focuses into the tower, where 2-D yearns for the freedom to join Noodle on her floating island. The characters lying on the floor represent those who have already been "dumbed down", while the band members are the ones who have awakened. 2-D attempts to awaken all the people lying on the floor from their half-dead state by yelling at them through his megaphone, in the style of a political activist. Ominous helicopters, which closely resemble Korean War-era Bell H-13s, chase the floating island, monitoring the behaviour inside and ensuring that no one escapes. It is unclear whether they are preventing Noodle's escape or are chasing her away.[8]

Back in the tower, De La Soul appear as larger-than life, seemingly omnipotent images on surrounding television screens, taunting the Gorillaz band members[11] and driving 2-D into a wild, hypnotic frenzy as he tries to resist the urge to be dumbed down. At the end of the video, 2-D, beaten by his surroundings, returns to the state he was in when the video began, repeating the words "Feel good" until the video finally ends, in an exact reversal of the intro. The repetition of "Feel good" represents that 2-D is convincing himself that everything is OK (as if he is brainwashing himself to believe it), instead of confronting the harsh truth of the situation.[8] The music video for "El Mañana" continues the narrative, depicting two helicopter gunships catching up to Noodle's floating windmill island and attacking it.

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

Track listings

European and UK 2-track CD single[12]

  1. "Feel Good Inc." – 3:42
  2. "Spitting Out the Demons" – 5:10

European and UK DVD single[13]

  1. "Feel Good Inc." (music video) – 4:13
  2. "Spitting Out the Demons" – 5:10
  3. "Bill Murray" – 3:51

UK 7-inch single[14]

A. "Feel Good Inc." – 3:42

B. "68 State" – 4:48

European CD maxi-single[15]

  1. "Feel Good Inc." – 3:42
  2. "Spitting Out the Demons" – 5:10
  3. "Bill Murray" – 3:51
  4. "Feel Good Inc." (music video) – 4:13

Japanese CD EP[16]

  1. "Feel Good Inc." – 3:42
  2. "Spitting Out the Demons" – 5:10
  3. "Bill Murray" – 3:51
  4. "Murdoc Is God" – 2:26
  5. "Feel Good Inc." (music video) – 4:13

US digital EP[17]

  1. "Feel Good Inc." – 3:42
  2. "Spitting Out the Demons" – 5:09
  3. "Bill Murray" – 3:52
  4. "Dare" (Soulwax Remix) – 5:44

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European maxi-CD single and Demon Days liner notes.[15] [18]

Studios

Song personnel

Video personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2005–2006)Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[19] 6
Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)[20] 13
Canada Hot AC Top 40 (Radio & Records)[21] 22
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[22] 26
Czech Republic (IFPI)[23] 5
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] 2
Greece (IFPI)[25] 1
Iceland (Tónlist)[26] 3
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[27] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[28] 20
Polish Airplay Top 100 (ZPAV)[29] 1
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[30] 12

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)Position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 9
Australian Urban (ARIA)[32] 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 25
CIS (TopHit)[34] 42
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[35] 20
Germany (Official German Charts)[36] 43
Italy (FIMI)[37] 45
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[38] 18
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[39] 27
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 100
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 71
UK Singles (OCC)[42] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[43] 37
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[44] 72
US Dance Radio Airplay (Billboard)[45] 28
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[46] 66
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[47] 4
Venezuela Pop Rock (Record Report)[48] 4

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United States4 April 2005Alternative radioVirgin[50]
9 May 2005Digital download
AustraliaCDParlophone[51]
United Kingdom[52]

External links

Notes and References

  1. The following describe the song as "alternative rock":
  2. Damon's Day . Frere-Jones . Sasha . 28 November 2005 . . 7 June 2018.
  3. Web site: Rolling Stone Staff . 100 Best Songs of the 2000s . . 17 June 2011 . ...this seamless merger of Damon Albarn's melancholy Britpop and De La Soul's head-bobbing hip-hop... . 4 November 2022.
  4. Web site: Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Rush Join "Guitar Hero 5 " Lineup. Daniel. Kreps. 2009. Rolling Stone.
  5. News: They're coming back: Gorillaz' greatest tracks, ranked . Gigwise . 13 October 2015 . 22 June 2017.
  6. Web site: Grammy Award Winners 2005. Grammy Awards. 29 May 2013.
  7. The popdose 100: 100 best songs of the decade. Popdose . 24 November 2009 . 4 August 2015.
  8. Book: Browne, Cass . . Riverhead Books Inc. . 2006 . 213–216 . 9781594489310.
  9. News: The interview: Jamie Howlett . The Guardian . 29 May 2013 . London . Mark . Kermode . 19 July 2008.
  10. Web site: 26 April 2022 . Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc (Commentary Edition) . 2 October 2022 . YouTube.
  11. Book: Rambarran, Shara . "Feel Good" with Gorillaz and "Reject False Icons": The Fantasy Worlds of the Virtual Group and Their Creators . The Oxford Handbook of Music & Virtuality edited by Sheila Whiteley and Shara Rambarran . Oxford University Press . 2016 . 9780199321285 . New York . 148–170.
  12. Feel Good Inc.. Gorillaz. 2005. UK CD single liner notes. Parlophone. CDR 6663, 7243 869882 2 5.
  13. Feel Good Inc.. Gorillaz. 2005. UK DVD single liner notes. Parlophone. DVDR 6663, 7243 8 69883 9 3.
  14. Feel Good Inc.. Gorillaz. 2005. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Parlophone. R 6663, 07243 872447 7 1.
  15. Feel Good Inc.. Gorillaz. 2005. European maxi-CD single liner notes. Parlophone. 07243 872842 0 3.
  16. Feel Good Inc.. Gorillaz. 2005. Japanese CD EP liner notes. Parlophone. TOCP-61100.
  17. Web site: Feel Good Inc – EP. Apple Music. 21 March 2021.
  18. Demon Days. Demon Days. Gorillaz. 2005. European CD album liner notes. Parlophone. 0946 346592 2 2.
  19. Gorillaz Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs). Billboard. 20 June 2019.
  20. R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30. Radio & Records. 1628. 33. 14 October 2005. 16 October 2020.
  21. R&R Canada Hot AC Top 40. Radio & Records. 1629. 53. 21 October 2005. 2 February 2022.
  22. R&R Canada Rock Top 30. Radio & Records. 1621. 69. 26 August 2005. 11 October 2019.
  23. Web site: Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden 16/2005. IFPI ČR. cs. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050830100521/http://www.ifpicr.cz/radio.htm . 30 August 2005. 1 January 2022.
  24. Hits of the World – Eurocharts. Billboard. 117. 22. 51. 28 May 2005. 5 April 2020.
  25. Web site: Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 12–18/6. IFPI Greece. el. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050617040222/http://www.ifpi.gr/chart03.htm. 17 June 2005. 17 June 2005.
  26. Web site: Netlistinn viku 22, 2005. Tónlist. is. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150630043248/http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Chartlist/35/. 30 June 2015. 6 January 2022.
  27. Web site: Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 12 May 2005. GfK Chart-Track. 20 June 2019.
  28. Web site: Tipparade-lijst van week 30, 2005. Dutch Top 40. 8 May 2022.
  29. Web site: Szczecińska Lista Przebojów - Radio Szczecin . pl. August 6, 2005. July 27, 2024 .
  30. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Sep 1, 2005. TopHit. 24 April 2024.
  31. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2005. ARIA. 17 September 2020.
  32. Web site: ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Urban Singles 2005. ARIA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200415011150/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-urban-singles-2005.htm. 15 April 2020. 17 September 2020.
  33. Web site: Jahreshitparade Singles 2005. de. 20 June 2019.
  34. Web site: CIS Year-End Radio Hits (2005). TopHit. 11 August 2019.
  35. Year End European Hot 100 Singles Chart 2005 01 – 2005 52. Billboard. VNU Media. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121018142431/http://www.vnuemedia.com/bb/biz/images/pdf/YearEndEuropeanHot100.pdf. 18 October 2012. 7 January 2022.
  36. Web site: Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 2005. GfK Entertainment. de. 20 June 2019.
  37. Web site: Classifiche annuali 2005 FIMI Nielsen, dominano gli artisti italiani. FIMI. it. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060506075305/http://www.fimi.it/dettaglio_documento.asp?id=637&idtipo_documento=1. 6 May 2006. 15 January 2021. Click on Scarica l'allegato.
  38. Web site: End of Year Charts 2005. Recorded Music NZ. 17 September 2020.
  39. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2005. TopHit. 24 April 2024. 21 April 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240421190640/https://tophit.com/chart/top/radio/hits/ru/annual/2005. live.
  40. Web site: Årslista Singlar, 2005. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 17 September 2020.
  41. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005. de. 20 June 2019.
  42. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005. Official Charts Company. 20 June 2019.
  43. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 2005. 31 August 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304120640/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=2005. 4 March 2009.
  44. 2005 The Year in Charts: Top Adult Top 40 Songs. Billboard Radio Monitor. 13. 50. 31. 16 December 2005.
  45. 2005 The Year in Charts: Top Dance Songs. Billboard Radio Monitor. 13. 50. 60. 16 December 2005.
  46. 2005 The Year in Charts: Top Mainstream Top 40 Songs. Billboard Radio Monitor. 13. 50. 26. 16 December 2005.
  47. Billboard 2005 The Year in Music & Touring: Hot Modern Rock Songs. Billboard. 117. 52. YE-70. 24 December 2005. 2 April 2020.
  48. Web site: Top 50 – Pop Rock: Cierre de Año, 2005. Record Report. 44. es. 5. 24 December 2005. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060708013144/http://www.recordreport.com.ve/publico/Resumen-2005.pdf. 8 July 2006. 23 June 2021.
  49. Hot 100: Year End 2006. Billboard. billboard.com. 15 August 2019.
  50. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1600. 19. 1 April 2005. 21 May 2021.
  51. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 9th May 2005. ARIA. 28. 9 May 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222428/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050520-0000/issue793.pdf. 22 February 2008. 21 May 2021.
  52. Web site: Feel Good Inc. vblurpage.com. 25 May 2021. 16 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210316155521/http://www.vblurpage.com/discography/gorillaz/singles/feel.htm. dead.

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