Fit but You Know It explained

Fit but You Know It
Cover:Fit But You Know It.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the Streets
Album:A Grand Don't Come for Free
B-Side:Soaked by the Ale
Length:4:14
Label:
Producer:Mike Skinner
Prev Title:Don't Mug Yourself
Prev Year:2002
Next Title:Dry Your Eyes
Next Year:2004

"Fit but You Know It" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released on 26 April 2004 as the lead single of the Streets' second studio album, A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004). The song reached number four on the UK Single Charts.

Background

Skinner told the Daily Star that the lyrics refer to former S Club 7 member Rachel Stevens who was embarking on a solo career at the time the song was recorded. He later denied the song was about Stevens and said that he threw her name out as a red herring to escape the nosey reporter's questions.[1]

Critical reception

Leonie Cooper of NME called the "chugging beat" and "the extreme rowdiness of it all" the best parts of the song.[2] James Snodgrass of NME called it, "a great first single, it takes a guitar chug and a boozy rant and combines them to joyous effect."[3] Decca Aitkenhead of The Guardian said that the song "managed to capture the comically crude but complex sexual politics of a busy late-night chip shop on a lads' holiday".[4]

Commercial performance

The single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, spending 15 weeks inside the top 75. In Australia, the song was ranked number 18 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.[5]

Music video

The music video for the single has a cameo of the cast of The Football Factory which includes Danny Dyer and Frank Harper. In the video, Mike Skinner plays the part of a man picking up his holiday photos from the developers. As the song is playing, he looks through the photos which show scenes from his holiday. The video was released on two separate formats- a DVD single (which also included the video for "The Irony of It All") and a bonus DVD which came with some copies of parent album A Grand Don't Come for Free.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United KingdomCD[6]
Australia[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Skinner denies ode to Stevens . irishexaminer.com . Irish Examiner . 10 June 2006. 24 January 2019.
  2. Web site: Cooper . Leonie . The Streets' 10 best songs . nme.com . NME . 13 October 2017. 24 January 2019.
  3. Web site: Snodgrass . James . The Streets: A Grand Don't Come For Free . nme.com . NME . 12 September 2005. 24 January 2019.
  4. Web site: Aitkenhead . Decca . Mike Skinner: 'I get withdrawal symptoms if I've not created something for a few days' . theguardian.com . The Guardian . 18 March 2012. 24 January 2019.
  5. Web site: Hottest 100 2004. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 October 2021.
  6. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 27. 24 April 2004.
  7. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th May 2004. ARIA. 26. 10 May 2004. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040606140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20040607-0000/ISSUE741.pdf. 6 June 2004. 6 October 2021.