The Rockafeller Skank Explained

The Rockafeller Skank
Cover:Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank single cover.png
Type:single
Artist:Fatboy Slim
Album:You've Come a Long Way, Baby
B-Side:
  • "Always Read the Label"
  • "Tweakers Delight"
Genre:Big beat[1]
Length:
  • 6:53 (album version)
  • 3:27 (radio edit)
  • 4:03 (short and video version)
Label:Skint
Producer:Fatboy Slim
Prev Title:Going Out of My Head
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Gangster Tripping
Next Year:1998

"The Rockafeller Skank", often referred to as "Funk Soul Brother" by fans, is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998), on 8 June 1998. The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart in June 1998 and topped the Icelandic Singles Chart for a week the same month. It was the second Fatboy Slim single (after "Praise You") to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked "The Rockafeller Skank" at number 199 on their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".[2]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Using self-consciously old-school DJ techniques (scratching and repetition of a spoken phrase, dramatic tempo changes), Fatboy Slim has created an organically simple masterpiece. With the accessibility of Beck, the danceability of ska, and the sunny quality of the Beach Boys, the track has a sparse, magnetic beginning that builds in depth and intensity (with the addition of jangly guitar riffs and more complex beats) to a meticulous, frenetic climax. And the wind-down is no less danceable."[3]

Will Hermes from Entertainment Weekly called it a "remarkable splice-rock roller coaster". He added, "Big, dynamic, spectacularly dumb, it grafts Duane Eddy guitar twang (via John Barry) onto Godzilla-goes-Motown beats, adds an MC non sequitur, and presses "frappe" on the digital blender. Result? The most potent DJ pop since "Firestarter". If this won't convert the techno-phobes, nothing will."[4]

A reviewer from Music & Media stated that the track "easily matches the extremely high quality one would expect from a chart veteran with such names as the Housemartins, Beats International, The Mighty Dubcats and Pizzaman on his CV." He explained further, "This time around, he's somehow managed to fuse big beat and dance with surf—seasoned with a slight pinch of punk—and has come up with what is probably the single most infectious sound around on the airwaves right now."[5]

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 Dogs Vibe" by Vinyl Dogs. The original line, a spoken-word introduction to the instrumental track, was "Check it out right about now, it's no other than the funk soul brother, the Lord Finesse. And you're welcome to the world of the Vinyl Dogs right about now".[6]

Lord Finesse spoke about his "contribution" for the first time in 2019. He recalled receiving a fax about Fatboy Slim wanting to use his vocal sample for "The Rockafeller Skank", to which he agreed. However, he was shocked to learn the song was not what he had in mind, thinking it was going to be hip hop and not big beat. He called it a "big mistake" and expressed regret for not listening to the song first before sending his approval, and not having someone look at the contract before he signed it. Regardless, Lord Finesse remains proud of the success of "The Rockafeller Skank" but says it could have been his "retirement money".[7]

The song also features eight[8] other samples, including a sample of the song "Sliced Tomatoes" by the band Just Brothers (a popular Northern soul track); The Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought the Law" (featuring DeWayne Quirico's drum intro); "Join the Gang" by David Bowie; "Who You Wit II" by Jay-Z (pitched down vocals saying "Rockafeller"); and a sample of "Beat Girl" by John Barry and his Orchestra. Guitar lines were also sampled from "Twistin' 'N' Twangin'" by Duane Eddy[9] and "Why Can't You Love Me" by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes,[10] along with a shout from the song "Soup" by the J.J. All-Stars.

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.[11]

On the album, the track is preceded by a short conversation between a radio DJ and caller named Brad requesting the song. A real conversation that took place on Boston station WBCN (now known as WWBX), the tape was played for Fatboy Slim who persuaded the station to allow him to use the audio on the album.[12]

Track listings

US maxi-CD and cassette single[15] [16]

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

A1. "The Rockafeller Skank"

B1. "Always Read the Label"

B2. "Tweakers Delight"

  1. "The Rockafeller Skank" (short edit)
  2. "Always Read the Label"
  1. "The Rockafeller Skank" (short edit)
  2. "The Rockafeller Skank"
  3. "Always Read the Label"
  4. "Tweakers Delight"
  5. "Everybody Loves a Carnival" (radio edit)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998–2000)Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[22] 18
Denmark (IFPI)[23] 12
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] 40
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[25] 1
Italy (Musica e dischi)[26] 17

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)Position
Canada Dance (RPM)[27] 17
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[28] 61
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 99
UK Singles (OCC)[30] [31] 99
US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[32] 15

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom8 June 1998Skint[35]
Japan17 June 1998CD[36]
United States28 September 1999Contemporary hit radio[37]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What Are The Best Ibiza Bangers Of All Time? . https://web.archive.org/web/20160725235636/https://www.theo2.co.uk/news/detail/what-are-the-best-ibiza-bangers-of-all-time . . . July 22, 2016 . July 25, 2016 . September 15, 2021 . live.
  2. Jon. Dolan. Julyssa. Lopez. Michaelangelo. Matos. Claire. Shaffer. 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. 22 July 2022. 30 October 2022.
  3. Flick, Larry. Larry Flick. Reviews & Previews: Singles . . 27 June 1998 . 25 . 6 December 2020.
  4. Hermes, Will (17 July 1998). "This Week: Music". Entertainment Weekly. Issue 441.
  5. Airborne. Music & Media. 27 June 1998. 17. 23 December 2019.
  6. Web site: Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Vinyl Dogs feat. Lord Finesse's Vinyl Dogs Vibe . WhoSampled . 23 March 2012.
  7. Web site: 247HH . Lord Finesse - Clearing My Vocals For Fatboy Slim's "Rockafeller Skank" . YouTube . 7 July 2022.
  8. Web site: Tracks Sampled in The Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim on WhoSampled . 21 September 2022 . WhoSampled . en.
  9. Web site: Fatboy Slim's The Rockafeller Skank sample of Duane Eddy's Twistin' 'n' Twangin' . WhoSampled . 23 March 2012.
  10. Web site: Fatboy Slim's 'The Rockafeller Skank' - Discover the Sample Source . 11 November 2022 . WhoSampled . en.
  11. Web site: Nick Lawrence. Fatboy Slim Interview (May 2006) « HigherFrequency . Higherfrequency.wordpress.com . 7 May 2007 . 23 March 2012.
  12. FatboySlim. 1345147837798080513. i went on WBCN when i was promoting 'rockafella skank' and they played me this tape of a guy who had rung in the day before. i thought it was so goofy and persuaded them to let me have the tape and let me put it on the album.. i subsequently met Brad next time i was in Boston and. 1 January 2021 . 3 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210101232036/https://twitter.com/FatboySlim/status/1345147837798080513 . 1 January 2021 . live .
  13. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. UK CD single liner notes. Skint Records. SKINT 35CD.
  14. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. Australian CD single liner notes. Dance Pool. 665968.2.
  15. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. US maxi-CD single liner notes. Astralwerks. ASW 6242 CD.
  16. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. US cassette single sleeve. Astralwerks. ASW 66242-4.
  17. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Skint Records. SKINT 35.
  18. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. US 12-inch single sleeve. Astralwerks. ASW 6242.
  19. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. UK cassette single sleeve. Skint Records. SKINT 35MC.
  20. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. European CD single liner notes. Skint Records. SKI 665968 1.
  21. The Rockafeller Skank. Fatboy Slim. 1998. Japanese CD single liner notes. Skint Records. ESCA 7289.
  22. Fatboy Slim Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs). Billboard. 23 December 2021.
  23. Danish Singles Chart. 24 July 1998.
  24. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 15. 29. 10. 18 July 1998. 4 June 2020.
  25. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.6. – 11.6. 1998). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 30. 5 June 1998. 3 October 2019.
  26. Hits of the World – Italy. Billboard. 110. 28. 46. 11 July 1998. 4 June 2020.
  27. RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 24 June 2019.
  28. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 34. 2 January 1999. 8 February 2020.
  29. Web site: Årslista Singlar, 1998. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 12 March 2021.
  30. Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100. Music Week. 7. 16 January 1999.
  31. Web site: Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży. pl. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150604184020/http://hosting1642755.az.pl/sp%20uk%20best%201998.html. 4 June 2015. 24 June 2019.
  32. The Year in Music 1998: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales. Billboard. 110. 52. YE-54. 26 December 1998.
  33. 1999 The Year in Music: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales. Billboard. 111. 52. YE-61. 25 December 1999.
  34. Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2000. Airplay Monitor. 8. 51. 54. 22 December 2000.
  35. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 25. 6 June 1998. 6 July 2021.
  36. Web site: Fatboy Slim. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. https://web.archive.org/web/20010104095000/http://www.sme.co.jp/Music/International/Arch/ES/FatboySlim/. 4 January 2001. 25 August 2023. Click on Discography.
  37. CHR/Pop: Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1318. 81. 24 September 1999.