| White Knuckle Ride | |
| Cover: | Whiteknuckleride.JPG |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Jamiroquai |
| Album: | Rock Dust Light Star |
| Released: | 31 October 2010 |
| Recorded: | 2005–2007 |
| Studio: | Jam (London) |
| Label: | Mercury |
| Producer: | Jay Kay |
| Prev Title: | Runaway |
| Prev Year: | 2006 |
| Next Title: | Blue Skies |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
"White Knuckle Ride" is the first single from British alternative group Jamiroquai's studio album Rock Dust Light Star. The single was released via Digital Download on 31 October 2010, with a Limited Edition Vinyl release due to appear on 1 January 2011.[1] The song was written by band frontman Jay Kay and Matt Johnson and produced by Kay. It is the band's first record to be released under Mercury Records.[2]
The band's official website originally announced that the single would be released on 11 October.[3] The band describe "White Knuckle Ride" as "a hi-octane retrospective on Jay's career experiences – a cautionary tale equally applicable to anyone's life in these pressure cooker times." It appears that the Jamiroquai logo typeface has been stretched vertically for this release. The video for the single was made available on the group's YouTube account on 25 September.[4] The single charted at No.39 in the UK Singles Chart and as of 2024, remains their last UK Top 40 hit.
The music video shows Jay Kay piloting a helicopter in pursuit of a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 along a winding desert road. After several unsuccessful attempts at losing the helicopter – including driving in wide circuits to raise a cloud of dust to blind Kay, and taking a detour down a tree-lined dirt road – the driver comes to a halt under a viaduct and escapes on foot. Kay arrives to find the car abandoned with no sign of the driver, whose face is never shown. The helicopter is a Robinson R44 Raven 2 owned by Jay Kay,[5] who is a qualified private helicopter pilot, however a stunt pilot was used for some scenes.[6]
The video was filmed on the Tabernas Desert, in Almeria, Spain and was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.
| Chart (2010–2012) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 96 | |
| France (SNEP) Download Chart[8] | 24 | |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[9] | 7 |
| Chart (2010) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[10] | 65 | |
| Japanese Top 100[11] | 76 |