Weapon of Choice (song)
"Weapon of Choice" | ||||
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Single by Fatboy Slim featuring Bootsy Collins | ||||
from the album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars | ||||
A-side | "Star 69" | |||
Released | 23 April 2001 | |||
Recorded | 2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:45 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Norman Cook, Ashley William Slater, Bootsy Collins, Sylvester Stewart, Andres Titus, William K. McLean | |||
Producer(s) | Norman Cook | |||
Fatboy Slim singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Weapon of Choice" from YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Weapon of Choice" |
"Weapon of Choice" is a song by English
The music video, directed by
Background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Bootsy_Collins_and_Fatboy_Slim.jpg/220px-Bootsy_Collins_and_Fatboy_Slim.jpg)
"Weapon of Choice" features a lead vocal by
The chorus of the song, "You could blow with this, or you could blow with that", is a homage to the
The radio edit is referred to as the "Attack Hamster Edit", and is the version featured on Fatboy Slim's greatest hits album
On the album, the song segues from "Retox" and thus the ending of "Retox" is on this track. At 5:06 on the "single version", the last second (5:05) gets repeated many times until it finishes at 5:36. On the album, the last two seconds get repeated until 5:23, and scratching sounds start at 5:14 until the conclusion at 5:45. The single version and album version also have several other differences, including the ordering of vocal snippets towards the five-minute mark.
Music video
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Weapon_of_Choice_video.jpg/220px-Weapon_of_Choice_video.jpg)
The music video was filmed in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel (now the L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown) in Los Angeles in December 2000. Directed by Spike Jonze, it features actor Christopher Walken, who trained as a dancer in musical theatre before his acting career. Walken had asked Jonze to film his dancing, and Jonze suggested that he participate in the video.[3] Fatboy Slim had originally been scheduled to have a cameo in the video, replacing Walken in the harness shots, but was unavailable that weekend because his wife, Zoe Ball, was giving birth.[3]
In the video, Walken is relaxing in a chair in a deserted hotel lobby when he hears the song being played from a cleaning cart nearby. He begins to dance around the hotel before getting in an elevator, leaping off the balcony, and flying around the mezzanine. At the end, he returns to the chair and sits back down.
The "Weapon of Choice" video won six awards at the
Walken has cited admiration for Jonze as one of his main reasons for appearing in the video, which he also welcomed as a chance to do "something different". He also noted that as a trained tap dancer, dancing to electronic music suited him well.[10]
The music video enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 2020s following the announcement of Walken's casting as
Track listing
- "Star 69" / "Weapon of Choice"
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Star 69" (full version) | 5:57 |
2. | "Star 69" (radio edit) | 3:35 |
3. | "Weapon of Choice" | 5:38 |
4. | "Weapon of Choice" (video) | 3:31 |
- "Weapon of Choice 2010"
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Weapon of Choice 2010" (Lazy Rich Remix) | 6:05 |
2. | "Weapon of Choice 2010" (Lazy Rich Dub) | 5:48 |
3. | "Weapon of Choice 2010" (Radio Edit) | 2:59 |
Accolades
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | MTV Video Music Award | Video of the Year | Nominated |
Best Dance Video | Nominated | ||
Breakthrough Video
|
Won | ||
Best Direction | Won | ||
Best Choreography | Won | ||
Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
Best Art Direction | Won | ||
Best Editing | Won | ||
Best Cinematography | Won | ||
MTV Europe Music Award | Best Video | Nominated | |
2002 | Grammy Award | Best Music Video | Won |
Charts
"Star 69" / "Weapon of Choice" double A-side chart positions
Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[15] | 23 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[16] | 14 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[17] | 18 |
Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista)[18]
|
20 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[19] | 81 |
Ireland (IRMA)[20] | 21 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] | 85 |
Scotland (OCC)[22] | 6 |
10 | |
UK Dance (OCC)[24] | 2 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[25] "Weapon of Choice" |
33 |
References
- ^ "FATBOY SLIM - Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Perich, John. "Cargo Cult: Dune". www.overthinkingit.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ a b Fatboy Slim Interview (May 2006), in Higher-Frequency.com; published May 2006; retrieved November 7, 2019
- ^ "VMA Nation". MTV. Archived from the original on 13 December 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Jonze dominates video poll". BBC News. 26 April 2002. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Persbrandt dances". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
- ^ "YouTube - Mikael Persbrandts Weapon of choice". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2007.
- ^ "Vasakronan copies Fat Boy Slim". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ "Rowland Rivron reveals shock at Let's Dance win as final seen by 6 million viewers – Metro News". Metro. 19 March 2012.
- ^ "The Hollywood Interview: CHRISTOPHER WALKEN: The Hollywood Interview". thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.co.uk.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (12 May 2022). "Christopher Walken Cast in 'Dune: Part Two,' Just as Fatboy Slim Prophesied". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Ryan, Danielle (12 May 2022). "Fatboy Slim's Weapon Of Choice Music Video Predicted Christopher Walken's Dune 2 Casting". SlashFilm.
- ^ Rossi, Jason (15 May 2022). "The Weird Connection Tying Fatboy Slim, Christopher Walken, and 'Dune' Together Is not why Walken got His Role". Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
- ^ Paiella, Gabriella (7 March 2024). "Christopher Walken Did Not Know About His Fatboy Slim-'Dune' Connection". GQ. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim – Star 69". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- Ultratip. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- Ultratip. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim: Star 69" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim – Star 69" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Star 69". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim – Star 69" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2001.
- ^ "Norman Cook: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2001.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
External links
- Weapon of Choice music video on YouTube