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6 Underground (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = 6 Underground
| cover = Sneaker Pimps Six Underground Rewired CD Single 1.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Sneaker Pimps
| album = Becoming X
| B-side = Can't Find My Way Home
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Trip hop
| length = 3:54
| label = Clean Up
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = Roll On
| prev_year = 1996
| next_title = Spin Spin Sugar
| next_year = 1997
| misc =
}}
"'6 Underground'" is a song by the English band Sneaker Pimps, from their debut studio album 'Becoming X'.
First released as a single in the United Kingdom in September 1996, the song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and had moderate radio airplay in the United States. It was shipped to modern rock and dance stations in February 1997. After the song was used in the 1997 American film 'The Saint', radio stations began playing it more frequently; many stations continue to keep the song in their playlists. The single was re-released in May 1997, where it peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song peaked at number 45 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and at number 7 on the 'Billboard' Modern Rock Tracks chart. The cover artwork of the single uses a photograph of a Lego Space moonscape. The piece is from the Command Centre playset marketed by The Lego Group from 1978 to 1988.
After the commercial success and popularity of the album version of the song, the group released several remixes, some of which became hits in dance clubs and radio stations with a dance format. The version most frequently heard on radio was the remix by Nellee Hooper (which appeared as a hidden track on the album).
Composition
The horns and the harp melody at the beginning of the song are both sampled from "Golden Girl", a track from the 1964 James Bond film 'Goldfinger' (the song plays during a scene when Bond discovers Jill Masterson covered in gold paint). The "a-one two" heard repeatedly in the Nellee Hooper version is sampled from De La Soul's song "Breakadawn".
Chris Corner said, "It's about death in a small town environment. You grow up in this shit town and you yearn to get out. A lot of artists, we just can't survive in a place like that. So, the essence of that song is that living in a small town is like dying. For us it was a huge release to get out and to explore the world, to see what everything else is about. We all wanted that. You know, the northern industrial shithole. And that's really what that song's about."
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Toby Tremlett, and made its debut on 14 January 1997. Throughout the video, which gives off a dark atmosphere, the camera focuses on Kelli Dayton singing in the middle of a dark room sitting in a dentist chair that she spins around. The camera follows Dayton as she slowly walks around the darkened room singing the song. There are also several smaller lit rooms with oval windows within the larger dark room, depicting different scenes such as a man dressed in black practicing various poses, a woman dressed in a nightgown who is vacuuming the floor, a young woman posing around a chair in a red tie shirt and black skirt, a toddler dressed in a costume pouring spaghetti from a jar and tossing it around the room, and an overweight man eating spaghetti while sitting in a recliner. The small rooms with the oval windows could depict a view into people's private lives, and even a view into their souls. A can of worms is poured out by a band member. The other band members are usually seen lurking behind Dayton in this video, including in some scenes where the band is standing in one of the small, brightly lit rooms. At the end of the video, the people in the smaller rooms seem to freeze in place, and in the big room, the band poses at Dayton's dentist chair, and then the lights go out.
The video uses the Nellee Hooper edit of the song. Laura Prepon of 'That '70s Show' was also featured in the video.
Usage in media
The song is featured at the beginning of the 'Beverly Hills, 90210' episode "Friends in Deed" from its eighth season. A remix of the song "Six Underground (The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mix #2)" is used in the 1998 teen film 'Can't Hardly Wait', when character Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt) first walks into the party. In 2000, the song is the main theme for the US primetime soap opera 'Titans'. In 2014, the song is used for the enhanced version of the popular video game 'Grand Theft Auto V' on the radio station Non-Stop-Pop FM. The song is also featured in 'The Watcher' (2000), a movie starring James Spader and Keanu Reeves.
Track listings
; UK CD Single
# "6 Underground (Nellee Hoopers Edit)" 3:54
# "6 Underground (Album Version)" 4:05
# "Can't Find My Way Home" 6:04
# "Precious" 4:18
; UK 12" Single
# "6 Underground (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Mix)" 5:47
# "6 Underground (Nellee Hooper's Dub)" 4:28
# "6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)" 7:58
# "Can't Find My Way Home" 6:07
Remixes
; Nellee Hooper Mixes
* "6 Underground (Nellee Hoopers Edit)" 3:54
* "6 Underground (Nellee Hooper's Dub)" 4:28
; Two Lone Swordsmen Mixes
* "6 Underground (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Mix)" 5:47
* "6 Underground (Two Lone Swordsmen Instrumental Mix)" 8:19
; Fila Brazillia Mixes
* "6 Underground (Fila Brazillia's Samba)" 3:56
* "6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)" 7:58
; Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne Mixes
* "Six Underground (The Perfecto Mix)" 6:05
* "Six Underground (The Perfecto Dub)" 6:05
; Attica Blues Mix
* "Six Underground (Attica's Puma States Remix)" 5:43
* "Six Underground (Sneakerbeatloop)" 1:55
; The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mixes
* "Six Underground (The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mix #1)" 4:28
* "Six Underground (The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mix #2)" 4:15
; DJ Sneak Mix
* "Six Underground (Sneak's "Kicker" Mix)" 12:05
; Richard H. Kirk Mix
* "Six Underground (Richard H. Kirk Mix)" 7:53
; Jamie Myerson Mix
* "Six Underground (Jamie Myerson's Dub)" 6:07
; Nush Mix
* "Six Underground (Nush Mix)" 6:05
; Line Of Flight Mixes
* "6 Underground (Columbian Mix)" 6:54
* "6 Underground (Bluebottle Mix)" 8:38
* "6 Underground (Hunch Mix)" 8:09
* "6 Underground (Rewire Mix)" 8:13
Charts
References
Category:1996 singles
Category:1997 singles
Category:Sneaker Pimps songs
Category:1996 songs
Category:Songs written by Liam Howe
Category:Songs with music by John Barry (composer)
Category:Songs written by Chris Corner
Category:Song recordings produced by Jim Abbiss
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