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The Pink Phantom
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = The Pink Phantom
| cover = The_Pink_Phantom.jpg
| alt =
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Gorillaz featuring Elton John and 6lack
| album = Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
| released = 1 October 2020
| recorded = 2020
| studio = Damon Albarn's home studio, Devon, England
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:13
| label =
| writer =
| producer =
| chronology = Gorillaz
| prev_title = Strange Timez
| prev_year = 2020
| next_title = The Valley of the Pagans
| next_year = 2020
| misc =
}}
"'The Pink Phantom'" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring British singer Elton John and American singer 6lack. The track was released on 1 October 2020 as the eighth single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, 'Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez', and the seventh episode of the 'Song Machine' project, a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020. The song was later included on John's 2021 album 'The Lockdown Sessions'.
Background
The song was recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Elton John recording from London, and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn recording from Devon. The song was originally planned to be made solely with Elton John in Atlanta, where Albarn was meeting with 6lack and EarthGang. After the pandemic prevented these sessions, however, 6lack was added to the track.
Music video
The video, directed by Jamie Hewlett, Tim McCourt, and Max Taylor, features 2-D, Elton John, and 6lack performing a lavishly pink and emotional song inside Kong Studios during a thunderstorm. Prior to the video, the group used the portals seen in "Dsol" to evade the COVID-19 travel restrictions; the journey inadvertently warped Elton John and 6lack's appearances, turning the former into an animated character and the latter into a semi-holographic state. However, the two decide to continue with the shoot regardless. Meanwhile, Murdoc tries to catch the Pink Phantom with a butterfly net. After the song ends, Murdoc, dressed as a matador and strumming a guitar, attempts to join the others, but realises he missed the entire number.
The video is based on the opening credits of the 1975 comedy film, 'The Return of the Pink Panther'. Elton John was presented in animated form in this music video as per his personal request to Jamie Hewlett.
Track listing
Personnel
'Gorillaz'
* Damon Albarn vocals, instrumentation, director, bass, keyboards, piano
* Jamie Hewlett artwork, character design, video direction
* Remi Kabaka Jr. drum programming
'Additional musicians and personnel'
* Elton John vocals, piano
* 6lack vocals, engineering
* Stephen Sedgwick mixing engineer, engineering
* Samuel Egglenton engineering
* John Davis mastering engineer
* Matt Doughty engineering
References
Category:2020 songs
Category:2020 singles
Category:6lack songs
Category:Elton John songs
Category:Gorillaz songs
Category:Songs written by Damon Albarn
Category:Songs written by Remi Kabaka Jr.
Category:Parlophone singles
Category:Warner Records singles
Category:Songs written by 6lack
Category:Psychedelic pop songs
Category:Rhythm and blues ballads
Category:2020s ballads
Category:Song Machine
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