Plug It In (song)

"Plug It In"
Single by Basement Jaxx featuring JC Chasez
from the album Kish Kash
B-side"Rendez-Vu" (remix)
Released29 March 2004 (2004-03-29)[1]
StudioJaxx (Loughborough Junction, London, England)
Length
  • 4:51 (album version)
  • 3:20 (single edit)
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)Felix Buxton, Simon Ratcliffe
Producer(s)Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx singles chronology
"Good Luck"
(2004) 		"Plug It In"
(2004) 		"Oh My Gosh"
(2005)
JC Chasez singles chronology
"All Day Long I Dream About Sex"
(2004) 		"Plug It In"
(2004) 		"Animal"
(2012)
Music video
"Plug It In" on YouTube

"Plug It In" is a song by British electronic music duo Basement Jaxx featuring American singer JC Chasez, formerly of NSYNC. It was released on 29 March 2004 as the third single from their album third studio album, Kish Kash (2003), and debuted at its peak of number 22 in the United Kingdom the following month. The song also charted in Australia and Ireland, reaching numbers 43 and 45 respectively. There are various versions of the song, including a radio edit which was featured on the duo's first greatest-hits album, The Singles (2005).

Background and development

JC Chasez was said to be "in town looking for producers for his own album."[2][3][4] Felix Buxton admits to The Scotsman that they initially did not think the collaboration with Chasez would work.[5] "We thought he would be just another puppet who wanted to sound cool so he could be liked by tastemakers. But he was very humble and understood the irony of taking on a song about the masquerade of celebrity because it could have been written about him. And what's more, he's got a great voice."[5]

Lisa Kekaula from Los Angeles, California, planned to sing "Plug It In", but it did not work out, so they wrote a new song for her on the spot: "Good Luck". "We thought we'd better write a song otherwise we've wasted all our money," said Felix.[2]

Critical reception

John Bush from AllMusic picked the song as one of the highlights of Kish Kash, stating that Chasez "is a surprising success" on the song and calling it "beguiling."[6] Paul Mulvey of NME wrote the track, in other hands, "would result in shambles. But Basement Jaxx have a knack of orchestrating wreckage like few other producers, and this is a mighty record: brash, audacious, heroically over-excited."[7] A Pitchfork review said the song "bathes Chasez in a tide of sighs, brutish synths and whipsmart drum breaks."[8]

Music video

The music video, directed by Traktor,[9] takes place at a factory. The factory, called "Second Hand Super Models", manufactures lifelike female robots.[10] Basement Jaxx play two security guards at the facility. The boss of the company hires Chasez as a salesman to advertise the robots on TV. When Chasez agrees to do the commercial, the boss puts on a pig mask and makes Chasez wear one too. The video shows footage from Chasez's commercials, which are styled like as seen on TV ads.[10] After watching the commercials on their security cameras, the two guards test out the new robots on the factory floor. The guards eventually go too far with the controls, causing the robots to malfunction and catch fire. The boss runs in horrified to see the destruction, and puts his pig mask back on as he mourns what is left of the robots.[10]

Track listings

UK CD single[11]

  1. "Plug It In" (featuring JC Chasez)
  2. "Rendez-Vu" (Roger's Secret mix)

UK 12-inch single[12]

A1. "Plug It In" (extended club house mix)
A2. "Rendez-Vu" (Roger's Secret mix)
B1. "Plug It In" (Armand van Helden remix)

UK DVD single[13]

  1. "Plug It In" (video)
  2. "Plug It In" (Tab mix audio)

Australian and New Zealand CD single[14]

  1. "Plug It In" (radio edit featuring JC Chasez)
  2. "Rendez-Vu" (Roger's Secret mix)
  3. "Plug It In" (Tab mix)
  4. "Plug It In" (Armand van Helden remix)
  5. "Plug It In" (extended house mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Kish Kash.[15]

Recording and management

Personnel

  • Felix Buxton – mixing, production, songwriting
  • Simon Ratcliffe – mixing, production, songwriting
  • JC Chasez – vocals
  • Cherokee – backing vocals
  • Mandy Senior – backing vocals
  • Ty – backing vocals

Charts

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 27 March 2004. p. 39.
  2. ^ a b "Basement Jaxx · Biography · Artist ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ Moss, Corey (1 May 2003). "Where's Your Head At? JC Chasez's Is In Electronic Music". MTV News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Basement Jaxx Gives JC Chasez The Jaxx Factor : DanceFrontDoor Dance Music". Dance Front Door. 29 March 2004. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b "The pop idol's pop idols". The Scotsman. 16 November 2003. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ Bush, John. "Kish Kash – Basement Jaxx". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  7. ^ Mulvey, Paul (12 September 2005). "Basement Jaxx : Plug It In". NME. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  8. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (21 October 2003). "Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Basement Jaxx 'Plug It In'". Traktor. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Hunter, Sandy (5 March 2004). "Reel Dealer". RES Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 December 2004. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  11. ^ Plug It In (UK CD single liner notes). Basement Jaxx. XL Recordings. 2004. XLS 180 CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Plug It In (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Basement Jaxx. XL Recordings. 2004. XLT180.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Plug It In (UK DVD single liner notes). Basement Jaxx. XL Recordings. 2004. XLS180DVD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Plug It In (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). Basement Jaxx. XL Recordings. 2004. XLS180CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Kish Kash (CD liner notes). Basement Jaxx. United Kingdom: XL. 2003. XLCD174.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Basement Jaxx feat. JC Chasez – Plug It In". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  17. ^ "The ARIA Report – ARIA Club Tracks – Week Commencing 12th April 2004" (PDF). ARIA. 12 April 2004. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Issue 741" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Basement Jaxx". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 8 April 2004". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 18 June 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  25. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Club Chart 2004". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.