Slam Dunk (Da Funk)

"Slam Dunk (Da Funk)"
The band members are in a bright white room standing on a silver scaffolding with the band logo on the top-right corner.
Single by Five
from the album Five
B-side"Straight Up Funk"
Released1 December 1997 (1997-12-01)
Recorded1997
Studio
Genre
Length3:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Denniz Pop
  • Max Martin
  • Jake
Five singles chronology
"Slam Dunk (Da Funk)"
(1997) 		"When the Lights Go Out"
(1998)
Music video
"Slam Dunk (Da Funk) on YouTube

"Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" is a song by British boy band Five, released in late 1997 by BMG and RCA as the first single from their debut album, Five (1998). Featuring a blend of pop and rap, the single was written and produced by Jake Schulze, Max Martin, and Denniz Pop. It contains a sample of "Clap Your Hands" by Herbie Crichlow. The single reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified Silver.

It was also released in the United States and New Zealand, where it reached number 86 and number 22, respectively. In the US, the song was chosen as the NBA's theme song. In other countries, Five's first single was "When the Lights Go Out". The song was featured on the soundtrack to the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and the Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House.

During the band's greatest hits tour in 2013, Scott Robinson and Abz Love changed the lyrics of the song. Instead of the first verse's line "when the 5 of us make 1", Robinson would sing "when the 4 of us make 1"; and the third verse's line "We got J, A.B., Rich, Sean and Scott" was changed to "We got Abz on the mic Rich, Sean and Scott", acknowledging the fact that Jason "J" Brown did not reunite with the band earlier in the year. Upon Love's departure from the group, Ritchie Neville changed the first verse's line to "when the 3 of us make 1"; while rapping duties were handed to Robinson, who changed the third verse's line once again to "We got Rich and Sean and Scott La rock".

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic complimented the song as a "expertly constructed" single, that is "delivered professionally" by the group. He also declared it as "infectious, catchy, perfect for the radio."[1] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "funky-esque pure-pop ditty that tries to conjure a hipper, "streetier" vibe".[2] Scottish Daily Record stated that the song is a "must tune for the office Christmas party".[3] David Brinn from Jerusalem Post felt it "is typical of the sugar-coated white man's overbite rap that the boys churn out. Expect to know all their names soon."[4] A reviewer from Music Week gave "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" five out of five and named it Single of the Week, adding, "After months of careful preparation the new boy band emerge with a solid, storming funk/pop/rap song. A certain hit, but lacking the wide appeal of a Christmas number one."[5] Dave Fawbert from ShortList commented, "Every single second of this - audio and video - is amazing, including some phenomenal ‘boyband walking down a corridor’ footage. Of course it was written by Max Martin like 97% of all amazing pop music ever."[6]

Music video

There were made two different music videos to promote the single; one for the UK and another for the US market.

Track listings

  • USA CD single
  1. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Radio Edit) - 3:38
  2. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (NBA Edit) - 2:30
  • USA CD maxi single
  1. "Slam Dunk Da Funk" (Extended Mix) - 7:06
  2. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Candy Girls Radio Mix) - 3:52
  3. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Future Funk Radio Mix) - 4:30
  4. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Sol Brothers Radio Mix) - 3:57
  5. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Bug Remix) - 6:36
  6. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (NBA Edit) - 2:30
  7. "When the Lights Go Out" (Loop Da Loop Full Vocal Mix) - 4:50
  • UK CD1
  1. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Radio Edit) - 3:38
  2. "Straight Up Funk" - 4:00
  3. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Candy Girls Vocal Club Mix) - 6:31
  4. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Video) - 3:41
  • UK CD2 (Includes Limited Edition Poster)
  1. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Radio Edit) - 3:38
  2. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Candy Girls Club Mix) - 5:16
  3. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Future Funk Mix) - 6:35
  4. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Sol Brothers Mix) - 8:57
  5. "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (Bug Remix) - 6:36

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[24] Gold 25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 200,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Five – Five". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (13 March 1999). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 29. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Chart Slot". Daily Record. 12 December 1997.
  4. ^ Brinn, David (14 July 1998). "Summer sounds target pre-teens". Jerusalem Post.
  5. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 22 November 1997. p. 12. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  6. ^ Fawbert, Dave (1 December 2017). "Old Music Friday: reviewing all the tunes released 20 years ago today". ShortList. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". Tracklisten. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 51. 20 December 1997. p. 12.
  11. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 254 Vikuna 8.1. – 15.1. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 9 January 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "5ive".
  15. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Five" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  17. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  21. ^ "Five Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  22. ^ "Five Chart History". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  24. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  25. ^ "British single certifications – Five – Slam Dunk (Da Funk)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 May 2021.