Brimful of Asha

"Brimful of Asha" is a single by British alternative rock band Cornershop from their third album When I Was Born for the 7th Time. The recording originally reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. After a remixed version by Norman Cook became a radio and critical success, the song was re-released and reached number one on the UK chart[2] and number 16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyric is a tribute to Asha Bhosle.[3]

"Brimful of Asha"
Single by Cornershop
from the album When I Was Born for the 7th Time
Released18 August 1997 (1997-08-18)
Recorded1997
GenreIndie rock, Britpop[1]
Length5:17 (album version)
4:07 (single version)
LabelWiiija
Songwriter(s)Tjinder Singh
Producer(s)Cornershop
Cornershop singles chronology
"Good Ships"
(1997)		 "Brimful of Asha"
(1997)		 "Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)"
(1997)
Music video
"Brimful of Asha" on YouTube

Background

This song is based on the history of film culture in India. Since their beginnings, Indian films have relied heavily on song-and-dance numbers. The singing is almost always performed by background singers while the actors and actresses lip sync. Asha Bhosle is a playback singer who has sung over 12,000 songs and is referred to as "Sadi rani" (Punjabi for "our queen") at one point in the lyrics. In the slower, original album recording, playback singers Lata Mangeshkar (her older sibling) and Mohammed Rafi (one of the top male playback singers of the mid-century) are mentioned. The lyrics in the bridge contain a number of references to non-Indian music, including Georges Brassens' song "Les Amoureux des bancs publics", Jacques Dutronc, Marc Bolan, Argo Records and Trojan Records.[4]

DJ Norman Cook ("Fatboy Slim") was asked to remix the track by speeding it up and modulating the song to a higher key (halfway between B-flat and B, rather than in A). The remix saw major success as a number 1 single.[2]

Critical reception

NME commented, "... Sadly not a song about the joys of chain-smoking, but in fact a celebration of the Asian music and films of our Tjinder's youth. The cognoscenti of the youth revolution will no doubt have heard this already on either its previous release or the album, but this may be the record to take the 'Shop into the crazy Global Hypermarket of the Top Ten. Not because it's a marvellously infectious good-time dance pop number, but because it repeats the line, "Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow"." [5]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Phil Harder and produced by Harder/Fuller Films. It was filmed in a house in Lewisham, London.[6]

Norman Cook remix
"Brimful of Asha
(Norman Cook Remix)"
Single by Cornershop
from the album The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder
Released16 February 1998 (1998-02-16)
Recorded1997
GenreBig beat
Length4:03 (single version)
7:35 (extended version)
Songwriter(s)Tjinder Singh
Cornershop singles chronology
"Brimful of Asha"
(1997)		 "Brimful of Asha
(Norman Cook Remix)"
(1998)		 "Sleep on the Left Side"
(1998)
Music video
"Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)" on YouTube

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked the Fatboy Slim remix at number 840 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[7] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 105 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[8] In August 2010, Pitchfork placed the remix at number 113 in their list of "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s".[9] NME ranked the remix at number 2 in their list of "The 50 Best Remixes Ever", saying it "does what the truly great remixes do – render you unable to enjoy the original".[10] The remix was included in Pitchfork's 2010 list of "twenty-five great remixes" of the 1990s.[11] The remix is featured prominently on the French children's TV channel Gulli, playing before each episode.

Charts and certifications

References
  1. Bill Cummings, "Great Britpop Songs#19: Cornershop - Brimful of Asha", God Is In The TV, 24 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 616. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Cornershop". One-Hit Wonders at the BBC. 17 April 2015. BBC Four.
  4. "Cornershop". Users.globalnet.co.uk. 1998-12-28. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  5. "Singles Archive 14/2/98". NME. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  6. Scholtes, Peter (2007-08-22), "Seen Your Video", City Pages, archived from the original on 2009-02-16
  7. "Q - 1001 best songs ever (2003)".
  8. "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". NME. 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  9. "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150-101 | Features". Pitchfork. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  10. "The 50 best remixes ever". Nme.Com. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  11. "Staff Lists: A Feature About Nothing: The 1990s in Lists | Features". Pitchfork. 2010-09-07. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  14. Danish Singles Chart 15 May 1998
  15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  16. "Cornershop: Brimful of Asha" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  18. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 21. 23 May 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  19. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.3 – 12.3. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 6 March 1998. p. 26. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Brimful of Asha". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  21. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 18. 2 May 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  23. "Charts.nz – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". VG-lista. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  28. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  29. "Cornershop Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  30. "Cornershop Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  31. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  32. "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  33. "British single certifications – Cornershop – Brimful of Asha". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  34. Official Charts Company (31 August 2020). "Wonderwall by Oasis leads the UK's Official Top 50 best-selling Britpop songs". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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