Remember Me (Blue Boy song)

Remember Me is a 1997 song by British DJ Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore under his pseudonym Blue Boy. It peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1997[2] and number two on the American dance chart.[3] Additionally it peaked within the Top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the track reached number 13.

"Remember Me"
Single by Blue Boy
Released1997
GenreDance[1]
LabelPharm, Jive, Om, Altra Moda Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lex Blackmore
Blue Boy singles chronology
"It's Up to You"
(1996)		 "Remember Me"
(1997)		 "Sandman"
(1997)
Music video
"Remember Me" on YouTube

Background

The track originally appeared on Mark Farina's remix album Mushroom Jazz Volume One. Jive Records got hold of it and earmarked it for single release. The radio edit was remixed by Sure Is Pure, who were also responsible for a remix of Lost in Music, and was released on the Pharm sublabel imprint.

The track is built around samples from "Woman of the Ghetto" by Marlena Shaw: "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies, I", in reference to African-American maids raising white children for little pay, came from a live version, whereas the "ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging..." sample repeated throughout the song is the scat portion of the original song's refrain.[4] Shaw had the following to say about it:

When it first happened, and the Mushroom Jazz people contacted me from San Francisco, I was kind of excited about it. But then, once I actually HEARD it, my first reaction was 'Oh my goodness! How in the world can I possibly stand onstage and sing those same notes, and those same lyrics, over and over again?'! You know, 'I'm the one who had your babies - ha-ha-ha-ha'! I mean, it’s different when it's being recorded and you're just pushing the button! But then, once I got used to the idea, I became excited all over again! And actually several other people have sampled the song since, though with them it's been the onstage version I did on the (1973-released) 'Live At Montreux' album that seems to have got more attention - I guess because it was more spontaneous. Which, as I say, is something that HAPPENS in my live performances! And I particularly liked the St. Germain version, which had more of a jazz flavour to it.[5]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "wickedly catchy dance anthem" and noted further that "while the groove is appropriately aggressive and street-credible, the song is iced with accessible keyboards, and a loopy hook takes up permanent residence in the brain upon impact."[6] Australian music channel Max placed "Remember Me" at number 557 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[7]

Chart performance

"Remember Me" was very successful on the charts all over the world. In Europe, it managed to climb into the Top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland (number 2), Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single peaked at number 8 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on February 9, 1997.[2] But it reached the top spot on both the UK Dance Chart and the UK R&B Chart. Additionally, "Remember Me" was a Top 20 hit in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 13 in June 1997. Outside Europe, it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the US, number 6 on the RPM Dance Chart in Canada and number 17 in Australia. The single was awarded with a gold record in Australia and the UK, with a sale of 35,000 and 400,000 units.

Music video

A music video was made to accompany the song. It was uploaded to YouTube in April 2013. By December 2020, the video had more than 3,2 million views.[8]

Track listing
UK CD

Catalogue number CDPHARM1

  1. "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 7" edit) – 3:50
  2. "Remember Me" (original 12") – 7:04
  3. "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 12" remix) – 10:46
  4. "Remember Me" (Cavern 3 remix) – 10:11
  5. "Remember Me" (Rae and Christian remix) – 6:57
Europe CD

European release on Jive Records (catalogue number 051628-2)

  1. "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 7" edit) – 3:49
  2. "Remember Me" (original 7" edit) – 3:54
  3. "Remember Me" (Deep Zone club mix) – 7:30
  4. "Remember Me" (Dub Zone) – 8:30
  5. "Remember Me" (Sure Is Pure 12" remix) – 10:46
  6. "Remember Me" (original 12" mix) – 7:04
  7. "Remember Me" (Sub Dub) – 8:13

Cover versions

In late 2008, the Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala started performing this song as part of their live sets, eventually recording a cover version of it as a B-side to the "Sundown Syndrome" single. This cover became quite popular in Australia, reaching number 78 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009.[9]

In late 2010, Gianni Luminati of Walk off the Earth released a song on YouTube, "Jammin' a Hammock", playing 3 instruments simultaneously, while lying in a hammock; it is an interpretation of this song.[10]

In November 2012, British musician Daley sampled this song for his own composition "Remember Me", with the refrain sung by Jessie J.[11]

In 2013, the South African group Goldfish sampled the song for their track Three Second Memory. TheSouthAfrican.com called the song "Where to start? Obviously the title track, which takes the vocal sample "Remember Me" and builds around it to a level which justifies its standing as the basis of the album."[12]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[46] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Gold 400,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Roseberry, Craig (13 November 1999). "Guidance Recordings Tends Roots of Chicago-style House". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 46. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 42. 18 October 1997. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. "Why do people love to sample Marlene Shaw?". Electric Soul Show. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  5. Lewis, Pete. "MARLENA SHAW: California Soul II Soul". Blues & Soul. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  6. "Single Reviews > New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 32. 9 August 1997. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. "Top 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time – 2012". Max. 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  8. "Blue Boy - Remember Me (Official Video)". YouTube. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  9. "Hottest 100 2009". Triple J. ABC Online. 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  10. "Jammin' a Hammock - Walk off the Earth" on YouTube
  11. Ferrol, Natalie. "Jessie J and Daley cover Blue Boy's Remember Me (I'm The One Who Had Your Babies)". MOBO Awards. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. Hillyer, Tim (15 April 2014). "Album Review: 'Three Second Memory' – Goldfish". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.. TheSouthAfrican.com.
  13. "Australian-charts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  14. "Austriancharts.at – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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  18. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3285." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  19. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 25. 21 June 1997. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510. see last week position.
  20. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 24. 14 June 1997. p. 15. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  21. "Blue Boy: Remember Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  22. "Lescharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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  30. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
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  32. "Swedishcharts.com – The Blue Boy – Remember Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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  35. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
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