Around the World

"Around the World"
Single by Daft Punk
from the album Homework
Released	March 17, 1997
Format	CD, 12"
Recorded	1995
Genre	Deep house, house
Length	7:08 (album version) 3:55 (radio edit)
Label	Virgin
Writer(s)	Thomas Bangalter Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Producer	Daft Punk
Daft Punk singles chronology
"Da Funk" (1995) "Around the World" (1997) "Burnin'" (1997)
Music sample Daft Punk - "Around The World" (LP Version)

"Around the World" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It appeared on the duo's debut album, Homework and was released as a single the same year. It subsequently became a major club hit around the world and arrived at #1 in dance charts. The song is particularly known for the repeated phrasing of its title. It is also known for its music video, which was directed by Michel Gondry and choreographed by Blanca Li. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 21 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[1]

Composition

The key hook is a steady bassline and a vocoder-processed^[2] voice singing "around the world" in continuous chains. The phrase occurs 144 times in the album version and 80 times in the radio edit. It is composed in the key of E minor.

Upon analysis of the song, Michel Gondry noted its distinctive structure: "I realized how genius and simple the music was. Only five different instruments, with very few patterns, each to create numerous possibilities of figures. Always using the repetition, and stopping just before it's too much." He also noted the similarity between the bassline of "Around the World" and that of the Chic song "Good Times".^[2]

A cover version of "Around the World" was released in 2006 as "Around the World Again" by Nicky Van She and Dangerous Dan.^[3] A remix of the will.i.am song "I Got It from My Mama" included a sample from "Around the World." Daft Punk failed to approve use of the sample and refused will.i.am permission to release the remix. A music video was produced with the sample included, however.^[4] A song titled "Around the World" was released by rapper P.M. that contains a sample of "Around the World". Señor Coconut released a cover of "Around the World" on his 2008 album, Atom™ presents: Around the World with Señor Coconut and his Orchestra.

Music video

Michel Gondry's music video for the song features four robots walking around in a circle on a platform (which represents a vinyl record), four tall athletes (as described by Gondry)^[2] wearing tracksuits with small prosthetic heads walking up and down stairs, four women dressed like synchronized swimmers (described by Gondry as "disco girls")^[2] moving up and down another set of stairs, four skeletons dancing in the center of the "record," and four mummies dancing in time with the song's drum pattern.

This is meant to be a visual representation of the song; each group of four characters represents a different instrument. According to Gondry's notes,^[2] the robots represent the singing voice; the physicality and small-minded rapidity of the athletes symbolizes the ascending/descending bass guitar; the femininity of the disco girls represents the high-pitched keyboard; the "itchy" skeletons dance to the guitar line; and the mummies represent the drum machine.

"Around the World" was Gondry's first attempt at bringing organized dancing to his music videos. "I was sick to see choreography being mistreated in videos like filler with fast cutting and fast editing, really shallow. I don't think choreography should be shot in close-ups."^[5] The sequence, initially developed by Gondry, was further expanded and streamlined by choreographer Blanca Li. Costumes for the video were designed by Florence Fontaine, the mother of Gondry's son. The flashing lights were operated by the director's brother, Olivier "Twist" Gondry. As Michel Gondry stated, "It all came down to a family affair."^[2]

Elements of the music video appear in the video for the LCD Soundsystem song "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House". The overall design has also been replicated for the Freemasons' "Rain Down Love" video.

Track listing

Chart positions

References

External links

• "Around the World" at Discogs
• "Around the World" music video at MTV Music