Cosmic Girl (song)

"Cosmic Girl"
Single by Jamiroquai
from the album Travelling Without Moving
B-side	"Slipin 'N' Slidin" "Didjital Vibrations"
Released	25 November 1996 (1996-11-25)
Genre	Space disco
Length	4:03 (album version) 3:45 (radio edit)
Label	Sony Soho Square
Songwriter(s)	Jay Kay Derrick McKenzie
Producer(s)	Rick Pope
Jamiroquai singles chronology
"Virtual Insanity" (1996) "Cosmic Girl" (1996) "Alright" (1997)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
Cosmic Girl on YouTube

"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song was released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 1996 via Sony Soho Square and in the United States in 1997 via Work Group. It was written by Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie, and produced by Rick Pope, achieving great chart success, peaking at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached No. 3 in Italy, No. 4 in Iceland, and No. 10 in Finland. The accompanying music video was directed by Adrian Moat and filmed in Spain. The B-side to the single is an instrumental, "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'", a song originating from another Jamiroquai track called "Mr Boogie", which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'", just like "Mr Boogie", also has a vocal version.

Composition

"Cosmic Girl" is a disco song, based on rhythmic "looped beats" "to give it an off-centre, otherworldly" sound. The syncopated rhythm contains 10 pulses which occur inside a 32-beat pattern, with pulses on beats 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 27, and 30. Coincidentally, the first four beats of this pattern are the same as the George Gershwin song "I Got Rhythm". Jamiroquai's psychedelic lyric evokes a spacey environment, using terms such as "zero gravity", "hyperspace", "galaxy" and "quasar".^[1] A disco-era aura is achieved by incorporating early electronic synthesizers along with disco-style string parts also produced by synthesizers.^[2]

Performance

While the single, and especially its chart performance, received mixed reviews from critics, it has become one of the better-known tracks of the band, and a concert staple. Live versions usually last for 7–8 minutes, nearly double the duration of the album version. In 2006, it was reissued as part of the "Classic Club Mixes" series, which also included "Space Cowboy", "Deeper Underground", "Love Foolosophy" and "Alright". In 2019, it was remixed by French DJ Dimitri From Paris.

In the United Kingdom alone, the song has sold 250,580 copies as of March 2017, and is also their second-most-streamed track, with more than 110 million plays on Spotify and a further 75 million views on YouTube.^[3][4][5]

Critical reception

Justin Chadwick from Albumism wrote, "Replete with synth and string-blessed rhythms, the propulsive, disco-tinged "Cosmic Girl" finds Jay Kay serenading an irresistible, otherworldly woman akin to 'some baby Barbarella'."^[6] J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun called it "delightfully loopy".^[7] Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as "dreamy" and "more radio-friendly".^[8] He noted that here, Jamiroquai "craftily combines classic soul nuggets with the disco-soaked house music that has everyone gleefully twirling these days. The album version sparks with live instrumentation that breathes considerable depth into the chorus, while David Morales' remix has a more glossy tone that will sound awesome on a crowded club floor."^[9] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian stated that "Cosmic Girl", "which employs buoyant Earth, Wind and Fire-style harmonies, is fine".^[10] Everett True from Melody Maker said, "Stale jazz-funk. Acid Jazz devotees wil probably love it."^[11]

Daisy & Havoc from Music Week's RM Dance Update praised the track, giving it five out of five. They wrote, "Sends me into hyperspace when I see her pretty face... – and it's not just the lyrics that are harping back to some of disco's more amusing space-age phases on this Jamiroquai single. The band's own mixes are totally groovy – combining some very funky sounds with some top disco strings and swirls and dusted lightly with the aforementioned silly but excellent vocals. With Morales mixes and the single mix still to come, this far north 'Cosmic Girl' is already a massive hit and bound to get bigger and bigger."^[12] Ted Kessler from NME named it a "bittersweet" gem, noting the singer's "fairy-lit disco".^[13] A reviewer from People Magazine declared it as a "mind-tripping rump-shaker", that "wrap up in all of four minutes and actually leave you wanting more."^[14]

Music video

Screenshot from the video

The music video for the song was directed by Adrian Moat and was filmed at the Cabo de Gata, Spain. It depicts three famous supercars driving and racing each other through several highways and mountain roads across a desert landscape from clear daylight to dawn. The cars on the video are a black Ferrari F355 GTS, a purple Lamborghini Diablo SE30 and a red Ferrari F40. Jay Kay appears to be driving the purple Lamborghini with Stuart Zender on the co-pilot seat, but the driver of the black Ferrari is not shown in detail. It has four different edits: Versions 1–3, and the so-called 'Jay's cut' version.

In a Top Gear interview, Jay Kay said that, before filming, one car had been totalled during transportation, and the windscreen of the second was smashed after one of the so-called precision drivers knocked the camera off the cliff.

Jay stated, "They made three of those special-edition 30th-anniversary Diablos, and one was a Jota, so it was a 600 brake car that was not really road legal, so there were only two. So I had mine in storage, and the guy goes to stick it on the car transporter, and then I got word that he'd just totalled this car. There it is! [Points to picture on screen.] And we kind of had to have a purple one, because it was the purple—the cosmic—you know, it's just one of those things. So we got the other one, and I said: 'Look, wait until I get there. I'm flying in. Just nobody drive it until I get there, please. We can't afford to smash it.' So I came off the plane, and everybody looked really downtrodden, looking at the floor, and I went, 'Why are you looking so sad?', and they said, 'One of the precision drivers has knocked the camera off the cliff and taken out the front windscreen, so there's no windscreen. Lamborghini can't send one for another day or so.' So for most of the video, it had to be done with no windscreen; that's why you see me squinting, and actually trying to sing the song as well, while driving the mountain road". The F40 was provided by the Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who drove in the video as well.^{[citation needed]}

To celebrate 25 years since the release of Travelling Without Moving, the music video was remastered in HD for YouTube in 2021.^[15]

Track listings

UK CD1[16] "Cosmic Girl" (radio edit) – 3:45 "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" – 3:36 "Didjital Vibrations" – 5:47 "Cosmic Girl" (classic radio mix) – 4:02 UK CD2[17] "Cosmic Girl" – 4:03 "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar mix) – 7:41 "Cosmic Girl" (classic mix) – 9:22 "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic dub) – 6:47 UK cassette single[18] "Cosmic Girl" – 4:03 "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" – 3:36 European CD single[19] "Cosmic Girl" (radio edit) – 3:45 "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" – 3:36 Australian CD and cassette single[20][21] "Cosmic Girl" (radio edit) – 3:45 "Cosmic Girl" (classic radio mix) – 4:02 "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar mix) – 7:41 "Cosmic Girl" (classic mix) – 9:22

US maxi-CD single[22] "Cosmic Girl" (album version) – 4:03 "Cosmic Girl" (classic mix) – 9:22 "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar mix) – 7:40 "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic dub) – 6:48 "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar dub) – 7:17 US 12-inch single[23] A1. "Cosmic Girl" (classic mix) – 9:22 A2. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar mix) – 7:40 B1. "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic dub) – 6:48 B2. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar dub) – 7:17 B3. "Cosmic Girl" (album version) – 4:03 Japanese CD single[24] "Cosmic Girl" (radio edit) "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" "Cosmic Girl" (classic radio mix) "Cosmic Girl" (classic mix) "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar mix)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996–1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[25] 33 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[26] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[27] 34 Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[28] 10 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[29] 11 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] 10 France (SNEP)[31] 23 Hungary (Mahasz)[32] 6 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[33] 4 Ireland (IRMA)[34] 12 Italy (Musica e dischi)[35] 3 Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[36] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[37] 78 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[38] 29 Scotland (OCC)[39] 9 Spain (AFYVE)[40] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 45 UK Singles (OCC)[42] 6 UK Club Chart (Music Week)[43] 1 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[44] 7 US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[45] 18

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position UK Singles (OCC)[46] 99 UK Club Chart (Music Week)[47] 7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[48]	Gold	400,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	25 November 1996	CD cassette	Sony Soho Square	[49]
Japan	4 December 1996	CD	Epic	[50]
United States	14 January 1997	Rhythmic contemporary radio	Work	[51]

References

1. Toussaint, Godfried T. (2013). The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?. CRC Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 9781466512023.
2. "Reviews: Jamiroquai – Travelling Without Moving – Work". CMJ New Music Monthly (43). CMJ Network: 20. March 1997. ISSN 1074-6978.
3. "Jamiroquai's Official Top 10 biggest hits revealed".
4. Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl (Official HD Video), retrieved 9 February 2022
5. Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl (Video), retrieved 9 February 2022
6. Chadwick, Justin (4 September 2021). "Jamiroquai's 'Travelling Without Moving' Turns 25 – Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
7. Considine, J.D. (16 January 1997). "CD Reviews". The Baltimore Sun.
8. Flick, Larry (28 September 1996). "Dance Trax: 'The Way It Is' Changes Color Under Chameleon" (PDF). Billboard. p. 30. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
9. Flick, Larry (25 January 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 60. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
10. Sullivan, Caroline (13 September 1996). "Music: This week's pop CD releases". The Guardian.
11. True, Everett (7 December 1996). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 38. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
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17. Cosmic Girl (UK CD2 liner notes). Jamiroquai. Sony Soho Square. 1996. 663829 5.
18. Cosmic Girl (UK cassette single sleeve). Jamiroquai. Sony Soho Square. 1996. 663829 4.
19. Cosmic Girl (European CD single liner notes). Jamiroquai. Sony Soho Square. 1996. SSQ 663829 1.
20. Cosmic Girl (Australian CD single liner notes). Jamiroquai. Sony Soho Square, Columbia Records. 1996. 663693 2.
21. Cosmic Girl (Australian cassette single sleeve). Jamiroquai. Sony Soho Square, Columbia Records. 1996. 663693 8.
22. Cosmic Girl (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Jamiroquai. Work Group. 1996. 42K 78501.
23. Cosmic Girl (US 12-inch single). Jamiroquai. Work Group. 1996. 42 78501.
24. Cosmic Girl (Japanese CD single liner notes). Jamiroquai. Epic Records. 1996. ESCA 6608.
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