Inner City Life

"Inner City Life"
Single by Goldie Presents Metalheadz
from the album Timeless
B-side "Remix"
Released 1994
Format
Length
  • 3:50 (Radio Edit)
  • 7:00 (Full Length)
  • 21:03 (Album Version)
Label FFRR Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Goldie
Goldie Presents Metalheadz singles chronology
"Inner City Life"
(1994)		 "Angel"
(1995)

"Inner City Life"
(1994)		 "Angel"
(1995)
Music video
"Inner City Life" on YouTube

"Inner City Life" is a 1994 single by British electronic musician Goldie. It features vocals by British singer Diane Charlemagne. The single is taken from his acclaimed 1995 debut album Timeless. The song is one of the most iconic drum 'n' bass works of its era.[1] In 2013, the song was ranked No. 30 in Mixmag's list of 50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time.[2]

Background and release

"Inner City Life" is a portion of the album's first track, "Timeless: Inner City Life/Pressure/Jah", which is a 21-minute opus. The song fuses the breakbeats and basslines common in jungle with orchestral textures and soul vocals by Diane Charlemagne. It has been described as a ghetto-blues ballad, 'a yearning reverie of sanctuary from "inner-city pressure"'.[3] The track features a sample from Ike Turner's song "Funky Mule", from his 1969 album A Black Man's Soul.[4]

"Inner City Life" peaked on No. 49 on the singles chart in the UK in 1994. In 1995 it re-entered the chart, peaking at No. 39. "Inner City Life" was performed live at The Word[5] on Channel 4. and it was included on the soundtrack to the film Trainspotting (Trainspotting 2: Music from the Motion Picture, Vol. 2). At the time of the release the single didn't receive much radio play, according to Goldie. In a 2008 interview, he said:

Critical reception

Diane Charlemagne in the "Inner City Life" music video

Charles Aaron from Spin said about the song: "...Goldie has been doing time for a couple of years in London's hardcore techno and jungle scene where insanely speedy breakbeats mixed with goofy vocal snatches run on endless loop. But with "Inner City Life", he inhabits another realm altogether. Like Marvin Gaye ruminating while rushing, he fades a breathtaking vocal by Diane Charlemagne (plus muted trumpet) in and out of ethereal beats. Fraught with dub's tensely apocalyptic vision and techno's hopeful twitch, this is finally the sound of an urban pulse that acknowledges both black and white expressions and tensions, and the feeling of coming up, going down, and needing to keep dancing forever. No other jungle I've heard has sounded like this. Or any other dance music, for that matter."[7]

Music video

The music video of "Inner City Life" was directed by Mike Lipscombe.[8] The video has a sepia tone.

Impact and legacy

In 1996, Mixmag ranked it No. 34 in its list of the best singles of 1996, Mixmag End of Year Lists:1996.[9]

In 2013, the song was ranked #30 in Mixmag`s list of 50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time.[10]

Time Out listed the song at number 23 in their 50 best '90s songs list in 2018, adding: "Fusing jungle’s intricate breakbeats, sub bass and unbridled futurism with heart-aching soul soundscapes and the lamenting voice of Diane Charlemagne, this beautiful-yet-brutal piece of sonic art switched an entire generation on to the power of jungle and D&B."[11]

Track listing

12"-single

Goldie Presents Metalheads – Inner City Life (1994)

  1. "Inner City Life"
  2. "Jah"

12"-single

Goldie Presents Metalheads – Inner City Life (Remixes) (1994)

  1. "Inner City Life" (Roni Size Instant Mix)
  2. "Inner City Life" (Nookie Remix)

Maxi-single

Goldie Presents Metalheads – Inner City Life (1994)

  1. "Inner City Life" (Radio Edit) 3:50
  2. "Inner City Life" (Full Length) 7:00
  3. "Inner City Life" (4 Hero Part 1) 8:24
  4. "Inner City Life" (Roni Size Instant Mix) 5:47

CD-single

Goldie – Inner City Life (1995)

  1. "Inner City Life" (Original Version) 7:00
  2. "Inner City Life" (Peshay Mix) 9:41
  3. "Inner City Life" (Doc Scott Mix) 8:14

12"-single

Goldie vs. Rabbit in the Moon – Inner City Life (The Remixes) (1996)

  1. "Inner City Life" (Rabbit in the Moon's Vocalic City) 11:20
  2. "Inner City Life" (Rabbit in the Moon's Escape From Vocalic City) 7:58
  3. "Inner City Life" (Rabbit in the Moon's Return To Vocalic City) 7:06

Maxi-single

Goldie – Innercitylife (The Remixes) (1996)

  1. "Innercitylife" (Original Edit) 3:13
  2. "Innercitylife" (Baby Boy's Edit) 3:34
  3. "Innercitylife" (Rabbit's Short Attention Span Edit) 4:20
  4. "Innercitylife" (Goes To Miami Mix) 5:39
  5. "Innercitylife" (4 Hero Mix Pt. 1) 8:22
  6. "Innercitylife" (Rabbit in the Moon's Vocalic City) 11:20
  7. "Innercitylife" (Rabbit in the Moon's Escape From Vocalic City) 7:58
  8. "Innercitylife" (Peshay Mix) 9:40
  9. "Innercitylife" (Baby Boys) 6:49
  10. "Innercitylife" (Rabbit in the Moon's Return To Vocalic City) 7:06

Chart performance

Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 49
UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[13] 6
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[14] 47
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 39
UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[15] 17
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[16] 6

Cover versions, samples and remixes

  • German jazzband [Re:jazz] covered "Inner City Life" on their 2004 album Point of View.
  • English rapper Wiley sampled "Inner City Life" on his song "Need to Be" from the 2008 album See Clear Now.
  • Aaron Jerome and his musical project SBTRKT sampled the song on the song "Timeless", in 2009.
  • It was sampled on "Strictly (Kassem Mosse 'Need to Feel Edit' Remix)" by Commix in 2010.
  • British band Hackney Colliery Band covered "Inner City Life" on their album Common Decency in 2013.
  • British DJ Om Unit sampled "Inner City Life" on his song "Parallel" from the 2014 album Inversion.
  • Goldie remastered the song in 2017.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Diane Charlemagne, Vocalist for Moby, Urban Cookie Collective and Goldie, Dies at 51". billboard.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "What is the greatest dance track of all time?". mixmag.net. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture". Simon Reynolds. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Inner City Life by Goldie feat. Diane Charlemagne". whosampled.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Goldie Presents Metalheads Inner City Life". youtube.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Goldie". redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  7. ↑ Aaron, Charles (May 1995). "Singles Review". Spin: 100. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Goldie – Inner City Life (1994)". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  9. ↑ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mixmag.html#singles
  10. ↑ "What is the greatest dance track of all time?". mixmag.net. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "50 Best '90s Songs". Time Out. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "GOLDIE PRESENTS METALHEADS". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  13. ↑ "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (04 December 1994-10 December 1994)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  14. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 05 November 1995 - 11 November 1995". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  15. ↑ "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (05 November 1995-11 November 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  16. ↑ "Official UK R&B Singles Chart (05 November 1995 - 11 November 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  17. ↑ "Goldie - Inner City Life (2017 Rebuild / Burial Remix)". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 2017-09-10. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
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