Lola's Theme

"Lola's Theme"
Single by The Shapeshifters
from the album Sound Advice
Released July 12, 2004
Format CD single
Recorded 2004
Genre Disco house
Length 3:27 (radio edit)
5:37 (album version)
The Shapeshifters singles chronology
"Lola's Theme"
(2004)		 "Back to Basics"
(2005)

"Lola's Theme"
(2004)		 "Back to Basics"
(2005)

"Lola's Theme" is the debut single by British house duo The Shapeshifters. It was released on 12 July 2004 as the lead single from their debut album, Sound Advice (2004). The song became the duo's biggest hit, peaking atop the UK Singles Chart and charting highly in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Background

The name "Lola's Theme" was originally a working title for this record; Lola is Simon Marlin's wife, and it was while listening to her record collection that the initial idea for the track was conceived. She appears handing out candy floss in the music video.[1] "Lola's Theme" features a sample from the introduction of Johnnie Taylor's 1982 R&B hit "What About My Love"[2] and it was originally released as an instrumental at the end of 2003 on their own Nocturnal Groove label. Due to its immense popularity, "Lola's Theme" was licensed from Nocturnal Groove to Positiva Records.

At the same time, the sample of "What About My Love" was then completely replayed by Mark Summers at Scorccio Sample Replays, recreating all elements of the sample (strings, brass sections, piano, etc.). The duo then set about finding a vocalist. After a long search they met Cookie, a gospel singer from the London Community Gospel Choir,[3][4] who recorded the vocals for the full release.

Composition

The song is a dance pop song, utilising elements of "What About My Love" by Johnnie Taylor. Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of someone who for most of their life felt disillusioned and alienated. It is addressed to an unnamed other, presumably a love interest, who helped the singer to develop a more positive outlook on life.

Chart performance

"Lola's Theme" was released on 12 July 2004, and upon its release went straight into the charts in the United Kingdom at number one.[5] "Lola's Theme" also topped the American Dance Charts, peaking at number one on the Hot Dance Airplay chart in October 2004. The duo went on to have a further two Top 20 UK hits ("Back To Basics" and "Incredible") and now have a recording contract with Defected Records.

"Lola's Theme" was nominated for "Best British Single" at the 2005 Brit Awards.[6] The song was featured on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, on the fictional in game station Vladivostok FM.

Music video

The music video for "Lola's Theme" was filmed at George Irvin's Funfair in Kingsbury, London; some of the video was filmed at the Irvin's Hellraiser (or Waltzer), the Top Buzz and other rides. The film starts out with a girl writing the song's name and rushing into the park. The Shapeshifters are seen as well, but they don't sing.

Then, Cookie is seen as she sings and watches the Waltzer ride spin. A teenage boy and girl meet and kiss each other while they're watched. They head into an arcade and play a game. Another teenage boy meets the girl and says "hi", but the other guy tries to get her back and wins her.

They head back out to the park and watch an aeroplane zoom by and start to kiss. Other people watch them kiss as well. Then 3 people use water guns to squirt each other as the film ends with the same girl at the beginning of the video waving goodbye with the chalkboard and rushing back into the crowd.

Legacy

The orchestral-sounding music in the song inspired the emergence of similar orchestral-sounding dance music over the following two years (such as Inaya Day's "Nasty Girl"), before more electronic dance music became popular in mid-2006. These sounds also owe much to 1970s disco, and so the resulting genre can be described as nu-disco or disco house.

Track listing

  1. "Lola's Theme" (radio edit) – 3:25
  2. "Lola's Theme" (main mix) – 8:11
  3. "Lola's Theme" (Extended Vocal Mix) – 6:54
  4. "Lola's Theme" (Eric Prydz Mix) – 8:02
  5. "Lola's Theme" (Calderone Vocal Mix) –10:26
  6. "Lola's Theme" (video) – 3:30

Charts and certifications

See also

References

  1. ↑ BBC. "BBC - Radio 1 - Ibiza 2004, Tunes". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  2. ↑ "Shapeshifters Interview - Interview with the Shapeshifters (aka Shape:UK)". About.com. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  3. ↑ Simpson, Dave (2004-07-06). "Shapeshifters". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  4. ↑ "Lola's Theme". tourdates.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  5. ↑ "Lola's Theme". All Business. 2004-08-14. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (11 January 2005). "Franz Ferdinand head list as credibility comes to the fore in Brits nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". Tracklisten. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Shapeshifters: Lola's Theme" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lola's Theme". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 34, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  24. ↑ "Shape:UK Album & Song Chart History: Dance/Mix Show Airplay". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  25. ↑ "Shape:UK Album & Song Chart History: Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  26. ↑ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2004" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  27. ↑ "British single certifications – Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 April 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Lola's Theme in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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