Working at Flashback Records in London has me feverishly growing my Jamiroquai vinyl collection. The band has just re-released some of my favorite music videos in 4k. This is a post celebrating Jamiroquai because they’re just so good.
Jamiroquai are a funk and acid jazz band from London that formed in 1992. The band have released 8 glorious albums to us between 1992-2017. Their third album Travelling Without Moving lead the band to receive a Guinness World Record for the best-selling funk album in history. Their iconic music video for the lead single off of the album, “Virtual Insanity” won the band Video of the Year at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, and a year later earned them a Grammy award in 1998:
Jamiroquai is one of those very special bands that can make your body move while informing you of global and social injustice issues through lyrics that are still more than relevant today. “Emergency on Planet Earth” is the title track from their 1993 debut album. “Emergency On Planet Earth” is an absolute jam that will have you moving on the dance floor and leave you wanting to fight social injustice after. One of my recent Jamiroquai scores from Flashback Records is the Masters At Work (London Rican Mix) of the song as a single on vinyl- listen to the track below! The bass and drums in original track take you on an absolute journey… I love everything about this song! I was so excited to see Jamiroquai recently released the original music video for “Emergency On Planet Earth” in 4k on their YouTube, watch below!
Emergency On Planet Earth Lyrics:
The kids need education
And the streets are never clean
I’ve seen a certain disposition
Prevailing in the wind (sweet change)
If anybody’s listening?
Emergency on planet earth Is that life that I am witnessing
Or just another wasted birth?
Now we got emergency
Oh, we got emergency on planet earth
Oh, now we got emergency
Oh, we got emergency on planet earth
Just a head up I think we’re standing for injustice
White gets two and black gets five years, yes
Well it took me quite a while to suss this
Now I know my head is cleared
And a little boy in hungry land Is just a picture in the news
I won’t see him in the TV advertising
‘Cause it might put you off your food
Now we got emergency
Oh, we got emergency on planet earth
Oh, now we got emergency
Oh, we got emergency on planet earth
Come on Is anybody out there? Is anybody out there?
Is anybody out there?
Oh, we got emergency on planet earth
Just a head up
See what we got
Emergency on planet earth is what we got
Oh, I tell ’em what we got now
Emergency on planet earth is what we got Is someone out there?
Emergency on planet earth is what we got
Oh, Somebody help me
Come on,
Somebody help me now
Come on, somebody help us now, yeah
Oh, we need you
Oh, somebody help us now
Oh, we need you Is anybody out there?
A couple of days ago, Jamiroquai also released their official video for “Too Young To Die” in 4k. Another absolutely gorgeous track with a groovy bass line and hip shaking drums, uplifting horns, and anti-war lyrics heartbreakingly still relevant today.
Lyrics:
Everybody
Don’t want no war, no, no no no
We’re too young to die
Too young to die
So many people
All around the world yeah
All around the world
Seen their brothers fry
I seen your brother fry
What’s the motive In that madness?
Oh, I wish I knew
You made my people cry
You made my people cry
So politicians, this time I think you better keep your distance
Say, sing it loud
We’re too young to doo-doo-do-do-do-dah-do-do-do-do-dooo
Do-do-do-do-da-do-do-do-do-do
All gone when they drop the bomb
Can the politicians reassure?
‘Cuz here I am assuming that
Nobody wants a war
There’s so many people praying
Just to find out if they’re staying
But lately stately governments
And disillusioned leaders
So full of empty promises
But rarely do they feed us
Put our backs against the wall
Or don’t we count at all
Can you decide?
Are you mesmerised?
Do you know which side you’re standing?
‘Cuz when it falls gonna take us all
Gotta know what we’re demanding
I’ll never lie can’t you hear me cry
Coming from on high We’re too young to die
Doo-doo-do-do-do-dah-do-do-do-do-dooo
Do-do-do-do-da-do-do-do-do-do
Another one of my favorite tracks by Jamiroquai is “Cosmic Girl” from their 1996 album Travelling Without Moving – a must-have album that celebrated the 25th anniversary of release last year. The album also features their track “Virtual Insanity”- as mentioned earlier- which continues to be one of my favorite music videos of all time. Watch both below!
“Virtual Insanity” Lyrics:
What we’re living in?
Lemme tell ya
Yeah, it’s a wonder man can eat at all
When things are big that should be small
Who can tell what magic spells we’ll be doing for us
And I’m giving all my love to this world
Only to be told I can’t see,
I can’t breathe
No more will we be
And nothing’s gonna change the way we live
‘Cause we can always take, but never give
And now that things are changing for the worse, see
Whoa, it’s a crazy world we’re living in
And I just can’t see that half of us immersed in sin Is all we have to give these
Futures made of virtual insanity, now
Always seem to be governed by this love we have
For these useless, twisting, of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live underground
And I’m thinking what a mess we’re in
Hard to know where to begin If I could slip the sickly ties that earthly man has made And now every mother can choose the color
Of her child, that’s not nature’s way
Well, that’s what they said yesterday
There’s nothing left to do, but pray
I think it’s time to find a new religion
Whoa, it’s so insane To synthesize another strain
There’s something in these futures
That we have to be told
Futures made of virtual insanity, now
Always seem to be governed by this love we have
For these useless, twisting, of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live underground, wow
Now there is no sound If we all live underground
And now it’s virtual insanity
Forget your virtual reality
Oh, there’s nothing so bad
As a man-made man
Oh, yeah, I know, yeah (take it to the dance floor)
I know I can’t go on
Of this virtual insanity we’re living in
Has got to change, yeah
Things will never be the same
And I can’t go on
Where we’re living in
Oh, oh, virtual insanity
Oh, this world
He’s got to change
‘Cause I just I just can’t keep going on in this virtual, virtual insanity
That we’re living in, that we’re living in
And that virtual insanity is what is, yeah
Futures made of virtual insanity, now
Always seem to be governed by this love we have
For these useless, twisting, of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live underground, oh
Futures made of, now, virtual insanity
Now we all, we seem to be governed by a love
For these useless, twisting, of our new technology
And now there is no sound, for we all live underground
Yes, we do, oh now this life that we live in (Virtual insanity) it’s all going wrong
Out of the window (living in)
Do you know there is nothing worse than (virtual insanity) a man-made man
(Virtual insanity) there’s nothing worse than (Living in) a foolish man
(Virtual insanity) hey! Virtual insanity is what we’re living in, yeah Well… It’s alright
Another one of my favorite Jamiroquai songs is also on 1996’s Travelling Without Moving – that song is the uplifting and funky absolute jam “Alright” which the band recently re-released the video for the radio edit of the song in HD! I would have loved to have been an extra in this music video – watch above!
Putting this together made me realize just how many songs Jamiroquai has that I consider a favorite… like I said they’re just that good!! I encourage you to dive a little deeper and listen to their albums in full if you like what you’ve heard so far. But here’s a couple of more gems for you:
From 2001’s A Funk Odyssey, Jamiroquai’s fifth studio album, “You Give Me Something” makes my heart soar and it’s another music video I would have loved to have been in – another beautifully artistic, super fun video with a sense of humor as Jamiroquai does best!! Watch now:
Released on the 2005 album Dynamite the starter track “Feels Just Like It Should” kicks the album off with an absolute bang and in true Jamiroquai fashion, the video is amazing:
From the same album, the blissful “Seven Days In Sunny June”:
Lastly, I picked up Jamiroquai’s fourth studio album Sykronized (1999) at Flashback Records which features their addictive track “Canned Heat”. Many people fell in love with “Canned Heat” due to Napoleon Dynamite – but Jamiroquai already took this song to the dancing championships and won with their original music video for the song:
This video pretty much sums up how I feel whenever Jamiroquai comes on – it’s the best dance workout in the world!
Pre-order and buy your Jamiroquai vinyl here! To add other great vinyl to your collection or if you want to sell some of your records visit Flashback at our three locations in London and online here!
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A little bit of Jamiroquai live to encourage them to tour again soon:
xx Cher
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