Astounded (Bran Van 3000 song)

Summary

"Astounded" is a song by Canadian musical collective Bran Van 3000 featuring vocals from American artist Curtis Mayfield. The song contains interpolations from Mayfield's song "Move On Up" and also contains a sample and an interpolated melody of The Doobie Brothers' "Rockin' Down the Highway". The song was first released for download on Bran Van 3000's website in January 2001.[1] It was then officially released on May 7 of the same year as the lead single from their second studio album, Discosis (2001).

"Astounded"
Single by Bran Van 3000 featuring Curtis Mayfield
from the album Discosis
ReleasedMay 7, 2001 (2001-05-07)
Genre
Length
  • 5:57 (album version)
  • 3:54 (long radio edit)
  • 3:29 (short radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • James Di Salvio
  • Gary McKenzie
  • Curtis Mayfield
  • Dominique Grand
  • Sylvain Grand
Producer(s)
  • James Di Salvio
  • Ric Ocasek
  • Dominique Grand
  • Sylvain Grand
Bran Van 3000 singles chronology
"Afrodiziak"
(1999)
"Astounded"
(2001)
"Call Me (I'll Be Around)"
(2007)
Music video
"Astounded" on YouTube

"Astounded" was successful in Canada, receiving heavy airplay on MuchMusic and reaching number three on the Canadian Singles Chart. Outside Canada, the song reached the top 40 in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; in the latter country, it peaked at number two on the UK Dance Chart. The song was among Canada's 40 most played radio tracks in 2001 and was ranked number 19 on MuchMore's list of "Top 50 Dance Songs".[citation needed]

Background edit

Bran Van 3000 member James Di Salvio approached Curtis Mayfield with the idea of collaborating months before his death in 1999. Mayfield was too ill to contribute a vocal, but weeks before his death, he gave Di Salvio permission to pull through his archives, which is where he discovered an unused vocal Mayfield recorded in the 1980s. With Mayfield's permission, that vocal was incorporated into "Astounded."[2]

Music video edit

The music video was directed by Paul Street and premiered in May 2001. The entire video focuses on a couple french kissing and features shots of Montreal with the Olympic Stadium in the background. The video features a cameo by Benicio Del Toro.

Track listings edit

Credits and personnel edit

Credits are lifted from the maxi-CD single liner notes and the Discosis album booklet.[3][8]

Studio

Personnel

  • James Di Salvio – writing, production
  • Gary McKenzie – writing
  • Curtis Mayfield – writing, vocals
  • Dominique Grand – writing, production, engineering, string arrangement
  • Sylvain Grand – writing, production, engineering, string arrangement
  • Ric Ocasek – production
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
  • Rod Shearer – engineering
  • Martin Rouillard – engineering
  • Craig Aaronson – executive production

Charts edit

Release history edit

Release dates and formats for "Astounded"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Canada May 7, 2001 Maxi-CD [30]
United Kingdom June 4, 2001
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
[31]

In popular culture edit

The song is featured on the soundtrack of the EA Sports video game FIFA Street 2.[32]

References edit

  1. ^ "Download Bran Van 3000 New Single". chartattack.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2003. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. ^ "Bran Van new album due in May". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b Astounded (Canadian maxi-CD single liner notes). Bran Van 3000. Grand Royal, Virgin Music Canada. 2001. 7243 8 97554 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Astounded (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Bran Van 3000. Virgin Records. 2001. VUSCDF 194, 7243 8 97554 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Astounded (UK CD single liner notes). Bran Van 3000. Virgin Records, Grand Royal. 2001. VUSCD 194, 7243 8 97538 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Astounded (European CD single liner notes). Bran Van 3000. Virgin Records, Grand Royal. 2001. VUSCDE 194, 7243 8 97527 2 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Astounded (European 12-inch vinyl disc). Bran Van 3000. Virgin Records, Grand Royal. 2001. VUST 194, 7243 8 97538 6 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Discosis (Canadian CD album booklet). Bran Van 3000. Grand Royal, Virgin Music Canada. 2001. CDVUS 193, 7243 8 10230 20.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  10. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  11. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. June 2, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on August 22, 2001. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 26. June 23, 2001. p. 14. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield: Astounded" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  16. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  17. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Bran Van 3000". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 21 June 2001". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved June 2, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded". Top Digital Download.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded". Singles Top 100.
  24. ^ "Bran Van 3000 feat. Curtis Mayfield – Astounded". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  27. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. July 7, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 26, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  29. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  30. ^ "News". branvan3000.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  31. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting June 4, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 2, 2001. p. 23. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  32. ^ "EA Scores a Gooooooal! with International Music Mix in Fifa Street 2". February 23, 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2018.