Amnesia (Chumbawamba song)

"Amnesia" is the second single from English rock band Chumbawamba's eighth studio album, Tubthumper (1997). The song's lyrics address the sense of betrayal that English leftists felt during the rise of New Labour. Released on 19 January 1998 by EMI, the song was met with favorable reception from critics, who regarded the song as a highlight from Tubthumper.

"Amnesia"
Single by Chumbawamba
from the album Tubthumper
Released19 January 1998 (1998-01-19)
StudioWoodlands (Castleford, UK)
Length4:08
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Chumbawamba
Producer(s)
  • Chumbawamba
  • Neil Ferguson
Chumbawamba singles chronology
"Tubthumping"
(1997)		 "Amnesia"
(1998)		 "Drip, Drip, Drip"
(1998)

The song was a top-10 hit in Canada and the United Kingdom, giving the group their final top-20 entries in both countries. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, becoming the group's final US chart entry. An accompanying music video was also released.

Background and writing

"Amnesia" lyrically explores the dishonesty of politicians and the ignorance of voters who continue to vote them into office. Chumbawamba's Alice Nutter told MTV that the group "wrote "Amnesia' before the general election in England, and we basically wrote it about Blair's new labor [sic]," adding that the song has a universal message, noting that "people forget that what Bill Clinton says before he gets elected is not what Bill Clinton will do when he's in office, and that's not about Bill Clinton, that's about all politicians."[1] At the end of the album version of the song, there is an interlude that samples a UK public service announcement on mad cow disease.[2]

Release

The song was released as a CD single in the UK.[3] A 12-inch single of the song was later released in the US, featuring "Tubthumping" as its B-side.[4] A full-page ad featured in Spin magazine, for the song's parent album mentioned the inclusion of "Amnesia" on the album, was accompanied by partial lyrics.[5]

Reception

Critical

The song was well-received by music critics, many of whom felt the song was one of the better tracks on Tubthumper. Both music critic Robert Christgau[6] and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine[7] noted "Amnesia", as well as "Tubthumping", as a highlight of Tubthumper. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Can this group pull off a second hit? It may be a bit tricky duplicating the sales and radio heat of "Thubthumper", but Chumbawamba makes a respectable effort with this booming follow-up. The song lacks some of the magical immediacy of its predecessor, but it wears extremely well with repeated spins. In fact, by the second go round, you'll be bobbin' your head to the track's feel-good disco-fortified beat and chanting along with the song's oddly catchy "Do you suffer from long-term memory loss?" Ultimately, this is quirky good fun that deserves a fair shake."[8] A reviewer from Music Week gave the single three out of five, adding, "The long-awaited follow-up to "Tubthumping" is marked by a flat verse which is made up for by a catchy radio-friendly singalong chorus."[9]

Commercial

The song was a successful follow-up to "Tubthumping", reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom and Canada. In Canada, "Amnesia" debuted on the RPM Top Singles chart on the issue dated 2 February 1998.[10] It reached its number-seven peak on the chart dated 27 April.[11] The song spent a total of 27 weeks in the Canadian Top 100.[12] In the UK, the song was similarly successful, debuting and peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart dated 31 January 1998.[13]

In the United states, the song was somewhat successful, although it was far less so than "Tubthumping".[14] Though the song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, it reached number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (the equivalent of number 101 on the Hot 100), spending two weeks overall on the chart.[15] It also peaked at number 19 on the Mainstream Top 40[16] and number 38 on the Adult Top 40.[17] The song was released to modern rock radio stations, on which "Tubthumping" had received much play; however, "Amnesia" was unsuccessful on that format.[14]

Music video

A music video for the song, featuring the members of the group performing in a theatre, with the audience dancing. As the video progresses, the audience members leave until a janitor is the only one still watching.[18] The video was put into rotation on MTV Europe[19] and MuchMusic.[20][21]

Track listings

Charts

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Amnesia"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 19 January 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 EMI [39]
United States 26 January 1998 Alternative radio
[40]
Japan 6 February 1998 CD EMI [41]
United States 21 April 1998 12-inch vinyl
  • Universal
  • Republic
 [4]

Media usage

The radio edit of the song was included on the original TV soundtrack for Sabrina the Teenage Witch.[42]

References
  1. "Chumbawamba Talks About Political "Amnesia"". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  2. "Chumbawamba FAQ's... Sort of Thing". Archived from the original on 2 December 1998. Retrieved 23 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ""Amnesia" at AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. Sandiford-Waller, Theda (4 April 1998). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 14. p. 81.
  5. "SPIN Mar 1998 (page 24)". Google Books. Spin Media. March 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  6. Christgau, Robert (15 October 2000). Chumbawamba: Tubthumper (revised ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 56. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  7. Thomas Erlewine, Thomas. "Review: Tubthumper - Chumbawamba". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  8. Flick, Larry (31 January 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 26. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  9. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. "RPM Singles: 2 Feb 1998". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3529." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  12. "RPM Singles: 3 August 1998". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  14. Carter, Kevin; Coveney, Janine; Ross, Sean (April 18, 1998). "Radio, Labels Debate 'Ownership'". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 16. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  15. "Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. 9 May 1998. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  16. "Pop Airplay". Billboard. 18 April 1998. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  17. "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. 18 April 1998. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  18. "Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  19. "Billboard Video Monitor (Feb 21, 1998)". Billboard. 21 February 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via Google Books.
  20. "Billboard Video Monitor (Mar 28, 1998)". Billboard. 28 March 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via Google Books.
  21. "Billboard Video Monitor (Mar 21, 1998)". Billboard. 21 March 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via Google Books.
  22. ""Amnesia" product overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  23. ""Chumbawamba - Amnesia - CD (not vinyl)" product overview". Amazon. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  24. ""CD Single" Amnesia overview". 45 Worlds. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  25. Amnesia (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Chumbawamba. Republic Records. 1998. U12-56181.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. "Amnesia [Japan] track list". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  27. "Amnesia" Japan mini-album liner notes
  28. "Chumbawamba – Amnesia". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  29. "Chumbawamba – Amnesia" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  30. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3506." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  31. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 7. 14 February 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  32. "Chumbawamba – Amnesia" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  33. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (15.1 – 22.1. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 16 January 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  34. "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 7. 14 February 1998. p. 60. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  35. "Chumbawamba – Amnesia" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  36. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  37. "Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 15. 11 April 1998. p. 103.
  38. "RPM's Top 100 Hits of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  39. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  40. "Don't Forget 'Amnesia'". Radio & Records. No. 1230. 9 January 1998. p. 92.
  41. "記憶喪失～ジャパン・オンリー・ミニ・アルバム | チャンバワンバ" [Amnesia ~ Japan Only Mini Album | Chumbawamba] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  42. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch [Original TV Soundtrack] track listing". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
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