Sex & Violins

Sex & Violins (also known on later US releases as Cotton Eye Joe (Sex & Violins)) is the debut studio album by Swedish Eurodance group Rednex, released on Jive Records in February 1995.

Sex & Violins
Studio album by
Released27 February 1995
Recorded1994
GenreElectronic country, Eurodance, Pop
Length46:59
LabelBattery, Jive
ProducerPat Reiniz, Janne Ericsson, Anders Hansson, Denniz Pop, Max Martin, David Millington, Stefan Sir Een, Leskelä Teijo, Anders Hellquist, Thomas Hegert
Rednex chronology
Sex & Violins
(1995)
Inbred With Rednex
(1995)
Singles from Sex & Violins
  1. "Cotton Eye Joe"
    Released: 12 August 1994
  2. "Old Pop in an Oak"
    Released: 17 November 1994
  3. "Wish You Were Here"
    Released: 6 May 1995
  4. "Wild 'N Free"
    Released: 4 September 1995
  5. "Rolling Home"
    Released: 5 December 1995
Alternative cover
Edited original cover for initial US release
Edited original cover for initial US release
Alternative cover
Alternative cover for later US releases
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(favorable)[2]
Entertainment WeeklyD[3]
Knoxville News Sentinel[4]
Music & Media(favorable)[5]
Music Week[6]

Content

Female vocals on the album are provided by Annika Ljungberg; due to a disagreement with the other band members, she left the band after the release of the album's fifth single, "Rolling Home", in 1996, to start a solo career. The album was a commercial success, including the hit dance single "Cotton Eye Joe".

For its US release, the album was retitled Cotton Eye Joe (Sex & Violins) and received new cover art – presumably due to the possible offensive nature of the original artwork, which depicted a person urinating into a cup. Initially, the album received an edited version of this cover, which removed both the person and the stream of urine. This would be substituted for wholly original artwork for a short time, which depicted a desert landscape warped by heat haze, but returned to the unedited original cover after a single pressing.[7]

Critical reception

David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said, "For sheer audaciousness, it’s not surprising that the record is garnering such attention. Where else can you hear a barn-dance staple gone techno, complete with dance-diva wailing and manic banjos and fiddles?"[3] Neil Spencer from The Observer wrote, "Swedish barn-dance disco: an initially amusing joke (chart-topping "Cotton Eye Joe") repeated to the point of inanity."[8]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cotton Eye Joe"
  • Janne Ericsson
  • Øban
  • Pat Reiniz
Reiniz3:14
2."Hittin' the Hay"
  • Ericsson
  • Leskelä Teijo
  • Ericsson
  • Reiniz[a]
3:17
3."Riding Alone"Øban
  • Anders Hansson
  • Reiniz
3:27
4."Wish You Were Here"Teijo3:56
5."Mary Lou"
  • Stefan Sir Een
  • David Millington
  • Een
  • Millington
3:38
6."Old Pop in an Oak"ReinizReiniz3:32
7."Nowhere in Idaho"TeijoTeijo4:05
8."The Sad But True Story of Ray Mingus, the Lumberjack of Bulk Rock City, and His Never Slacking Strive to Exploit the So Far Undiscovered Areas of the Intention to Bodily Intercourse from the Opposite Species of His Kind, During Intake of All the Mental Conditions That Could Be Derived from Fermentation" ("Harder Than Your Husband" on digital releases[9])
  • Thomas Hegert
  • Anders Hellquist
  • Een
  • Hegert
  • Hellquist
  • Reiniz
2:21
9."Fat Sally Lee"ReinizReiniz3:16
10."Shooter"
  • Ericsson
  • Lizette von Panajotte
  • Ericsson
  • Mr. Maple[a]
3:44
11."McKenzie Brothers"
  • Hegert
  • Hellquist
  • Reiniz
  • Hegert
  • Hellquist
  • Reiniz
4:28
12."Rolling Home"
  • Ericsson
  • Panajotte
Ericsson4:22
13."Wild and Free"
  • Reiniz
  • Hansson
  • John Francis
Hansson3:39
Total length:46:59
Cotton Eye Joe (Sex & Violins) – US bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Cotton Eye Joe" (Slide to the Side Mix)
  • Ericsson
  • Øban
  • Reiniz
Reiniz4:14
Total length:51:13
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Cotton Eye Joe" (Madcow instrumental version)
  • Ericsson
  • Øban
  • Reiniz
Reiniz4:49
15."Old Pop in an Oak" (extended mix)ReinizReiniz5:39
16."Ropin' a Cow" (radio edit)ÖbanÖban3:15
Total length:60:42

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
1996 VCD Edition
No.TitleLength
14."The Ultimate Rednex Megamix"5:45
15."Rolling Home (New Version)"4:41
16."Old Pop In An Oak (DJ Cerla + Moratto Remix)"5:08
17."Old Pop In An Oak (West Side Story)"3:30
VCD
No.TitleLength
1."Hieroglyph (Game)" 

Personnel

  • Accordion – Ari Haatainen and Henrik Widén
  • Banjo – Gary Johansson, General Custer, and Kjell Johansson
  • Bass – Björn Lagberg
  • Drums – Anders Lövmark, Animal, and Heffa
  • Guitar – Anders Hellquist, Boba, Bonne Lövman, Clint Eastwood, and Henrik Jansson
  • Steel guitar – Uffe Sterling
  • Harmonica – Ove Sandberg
  • Piano – Henrik Widén
  • Violin – Bosse Nilsson
  • Vocals – Anders Hansson, Annika Ljungberg, Björn Lagberg, Camena, Camilla Molinder, Chris Sylvan Stewart, Cool James, Currey, Göran Danielsson, Hanna Wannagárd, Henrik Widen, Hoss, Janne Ericsson, Jean-Paul Wall, Jeanette Söderholm, Joe Cartwright, Lotten Andersson, Ludde, Michelle Anenberg, Monte Reid, Pat Reiniz, Stefan Cevaco, Sir Een, Thomas Hegert, and Zeb Macahan
  • Whistle – Jean-Paul Wall

Production

  • Producers – Pat Reiniz, Janne Ericsson, Anders Hansson, Denniz Pop, Max Martin, David Millington, Stefan Sir Een, L. Teijo, Anders Hellquist, and Thomas Hegert
  • Engineering assistant – Jacob Schultze

Charts

Sales and certifications

Certifications for Sex & Violins
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[29] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[31] Platinum 62,213[31]
Germany (BVMI)[32] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[34] Platinum 50,000*
Sweden (GLF)[35] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] Platinum 50,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Loftus, Johnny. Sex & Violins at AllMusic
  2. Verna, Paul (13 May 1995). "Album reviews -- Sex & Violins by Rednex". Billboard.
  3. Browne, David (26 May 1995). "Sex & Violins". Entertainment Weekly.
  4. Campbell, Chuck (12 May 1995). "America Opens Up To Unusual Rednex". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  5. "New Releases > Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 18 March 1995. p. 11. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. "Reviews > Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 25 February 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  7. "Rednex - Sex & Violins". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  8. Spencer, Neil (12 March 1994). "Pop Releases". The Observer.
  9. "Sex & Violins". Spotify. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 232.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – Rednex – Sex & Violins" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Rednex – Sex & Violins" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Rednex – Sex & Violins" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9038". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rednex – Sex & Violins" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  16. "Year End Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums 1995" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 December 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  17. "Rednex: Sex & Violins" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rednex – Sex & Violins" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  19. "Charts.nz – Rednex – Sex & Violins". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Rednex – Sex & Violins". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  21. "Swedishcharts.com – Rednex – Sex & Violins". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  22. "Swisscharts.com – Rednex – Sex & Violins". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. "Rednex Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  24. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1995". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  25. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1995". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  26. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  27. "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar), 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  28. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1995". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  29. "Austrian album certifications – Rednex – Sex-N-Violins" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  30. "Canadian album certifications – Rednex – Sex and Violins". Music Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  31. "Rednex" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  32. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Rednex; 'Sex & Violins')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  33. "New Zealand album certifications – Rednex – Sex & Violins". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  34. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  35. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  36. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Rednex; 'Sex & Violins')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
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