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"Setting Sun"
Single by the Chemical Brothers
from the album Dig Your Own Hole
B-side"Buzz Tracks"
Released30 September 1996 (1996-09-30)
StudioOrinoco (South London, England)
Genre
Length5:23
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers singles chronology
"Life Is Sweet"
(1995) 		"Setting Sun"
(1996) 		"Where Do I Begin"
(1997)
Noel Gallagher singles chronology
"Setting Sun"
(1996) 		"Let Forever Be"
(1999)
Music video
"Setting Sun" on YouTube

"Setting Sun" is a song by English electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers featuring vocals from Noel Gallagher of Britpop band Oasis, who also co-wrote the track with duo members Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. He is not mentioned on the front cover, only in the credit list. It was released as a single on 30 September 1996 from the Chemical Brothers' second album, Dig Your Own Hole (1997).

Despite receiving little airplay in the United Kingdom, "Setting Sun" sold 99,000 copies during its first week of release and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in October 1996.[5] Outside the UK, the song entered the top 10 in Finland, Ireland, and Sweden. American magazine Rolling Stone included "Setting Sun" in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" in 2022.[6]

Critical reception

Upon release, "Setting Sun" was critically acclaimed by music critics. J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun complimented the "ear-catching sounds" of "shrieking klaxons and braying trumpets", picking it as one of three best songs from Dig Your Own Hole. He felt that songs like "Setting Sun" "come on like mini-amusement parks, offering so many sonic thrills that you can't help but want to ride the groove again."[7] Daina Darzin from Cash Box named it Pick of the Week, adding, "Techno, synthcore, dance, industrial, whatever you wanna call it, this is the single du jour—a downright amazing, explosive, whirling, get-your-feet-moving rush of a thing that you're guaranteed to play, like, 37 times in a row after hearing it for the first time."[8]

Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian rated it five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. She wrote, "The Brothers' disjointed breakbeats, sirens and trapped-in-a-lift ambiance are glorious foils for Gallagher, who seems to be having an out-of-body experience. It's hallucinatory in the manner of one of Led Zeppelin's heaviest moments, where sonic firepower and grubby sexiness induced sensory overload."[9] Sally Stratton from Music & Media noted the track's "wails and explosions".[10] David Fricke from Rolling Stone remarked its "vertiginous Beatlemania".[11]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Dom and Nic. It was shot on location at the abandoned Crystal Palace Subway station and features artist Lexi Strauss. In the video, it shows the prospect of a rave party through the eyes of a bewildered young woman. It can be seen the woman chasing a personification of her nightmare through the party. The video mixes a disturbing psychological confusion with moments of humoristic imagination (for example, the woman sees police dancing breakdance). The Chemical Brothers briefly appear, leaving the party with their record cases.

Impact and legacy

In 2010, Pitchfork ranked "Setting Sun" number 43 in their list of the "Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s".[12] In 2020, The Guardian called it, alongside Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX", the "most experimental and sonically extreme hit [single] of the 90s" and ranked it number 49 on their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".[13][1] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 82 on their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".[14]

Track listings

UK and US CD and cassette single, Australian CD single[15][16][17][18]
No.TitleLength
1."Setting Sun" (full length version)5:23
2."Setting Sun" (radio edit)4:00
3."Buzz Tracks"4:11
4."Setting Sun" (instrumental)7:01
UK and US 12-inch single[19][20]
No.TitleLength
1."Setting Sun" (full length version)5:21
2."Setting Sun" (instrumental)7:00
3."Buzz Tracks"4:09
European CD single[21]
No.TitleLength
1."Setting Sun" (radio edit)3:59
2."Setting Sun" (full length version)5:21
Japanese CD single[22]
No.TitleLength
1."Setting Sun" (full length version)5:21
2."Setting Sun" (radio edit)4:00
3."Buzz Tracks"4:09
4."Setting Sun" (instrumental)7:00
5."Loops of Fury"4:41
6."Chemical Beats" (Dave Clarke remix)5:04

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Dig Your Own Hole album booklet.[23]

Studios

  • Recorded at Orinoco Studios (South London, England)
  • Mastered at The Exchange (London, England)

Personnel

  • The Chemical Brothers – production
    • Tom Rowlands – writing
    • Ed Simons – writing
  • Noel Gallagher – writing, vocals
  • Jon Dee – engineering
  • Mike Marsh – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 30 September 1996 12-inch vinyl
[41]
Japan 27 November 1996 CD [42]

References

  1. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (14 February 2004). "The rebirth of art rock". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die!". Blender. New York: Dennis Publishing Ltd. May 2003. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Molanphy, Chris (12 May 2023). "Champagne Supernova Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  4. ^ Cool Britannia. "Noel Gallagher on working with the Chemical Brothers for Setting Sun". youtube. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  5. ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2005). 1,000 UK Number One Hits (E-book) (2013 ed.). London, England: Omnibus Press. pp. 1105–1107. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
  6. ^ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (22 July 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. ^ Considine, J. D. (25 April 1997). "New On Record". The Baltimore Sun. p. 6. Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via Gainesville Sun.
  8. ^ Darzin, Daina (2 November 1996). "Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (4 October 1996). "Music: Single of the week - Enter two more brothers for Noel / Which Gallagher would you expect to team up with a techno duo?". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Stratton, Sally (12 April 1997). "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 11. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  11. ^ Fricke, David (25 December 1997-8 January 1998). "The year in recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 776/777.
  12. ^ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 50-21 – Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
  13. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (5 June 2020). "The 100 Greatest UK No 1s: 100–1". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  14. ^ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (22 July 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  15. ^ Setting Sun (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1996. CHEMSD4, 7243 8 93865 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Setting Sun (US CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Astralwerks. 1996. ASW 6187.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Setting Sun (UK cassette single sleeve). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1996. CHEMSTC4, 7243 8 93865 4 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Setting Sun (US cassette single sleeve). The Chemical Brothers. Astralwerks. 1996. ASW-6187-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Setting Sun (UK 12-inch single sleeve). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1996. CHEMST4, 7243 8 93865 6 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Setting Sun (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Chemical Brothers. Astralwerks. 1996. ASW 6187.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Setting Sun (European CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1996. CHEMSDE4, 7243 8 93896 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Setting Sun (Japanese CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1996. VJCP-15018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Dig Your Own Hole (UK CD album booklet). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. XDUSTCD2, 7243 8 42950 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  25. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 42. 19 October 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  26. ^ "The Chemical Brothers: Setting Sun" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  27. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (31.10. – 6.11. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 1 November 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  28. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Setting Sun". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 1 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Chemical Brothers".
  30. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  31. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  32. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  34. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  35. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  36. ^ "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  37. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1996" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. 18 January 1997. p. 25.
  39. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1996 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  41. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 September 1996. p. 57. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  42. ^ "セッティング・サン | ケミカル・ブラザーズ" [Setting Sun | Chemical Brothers] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setting_Sun_(The_Chemical_Brothers_song)

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