100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s #42 Daft Punk – Da Funk

Released : 1995

Conspiracy theorists or lovers of a good quiz question assemble: what animal is most closely associated with Daft Punk‘s breakout single Da Funk? Why, dogs of course. Here’s the science: firstly the subject of the Spike Jonze directed promo is Charles, a crutch bearing anthropomorphic pooch with his in a leg cast and a broken ghetto blaster.

Next, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter have long insisted that the track itself was inspired by weeks of listening to the G-Funk of Warren G’s Regulate, with another key player in that scene being..Snoop Dog. Finally, there was the suggestion that longer in the tooth domestic ravers might hear more than a resemblance to the theme tune of British 70’s kids TV show Roobarb and Custard, the hero of which was a bright green animated…you guessed it.

Despite all these canine capers initially the public’s reaction was tepid, however eventually Bangalter’s scuzzy 303 lead and the busted, inverse hip-hop distortion began to invade night time radio playlists and DJ booths with the determination of a Gallic terrier. Sampling amongst others Barry White, along with the resulting album Homework, it would also set the scene for the rebirth of dance music in thrall to seventies disco royalty such as Kool & The Gang and Chic. From now on when they threw, we fetched.