Brimful of Asha
Encyclopedia
"Brimful of Asha" is a 1997 single by the British
alternative rock
band Cornershop
, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1997. After a remixed version of the song by Fatboy Slim
, originally released only as a limited edition 12 inch single in the UK, became both a radio and critical success the song was re-released and reached #1 in the UK
chart in February 1998 and number #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart. The lyrics are a tribute to Asha Bhosle
, one of the most famous pop singers/film-score vocalists of India
.
This song is based upon the history of film culture in India
. Since their introduction, Indian films
have relied heavily on song-and-dance numbers. Almost always, the singing was performed by background singers while the actors and actresses lip-sync
. Asha Bhosle
is one of these playback singer
s who has sung over 12,000 songs. Playback singers Lata Mangeshkar
(Bhosle's sister) and Mohammad Rafi (one of the top male playback singers of the mid-century) are also mentioned in the song.
The lyrics of the song's bridge
contain a number of references to non-Indian music, including Georges Brassens
' song "Bancs Publics", Jacques Dutronc
, Marc Bolan
, Argo Records
and Trojan Records
.
The music video directed by Phil Harder
for the song was produced by Harder/Fuller Films
.
In October 2011, NME
placed the Fatboy Slim remix at number 105 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Cornershop
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh , his brother Avtar Singh , David Chambers and Ben Ayres , the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991...
, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1997. After a remixed version of the song by Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
, originally released only as a limited edition 12 inch single in the UK, became both a radio and critical success the song was re-released and reached #1 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart in February 1998 and number #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart. The lyrics are a tribute to Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, one of the most famous pop singers/film-score vocalists of India
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
.
This song is based upon the history of film culture in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Since their introduction, Indian films
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
have relied heavily on song-and-dance numbers. Almost always, the singing was performed by background singers while the actors and actresses lip-sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
. Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
is one of these playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
s who has sung over 12,000 songs. Playback singers Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
(Bhosle's sister) and Mohammad Rafi (one of the top male playback singers of the mid-century) are also mentioned in the song.
The lyrics of the song's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
contain a number of references to non-Indian music, including Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens , 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier...
' song "Bancs Publics", Jacques Dutronc
Jacques Dutronc
Jacques Dutronc is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. He has been married to singer Françoise Hardy since 30 March 1981 and the two have a son . He also has been a longtime songwriting collaborator with Jacques Lanzmann...
, Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
, Argo Records
Argo Records (UK)
Argo Records was a record label founded in 1951 by Harley Usill , and musicologist Cyril Clarke with £500 capital, initially as a company specialising in "British music played by British artists" , but it quickly became a company primarily specialising in spoken-word recordings and other esoteric ...
and Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
.
The music video directed by Phil Harder
Phil Harder
Philip Harder is a music video director and commercial director represented by Bob Industries in Santa Monica, California. He had a music video company Harder/Fuller Films, 1985 - 2005...
for the song was produced by Harder/Fuller Films
Harder/Fuller Films
Harder/Fuller Films, Inc. was a film and video production house based in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1985 to 2005. Run by founders Phil Harder and Rick Fuller, the firm concentrated mainly on artistic work, such as music videos, and also commercial advertising...
.
In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed the Fatboy Slim remix at number 105 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
In popular culture
- "Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)" can be heard in the film The Love GuruThe Love GuruThe Love Guru is a 2008 comedy film, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba along with Romany Malco and Justin Timberlake. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote The Love Guru with Graham Gordy and produced it with Gary Barber. The film was released by...
. - The song can also be heard in ShamelessShamelessShameless is a British television drama series set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate. Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4, the first seven-episode series aired weekly on Tuesday nights at 10pm from 13 January 2004...
"Episode 5.12". - The song also features in two FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
episodes: "The One that Could Have Been, Part 2" and "The One with the Fake Party". - The instrumental remix of Norman Cook is the title song of the German comedy sketch show Die dreisten DreiDie Dreisten DreiDie Dreisten Drei – Die Comedy WG is a German television series, which aired from 2003 to 2008 on Sat.1. But the series will return in winter 2011 with a new cast.- Concept :...
(English: “The audacious Three”) - The song was used on the trailer of Hey Arnold!: The MovieHey Arnold!: The MovieHey Arnold!: The Movie is a 2002 animated film based on the 1996-2004 Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. The film was released in theaters on June 28, 2002...
- Jerry St. Clair sings this at the beginning of Free and Easy Night whilst the rest are doing the quiz to win a year's supply of Japanese lager in Series 2 of Peter Kay's Phoenix NightsPeter Kay's Phoenix NightsPeter Kay's Phoenix Nights was a BAFTA-nominated English sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Farnworth, Greater Manchester. The show was written by Neil Fitzmaurice, Peter Kay and Dave Spikey, produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions and Ovation...
. - The song was used for a Gap clothing commercial in late-1999.
- In the late 1990s, the song was used during continuity breaks and schedule lineups for Sky One in the United Kingdom.
- The song was used in the episode, "Chuck Versus the BalconyChuck Versus the Balcony"Chuck Versus the Balcony" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired January 17, 2011. Chuck Bartowski embarks on two secret quests. As he tries to locate a nano-chip in the vineyards of France, he also attempts to stealthily concoct a romantic getaway for Sarah...
", of NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
spy action-comedy ChuckChuck (TV series)Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. - The song is used in the TV adverts of Vodafone CU, Greece
- A short section of the song can be heard at the end of Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
's 2007 short comedy film The Landlord.