"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British Acid Jazz

Acid jazz

Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...

 band Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...

's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving

Travelling Without Moving

Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album released by British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1996, the album features the international hit single "Virtual Insanity"...

. Released in November 1996, it achieved great chart success, peaking at #6 on 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 ...

.

Background

While the poppy disco single, and especially its chart performance, had received mixed reviews from critics, it has become one of the better-known tracks of the band, and a concert staple. Live versions usually last for 7 to 8 minutes, nearly double the duration of the album version. In 2006, it was reissued as part of the "Classic Club Mixes" series, which also included "Space Cowboy"

Space Cowboy (song)

"Space Cowboy" is the lead single from British band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart and was their first #1 on the U.S...

, "Deeper Underground

Deeper Underground

"Deeper Underground" is the first single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized, despite the track only appearing as a hidden track on the release. It was included on the soundtrack of the American film Godzilla, and was released as the lead single from it...

", "Love Foolosophy

Love Foolosophy

"Love Foolosophy" is the third single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey. The song was written by Jason Kay. The song's title is a play on words, using a makeshift homonym for "Philosophy" to imply that the singer is a fool for love, as it were. The song...

" and "Alright"

Alright (Jamiroquai song)

"Alright" is the third single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving. The song was written by Jay Kay. The song peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. It is the group's only single to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...

. The B-side to the single was an instrumental, "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'", a rather obscure song originating from another old Jamiroquai tune called "Mr Boogie", which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'", just like "Mr Boogie", also had a vocal version.

Music video

The video, directed by Adrian Moat, shows three famous supercars driving and racing each other through several highways and mountain roads across a desert landscape from clear day-light to dawn. The cars on the video are a black Ferrari F355

Ferrari F355

The Ferrari F355 is a sports car built by Ferrari from May 1994 to 1999. It is an evolution of the Ferrari 348 and was replaced by the Ferrari 360. It is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive V8-powered 2-seat coupe...

 berlinetta, a purple Lamborghini Diablo SE30 and a red Ferrari F40

Ferrari F40

The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car...

. Jay Kay appears to be driving the purple Lamborghini with Stuart Zender

Stuart Zender

Stuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...

 on the co-pilot seat, but the drivers of the other cars are not shown in detail. It has four different edits: Versions 1-3, and the so called 'Jay's cut' version. Before filming, Jay's Diablo had to be shipped overseas for the video shoot. Apparently, the company which was hired to transport the car had a driver that was keen to drive the car. Jay let the guy drive the car, but he was involved in an accident which wrecked the car, rendering the $239,000 car completely unusable. The car that appears in the video was rented from a local collector. The F40 was provided by the Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

 drummer Nick Mason

Nick Mason

Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...

, who drove in the video as well. While filming, the driver's side window in Jay Kay's Lamborghini was accidentally smashed. Due to the tight timescales involved, the video was still shot, but with the window removed. This is why Jay Kay appears to be driving around the desert late at night with his windows down. Jay Kay mentioned in an interview that the Lamborghini had its windscreen removed to aid with the filming, due to space limitations inside, and the windscreen angle from outside. The missing windscreen can be seen when the Lamborghini overtakes the black Ferrari on an uphill shot. The video was filmed at the Cabo de Gata

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is a natural park in Andalusia, Spain, near the city of Almería. It is the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea, covering 460 km² including the town of Carboneras, the mountain range of Sierra de Cabo de Gata, and...

, in Spain.

Tracklisting

UK CD1

1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) - 3:45
2. "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'" – 3:36
3. "Didjital Vibrations" - 5:47
4. "Cosmic Girl" (Classic Radio Mix) – 4:02

UK CD2

1. "Cosmic Girl" (Album Version) - 4:03
2. "Cosmic Girl" (Quasar Mix) - 7:41
3. "Cosmic Girl" (David Morales Classic Mix) - 9:22
4. "Cosmic Girl" (Cosmic Dub) – 6:47

Cassette

1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) - 03:45
2. "Slipin N' Slidin'" - 03:36

7" Single

1. "Cosmic Girl" (Radio Edit) - 03:45

Chart performance

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	33
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)	34
Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	78
Finnish Singles Chart	10
French Singles Chart	23
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	55
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	12
Italian Singles Chart	3
New Zealand Singles Chart	29
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....	45
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 ...	6
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs	7