"19-2000", sometimes written "19/2000", is a song from Gorillaz' self-titled debut album Gorillaz. It was the second single from the album, released in June 2001. "19-2000" reached number six in the United Kingdom and number 34 on the US BillboardMainstream Top 40 chart. It was particularly successful in New Zealand, where it reached number one for a week in September 2001.
Background
The single peaked at number six in the United Kingdom and reached number one in New Zealand. The single released was accompanied by a completely new version of the song, called the "Soulchild Remix", which was produced by music producersDamien Mendis and Stuart Bradbury. Mendis was asked to remix a track off the album in the hope that it would give it crossover potential, in the same way as the Ed Case remix of "Clint Eastwood" had. Mendis was given a copy of all their demos and finished tracks for the album, being told to "pick that you can produce, remix or whatever into a hit single". Mendis was unsure which track to choose, and only when he was told that Jamie Hewlett was already working on the video for "19-2000", did he make his decision. The remix appears to utilise the drums from "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone. The remix is basically a faster, more upbeat version of the song, but with re-recorded vocals as opposed to the speeded-up vocals of "Clint Eastwood: Ed Case Refix". The remix appears as a bonus track on the original version of the album, as well as being the first track on G Sides. From 2002, this version replaced the original version on radio stations. Another version of the song, entitled the "Gorillaz on My Mind Remix", features US rapper Redman, and appears on the soundtrack of Blade II. The Soulchild remix was featured in a wide variety of media, including the Channel 4 show 100 Greatest Kids' TV Shows and a TV commercial for Ice Breakers, as well the title theme for the video game FIFA 2002. Tina Weymouth and Miho Hatori contributed backing vocals to "19-2000", whilst Damon Albarn performed the vocals on the verses. The original version was featured on the licensed soundtrack of the 2001 Xboxlaunch titleProject Gotham Racing, Toonami's Midnight Run Special Edition, and the 2008 film Cloverfield.
Music video
The video, directed by Jamie Hewlett and Pete Candeland, is animated, both in 2-D and 3-D. It features Gorillaz riding in their Geep along a twisted highway, encountering roller coaster style loops, a killer UFO, when Murdoc decides not to take an exit leading toward a church, and a giant moose. Murdoc tries to blow up the moose with a pair of missiles, but the moose sneezes right before impact, sending them back to the car, which explodes and skids along the highway on fire. The members of Gorillaz appear to have black ash all over them from the blast. In between these various encounters the Gorillaz pass and perform things in time with the rhythm—such as a field of nodding donkeys, or the light posts passing them at the beginning, and a couple of sections where the buggy does several versions of the wheelie and even appears to break the sound barrier. There are two versions of this video, one to fit the original mix and one to fit the soulchild remix. The videos are almost identical, except for a few minor changes in order for the two songs to sync up with the video. On the motorway, there are signs to Amity, a reference to Jaws, the Overlook Hotel, a reference to The Shining, and Camp Crystal, a reference to Friday the 13th. It was shown in the MTV Cribs tour of Kong Studios that the buggy actually survived the blast, and now sits in the Kong Studio's parking lot.
