"No Good (Start the Dance)"
Single by the Prodigy
from the album Music for the Jilted Generation
Released16 May 1994 (1994-05-16)[1]
RecordedEssex, England
Length
  • 6:17 (album version)
  • 4:01 (edit)
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)Liam Howlett
Producer(s)Liam Howlett
The Prodigy singles chronology
"One Love"
(1993) 		"No Good (Start the Dance)"
(1994) 		"Voodoo People"
(1994)
Music video
"No Good (Start the Dance)" on YouTube

"No Good (Start the Dance)" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy. Written and produced by group member Liam Howlett, it was released on 16 May 1994 by XL Recordings as the second single from the group's second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Commercially, the track was presented with the slogan, "Hard dance with attitude"[2] and is built around a repeated vocal sample from "You're No Good for Me", a song released by American singer Kelly Charles in 1987. Howlett initially had doubts whether to use the sample because he thought it was too pop for his taste. The song also contains samples from "Funky Nassau" by Bahamian funk group the Beginning of the End. It was certified Gold in Germany for 250,000 sold copies. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in London.

In 2012, NME ranked "No Good (Start the Dance)" at number 33 in their list of "100 Best Songs of the 1990s".[3]

Chart performance

"No Good (Start the Dance)" was quite successful on the singles chart across Europe and also the band's most successful single release up to that point. The song peaked at number one in both Finland and Greece, and was a number two hit in the Netherlands. In the latter, it held that position on the Dutch Top 40 for one week in August 1994, being held off the top spot by 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor's "Dreams (Will Come Alive)". "No Good (Start the Dance)" entered the top 10 also in Austria (6), Belgium (7), Germany (4), Iceland (4), Norway (7), Scotland (7) and the UK. In the latter, it peaked at number four in its fourth week on the UK Singles Chart on June 12, 1994. It spent two more weeks within the top 10, before leaving. On the UK Dance Singles Chart,[4] the song also peaked at number four. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Denmark (19) and Spain (12), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it hit number ten in June same year.[5] In Sweden, "No Good (Start the Dance)" was a top 30 hit, peaking at number 22.

The single earned a gold record in the UK, with a sale of 400,000 units.

Critical reception

John Bush from AllMusic complimented "No Good (Start the Dance)" as "excellent".[6] British Lennox Herald described it as "rough and ready".[7] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton noted that it "uses a previously successful formula of combining their mix of hardcore rave beats with an annoyingly commercial sampled hook." He added, "The sample in question will annoy me for months".[8] Maria Jimenez from Music & Media declared it an "beatbreaker".[9] Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "another rough and rugged hardcore track. They still have plenty of grassroot support and will continue to outsell other hardcore acts by a big margin."[10] Tommy Udo from NME said, "This is '90s bubblegum pop that will be remembered fondly for decades to come. [...] This is basically The Chipmunks pitched up to the max, having the same effect as sitting on a washing maching during the spin cycle. Popperstatic."[11] The magazine's Dele Fadele felt the song "show how much a finger on the collective pulse this rave/pop star maintains."[12]

In 2012, NME named it one of The Prodigy’s "finest singles", with its "scuzzy euphoria and thumping bass."[13] Brad Beatnik from the Record Mirror Dance Update wrote, "The first Prodigy release for more than a year sees them working up a typically frenetic hard groove with a neat wobbly bassline and standard 'no good for me' vocals." He concluded, "Massive chart action expected".[14] Another editor, James Hamilton, described it as a "typical frantic hardcore 145 2-0bpm [track]".[15] Paul Evans from Rolling Stone said that "with ecstatic vocal snippets, [the song] is as heady an anthem as any in a genre that exults in billboard statements".[16] Gareth Grundy from Select stated that Liam Howlett's "jungle and hardcore roots are still present, but he injects some space and gracious melody between the coruscating rhythm."[17] Richard Proplesch from St. Petersburg Times viewed it as "an energetic remake" of the Kelly Charles' song, that "suffers from an overabundance of nonsensical electronic percussion fills and counter rhythms instead of letting the groove grow naturally."[18]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video, directed by English director Walter Stern combines the humorous flavour of that for the band's previous video for "Out of Space" with the menace of "Firestarter" and "Breathe" videos to come. Filmed in a disused, underground cellar below Spitalfields market in the East End of London, the video features characters dancing to the song whilst the band members prowl around moodily. After Howlett breaks down a plaster wall with a sledgehammer, group member Keith Flint is seen in a straitjacket, eventually being locked into a Plexiglas box-prison which begins to fill with smoke. "No Good (Start the Dance)" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe,[19] power play on France's MCM[20] and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in August 1994.[21]

Liam Howlett said to Dazed magazine "'No Good... was a response to all that shit Eurodance stuff", and said that the band had started to make better videos.[22] The music video became the last music video to be played on the music channel NME TV directly before its closure at 6:00am on 5 January 2012.

Track listing

XL recordings

12" vinyl record

  1. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Original Mix) – 6:22
  2. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Bad for You Mix) – 6:52 (remixed by Liam Howlett)
  3. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (CJ Bolland Museum Mix) – 5:14

CD single

  1. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Edit) – 4:01
  2. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Bad for You Mix) – 6:52 (remixed by Liam Howlett)
  3. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (CJ Bolland Museum Mix) – 5:14
  4. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Original Mix) – 6:22

Sony/Dancepool

  1. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (Edit) – 4:01
  2. "No Good (Start the Dance)" (CJ Bolland's Mix) – 5:14
  3. "One Love" (Jonny L Remix) – 5:10
  4. "Jericho" (Genaside II Remix) – 5:45
  5. "G-Force" (Energy Flow) – 5:18

Charts and certifications

Fedde Le Grand and Sultan & Ned Shepard version

"No Good"
Single by Fedde Le Grand and Sultan & Ned Shepard
Released23 September 2013
Length3:00
LabelSpinnin' Records
Songwriter(s)Liam Howlett
Fedde Le Grand singles chronology
"Long Way From Home"
(2013) 		"No Good"
(2013)
Sultan & Ned Shepard singles chronology
"Long Way From Home"
(2013) 		"No Good"
(2013)
Music video
"No Good" on YouTube

In 2013, Dutch house DJ and producer Fedde le Grand and Canadian electronic music duo Sultan & Ned Shepard released a remake of the hit on Spinnin' Records.

The single charted in SNEP, the official French Singles Chart as well as in the "bubbling under" Ultratip in the Belgian (Wallonia) French market Singles Chart.

Track list

  1. "No Good" (club edit) (3:00)
  2. "No Good" (extended mix) (5:17)

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[48] 72
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[49] 7
France (SNEP)[50] 60

References

  1. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 14 May 1994. p. 27. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ "The Prodigy — No Good (Start the Dance)". Melody Maker. 1994-05-21. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  3. ^ "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s (40-31)". NME. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  4. ^ a b "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 4 June 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 25 June 1994. p. 23. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  6. ^ Bush, John. "The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  7. ^ Lennox Herald. 1994-05-27. p. 30.
  8. ^ Masterton, James (1994-05-22). "Week Ending May 28th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  9. ^ Jimenez, Maria (1994-09-03). "Groovemix: Short Grooves" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  10. ^ Beevers, Andy (1994-05-14). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 19. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  11. ^ Udo, Tommy (1994-05-21). "Singles". NME. p. 42. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  12. ^ Fadele, Dele (1994-07-09). "Long Play". NME. p. 44. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  13. ^ "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s". NME. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  14. ^ Beatnik, Brad (1994-04-30). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  15. ^ Hamilton, James (1994-05-28). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  16. ^ Evans, Paul (1995-04-20). "Rollin' & tumblin'". p. 80. Rolling Stone.
  17. ^ Grundy, Gareth (1994-06-01). "Reviews: New Singles". Select. p. 97. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  18. ^ Proplesch, Richard (1995-08-11). "Audio Files". p. 13. St. Petersburg Times.
  19. ^ "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. 1994-08-13. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  20. ^ "Station Reports > MCM/Paris" (PDF). Music & Media. 1994-10-17. p. 34. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  21. ^ "Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne" (PDF). Music & Media. 1994-08-13. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  22. ^ THe Prodigy select 10 inspirational Jilted jams - Dazed magazine 4 July 2014
  23. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  24. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  25. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  26. ^ Danish Singles Chart. 9 September 1994.
  27. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  28. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  29. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.09.1994 - 05.10.1994)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  30. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Prodigy" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  31. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  32. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)". VG-lista.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  34. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  35. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)". Singles Top 100.
  36. ^ "The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  37. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  38. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 7 May 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  39. ^ "jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  40. ^ "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 December 1994. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  42. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Archived from the original on 2 November 2003. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  43. ^ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1994" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  44. ^ "SCHWEIZER JAHRESHITPARADE 1994". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  45. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9.
  46. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Prodigy; 'No Good (Start the Dance)')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  47. ^ "British single certifications – Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  48. ^ "Fedde Le Grand And Sultan + Ned Shepard – No Good" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  49. ^ "Fedde Le Grand And Sultan + Ned Shepard – No Good" (in French). Ultratip.
  50. ^ "Fedde Le Grand And Sultan + Ned Shepard – No Good" (in French). Les classement single.
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