Brimful of Asha


"Brimful of Asha" is a single by British alternative rock band Cornershop from their third album When I Was Born for the 7th Time. The recording originally reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. After a remixed version by Norman Cook became a radio and critical success, the song was re-released and reached number one on the UK chart and number 16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyric is a tribute to Asha Bhosle.

Background

This song is based on the history of film culture in India. Since their beginnings, Indian films have relied heavily on song-and-dance numbers. The singing is almost always performed by background singers while the actors and actresses lip sync. Asha Bhosle is a playback singer who has sung over 12,000 songs and is referred to as "Sadi rani" at one point in the lyrics. In the slower, original album recording, playback singers Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi are mentioned. The lyrics in the bridge contain a number of references to non-Indian music, including Georges Brassens' song "Les Amoureux des bancs publics", Jacques Dutronc, Marc Bolan, Argo Records and Trojan Records.
DJ Norman Cook was asked to remix the track by speeding it up and modulating the song to a higher key. The remix saw major success as a number 1 single.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Phil Harder and produced by Harder/Fuller Films. It was filmed in a house in Lewisham, London.

Norman Cook remix

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked the Fatboy Slim remix at number 840 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In October 2011, NME placed it at number 105 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". In August 2010, Pitchfork placed the remix at number 113 in their list of "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s". NME ranked the remix at number 2 in their list of "The 50 Best Remixes Ever", saying it "does what the truly great remixes do – render you unable to enjoy the original". The remix was included in Pitchforks 2010 list of "twenty-five great remixes" of the 1990s. The remix is featured prominently on the French children's TV channel Gulli, playing before each episode.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications