"Back of the Van" is the debut single by New Zealand singer Ladyhawke from her self-titled debut studio album (2008). The song was written by Ladyhawke and

Michael Di Francesco Touch Sensitive is the solo project of Michael Di Francesco, an Australian producer and musician from Sydney, also known as a member of Van She. His debut single "Body Stop" was released in 2004. Touch Sensitive's 2013 single "Pizza Guy" attain ...

. It was released on 1 April 2008 as the album's lead single digitally from Ladyhawke's website and Myspace. The track was re-released on 18 May 2009 as a limited-edition single.

Critical reception

Female First gave the song a positive review and has given it a four-out-of-five-star rating using the public vote. They wrote: "The result is a refreshing blend of rock, dance and pop. As well as writing 'Back of the Van', Pip also plays the drums, guitar and synth on the track".

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

wrote this about the song while reviewing her debut album: "while the utterly uplifting 'Back of the Van' is a tribute to just saying how you feel. As Ladyhawke reaches nervously for her new lover's hand it's impossible not to join in her sweet, unvarnished declaration, ''You set me on fire''". ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' wrote: "Brown unites her retro influences (classic rock, '80s dance, '00s rehashing of everything in the past) to mould her own unique lovechild. 'Back of the Van' is one of the catchiest songs I've heard so far in 2008, evoking the spirit of

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

and spinning disco much better than that half-assed remix of '

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

' by Deep Dish".

Music video

The video starts by looking up into space and then goes down to see Ladyhawke playing her guitar. Then everything goes blue, but Ladyhawke continues to play her guitar. Things start to move and you see an eye while Ladyhawke keeps turning back to look at something. She continues to play her guitar while the people moving are now clearly dancing around. There is what appears to be fire but turns out to be her outline. While she sings, you start to see more than one of her; also a light starts to shine on her. You see shadows dancing while lights shine onto them. While Ladyhawke sings you see other people run across the screen. The video ends with Ladyhawke singing and fades into the darkness.

Track listing

*Promotional CD single #"Back of the Van" (Original) – 3:41 #"Back of the Van" (Radio Edit) – 3:17 #"Back of the Van" (A1 Bassline) – 6:28 #"Back of the Van" (

Van She Van She are an electropop band formed in 2002 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie (pronounced Van Ski) on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar. ...

Tech Remix) – 6:04 #"Back of the Van" (Wawa Remix) – 6:48 #"Back of the Van" (Wawa Edit) – 3:19 #"Back of the Van" (

Fred Falke Frédérick Falke () (born 7 January 1973), known professionally as Fred Falke, is a French house and dance music producer and DJ. Biography Falke started out as a bass player before moving to production work. His first record, a collaboratio ...

Valvestate Mix) – 6:37 #"Back of the Van" (Fred Falke Ultimate Mix) – 6:41 #"Back of the Van" (Mock and Toof Mix) – 7:46

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Back of the Van 2008 songs 2008 debut singles 2009 singles Ladyhawke (musician) songs Modular Recordings singles Songs written by Ladyhawke (musician)