"Dub Be Good to Me" is a song by British dub group

Beats International Beats International were a British dance music band and hip-hop collective, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (later in his career known as Fatboy Slim) based in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after his departure from the Housemartins. ...

featuring singer

Lindy Layton Belinda Kimberly "Lindy" Layton (born 7 December 1970) is an English singer. She was a founding member of and vocalist for dance music band Beats International. She has released a number of solo albums and singles and worked with other musicians ...

, released on 24 January 1990 as the first single from their debut album, ''

Let Them Eat Bingo ''Let Them Eat Bingo'' is the debut album by British electronic project Beats International, released in spring 1990 on Go! Beat in the United Kingdom and Elektra in the United States. The project was founded and led by disc jockey and former ...

'' (1990). It was written by frontman

Norman Cook Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist ...

and interprets the SOS Band's 1983 hit "

Just Be Good to Me "Just Be Good to Me" is a song by the S.O.S. Band, written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for their fourth studio album, ''On the Rise'' (1983). "Just Be Good to Me" was released as the lead single from ''On the Rise'' in March 1983, ...

", which it is named after. It also samples the songs "

The Guns of Brixton "The Guns of Brixton" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, South London. The song has a strong reggae influence, reflecting the culture of the area and the r ...

" by

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

, the ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' theme by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classi ...

, and "Jam Hot" by Johnny Dynell. "Dub Be Good to Me" was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and Israel, and also hit number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart in the United States. It is generally considered the band's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

. MTV Dance ranked "Dub Be Good to Me" number 59 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in 2011.

Production

Written by

(aka Fatboy Slim), "Dub Be Good to Me" was the sole number one single for Cook's outfit Beats International. The track started out as an instrumental with the title "The Invasion of the Estate Agents". While also included as the B-side to this single, it originally appeared as the B-side to Cook's 1989 single "For Spacious Lies". This instrumental track is heavily based on the

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

from

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

's "

Guns of Brixton A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

", with a sample of the distinctive "harmonica" theme from the epic western film '' Once Upon a Time in the West'', written by

. This instrumental, in slightly remixed form, had vocals added from The SOS Band's "

" (as re-recorded by

) to form "Dub Be Good to Me". Cook told in an interview:

It was Lindy's idea to do a cover of the S.O.S. Band's 1984 hit 'Just Be Good To Me'. I knew it would go well with other beats because I'd tried it as a DJ. I used the bassline from The Clash song 'Guns Of Brixton', which was me tipping my hat to The Clash as I was such a big fan. I also wanted to do something slower than the current house music, yet something funky you could get into.

The song features the distinctive vocals of David John-Baptiste, more commonly known as DJ Deejay or just DJ. The opening and closing line "tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty you're listening to the boy from the big bad city, this is jam hot, this is jam hot" was from Johnny Dynell's 1983 hit "Jam Hot", and the drum track is a loop of the oft-sampled break from "God Make Me Funky" by The Headhunters.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

editor Rick Anderson noted that the bassline from "

" is "churning underneath an otherwise relatively faithful rendition" of the

SOS Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs " Take Your Time (Do It Right)", " Just Be Good ...

's "

". Bill Coleman from ''

'' described the song as a "

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

-fied,

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

-tinged reworking", adding that "big on import, stateside release sports the new remixes. Only misgiving is absence of fab original." Ernest Heardy from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' wrote that "this brainchild of

revamps the old S.O.S. Band hit into a shoulderswaying, hip-swinging groove that never lets up." Writing in

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

in 1999, Tom Ewing ranked the song as the 97th best single of the 1990s, and described it as "the

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...

dub-dance

Bristol sound The Bristol underground scene was a cultural movement in Bristol beginning in the early 1980s. The scene was born out of a lack of mainstream clubs catering for the emergence of hip hop music, with street and underground parties a mainstay. Cre ...

, commercialised before it had even come close to breaking through." Revisiting the single in 2010, he noted "the latent cheekiness of the track – its lifts so flagrant, its components so random – gives it a warmth, a sense of reassurance that despite Layton's desperation everything in

's world is going to be alright." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The p ...

'' commented, "Chef Norman Cook from

The Housemartins The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK. Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianit ...

takes this 1983 SOS Band track, beats and mixes well, and what emerges is a fresh delicacy for now tastes. Charts #1 in England and there's no reason to doubt it'll have a real good run in the States, too." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described it as an "appealing mixture of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

and reggae", and complimented "good vocals by Lindy and some tasteful

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

harmonica." David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' stated, "Possibly Norman Cook's finest moment since leaving the Housemartins." The Smith & Mighty Remix was included in

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's 2010 list of "twenty-five great remixes" of the 1990s.

Chart performance

The song was very successful on the charts in Europe, spending four weeks at number-one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in March 1990. It was the seventh best-selling single of 1990 in the UK. The single also made it to the Top 10 in Austria (number two), Belgium, Germany, Greece (number two), Ireland, the Netherlands (number two), Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Additionally, it was a Top 20 hit in France, and Top 30 hit in Italy. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, "Dub Be Good to Me" reached number three. In the US, it peaked at number-one on the ''

chart and number 76 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Israel, the single reached number-one, while in New Zealand and Australia, it went to number six and 12.

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings

* 7-inch single # "Dub Be Good to Me" (edit) # "Invasion of the Estate Agents" * 12-inch single # "Dub Be Good to Me" (featuring Lindy Layton) (full length) # "Just Be Good To Me (a cappella)" # "Invasion of the Freestyle: Discuss" (featuring RPM) # "Invasion of the Estate Agents"

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

"Dub Be Good to Me" was covered in 2002 by

Faithless Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold milli ...

and Dido for the album '' NME & Warchild Presents 1 Love''.

Jack Peñate Jack Peñate (; born 2 September 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Early life Peñate was born in London on 2 September 1984, the son of an English mother and Spanish father. His maternal grandfather was author Mervyn Peake ...

covered "Dub Be Good to Me" as a B-side to his re-released single "

Second, Minute or Hour "Second Minute or Hour" is the first single by singer-songwriter Jack Peñate, taken from his debut album ''Matinée''. The single was re-released on 24 September 2007. It reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single also features a c ...

" in September 2007. Rapper

Professor Green Stephen Paul Manderson (born 27 November 1983), better known by his stage name Professor Green or simply Pro Green, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television personality and mental health activist from London. Growing up on ...

and

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

released their version of the song, titled "

Just Be Good to Green "Just Be Good to Green" is a reworked cover of " Dub Be Good to Me" by British recording artist Professor Green from his debut studio album, '' Alive Till I'm Dead''. Featuring pop singer Lily Allen, the song was released as the second single ...

". British band

The Ting Tings The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards ...

covered "Dub Be Good to Me" on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

's '' Live Lounge''. British Urban duo MK1 performed the song during the judges' houses stage of the ninth series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

''.

References

{{Authority control 1990 debut singles 1990 songs Beats International songs Go! Beat singles Number-one singles in Israel Songs written by Norman Cook UK Singles Chart number-one singles Mashup songs