Released 2002 Length 5:51 | Genre Alternative hip hop Label EMI, Parlophone | |
Format CD single
12" Vinyl
music download Recorded 2001;
Studio 13
(West London, England) | ||
"911" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz & American hip-hop group D12 and features guest vocals from Specials' member Terry Hall. The song was recorded during 2001 in West London, after D12 were left stranded in England after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City.
Contents
Background
The song was recorded by Gorillaz and D12 in Damon Albarn's personal studio in West London. The track came about after 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City. The track came about when Damon Albarn invited the band to his studio and played them an early demo of the track. Albarn had always wanted to experiment with Middle-Eastern music, and felt that this song would be perfect. D12 added additional production to the song, before laying down their verses. Terry Hall appears on the song as a vocal harmony with Albarn for the song's chorus. Albarn and Hall had previously spoken about collaborating together, however when Hall revealed that he had been taking singing lessons from a Middle-Eastern singer, it inspired Albarn to take the song in a different direction.
Music video
The video features the same visuals as Gorillaz' first single "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000", but with a different background. The track features D12 running towards the camera. Terry Hall does not appear in the music video.
Live performances
Played live only twice, as the last song of the encore at the New York City Hammerstein Ballroom show in the US part of the Phase One tour in 2002. Shortly after the song was performed, a short cartoon starring Gorillaz called "Jump the Gut" was played. The song was also performed using Gorillaz Phase 1 rappers, Luton-based rap group, Phi Life Cypher, when they played the Isle of MTV Festival in Lisbon, Portugal
Track listing
- '911' - Gorillaz & D12 featuring. Terry Hall - formerly available as a download from the official Gorillaz site. Also on the 12 inch vinyl promo. - [05:51]
- '911' (Clean Version) - Gorillaz & D12 featuring. Terry Hall - available on the Bad Company OST - [05:51]
- '911' (Short Version Ultra-Clean) - Gorillaz & D12 featuring. Terry Hall - available on the CD promo for 911 - [05:00]