Format CD
digital download Length 3:23 | Genre dance-punk, new wave Label Columbia | |
Released February 8, 2008 (Europe)
March 3, 2008 (UK)
September 22, 2009 (US) Writer(s) Jules De Martino
Katie White | ||
"Great DJ" is the second single by English indie pop band The Ting Tings. Vocalist Katie White states that the song was written by "playing a D chord on the guitar for hours, because that's all I could play. And then I put my finger on the wrong string, and got what I discovered was an augmented chord. And that was the riff!" The single was originally released as a double A-side along with "That's Not My Name".
Contents
When "Great DJ" was re-released it did not enter the UK Singles Chart until one week after the individual re-release of single "That's Not My Name" went to number one.
The cover sleeves for the single were in fact recycled: Katie White and Jules De Martino gathered old 7" records from numerous car boot sales and charity shops in and around Manchester, turned the sleeves inside out and customised them to create new sleeves for this single.
The song samples chords and drum beat from Eddie Money's 1978 hit "Baby Hold On".
iTunes free single
"Great DJ" was featured on iTunes' free single of the week in Canada where it received an average of 3½ stars.
In popular culture
"Great DJ" was featured in the movie, The House Bunny as well as in the 2-hour season premiere of 90210 and in the movie, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. The song was also used as an insert song for the Fuji TV 2010 spring Japanese television drama, Sunao ni Narenakute. "Shut Up and Let Me Go" was also featured. The track also appears on the soundtrack of American Teen. "Great DJ" is also the trailer music for the movies, Slumdog Millionaire and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and was used in commercials for Year One.
The song also features in episode 14 of the BBC series, Waterloo Road.
The song also features in the console game, Shaun White Snowboarding.
The song is currently being used in commercials for L'Oréal's Garnier Corporation subsidiary, advertising its Fructis series of products.
Malaysian singer Karen Kong covered the song in Mandarin Chinese version in 2009, titled "AEIOU".
The song also features in S1E4 of The Inbetweeners, during a scene where one of the characters, James, embarrasses himself trying to make a girl laugh.
Track listings
7" vinyl (2007, Switchflicker Records)
- "That's Not My Name" – 3:43
- "Great DJ" – 3:23
One-sided 7" vinyl (2008, Columbia)
- "Great DJ" – 3:23
CD 1 (2008, Columbia)
- "Great DJ" – 3:23
- "Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix Edit)" – 6:37
- "Great DJ (7th Heaven Radio Edit)" – 3:31
CD 2 (2008, Columbia)
- "Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix)" – 7:05
- "Great DJ (7th Heaven Remix)" – 6:38
- "Great DJ (7th Heaven Dub)" – 6:53