Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Intergalactic (song)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Format
  
CD single 12" single

Length
  
3:51

Recorded
  
1997

Label
  
Capitol

Released
  
May 12, 1998 (1998-05-12)

Genre
  
Alternative hip hop pop rap

"Intergalactic" is a song by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fifth studio album Hello Nasty on May 12, 1998.

Contents

The single hit number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's third Top 40 single there. It also reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, where it remains the band's biggest hit in the country.

The song received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1999.

CD single 1

  1. "Intergalactic" (Album version) – 3:33
  2. "Hail Sagan (Special K)" – 4:06
  3. "Intergalactic" (Prisoners of Technology Mix) – 5:46
  4. "Intergalactic" (Fuzzy Logic Re-Mix) – 3:47

CD single 2

  1. "Intergalactic" (Album version) – 3:32
  2. "Intergalactic" (Remix No. 1) – 3:54
  3. "Intergalactic" (Remix No. 2) – 4:02
  4. "Intergalactic" (Remix No. 1 Instrumental) – 3:56
  5. "Intergalactic" (Remix No. 2 Instrumental) – 3:59

Composition

The song begins with a sample of Stravinsky's ballet Rite of Spring ("The Naming and Honoring of the Chosen One"). The sound effect sample originates from the sound the Resonator makes in the 1986 film From Beyond. Elements of Les Baxter's rendition of Prelude in C# Minor as composed by Rachmaninoff are also used during the verses, and the song also contains elements of the Jazz Crusaders album Powerhouse. Throughout the song, a heavily vocoded voice repeats, "Intergalactic, planetary, planetary, intergalactic; another dimension, another dimension." The closing "Do it!" is sampled from the 1971 Stovall Sisters song "Hang on in There". A shout-out to Mario Caldato, the single's producer, is given in a line from the second verse; "Mario C. likes to keep it clean". On Hello Nasty, a freestyle rap performed by Biz Markie appears directly after the song.

Music video

The "Intergalactic" video was made in June 1998. It revolves around a giant robot causing destruction by fighting a giant octopus-headed creature in a city while popping, a parody of Japanese Kaiju films (specifically the series finale of Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot). Various scenes are filmed in the Shibuya and Shinjuku train stations in Tokyo, Japan in which the band wears the bright uniforms of (Koji) Japanese street construction workers. The video was a regular on Total Request Live and won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. They performed "Three MC's and One DJ" and "Intergalactic" at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. It was directed by MCA under the pseudonym of Nathanial Hörnblowér.

The music video also somewhat parodies Japanese Super Sentai shows, which are the basis for Power Rangers.

In some versions of the video, the introduction is a sample of Le Sacre du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky.

The video ranked number 64 on MuchMusic's 100 Best Videos.

In other media

The song is featured on the Futurama episode "Hell Is Other Robots", in which the members of the band also guest-starred. A part of the song was featured in "Weird Al" Yankovic's polka, "Polka Power!", from the album Running with Scissors. The song name is a cheat code to unlock MCA in the game Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, which their song "The Electric Worm" is featured in. The song is featured in the video game DJ Hero. In the multiplayer option of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, a game mode exists called "Sabotage". If one successfully completes 20 rounds of this game mode, you are rewarded with the title "Intergalactic", a reference to this song. The song appears in the 2010 film Diary of a Wimpy Kid during the mother-son dance scene when Rowley and his mother dance to this song. The song is also featured on the on-board soundtrack for Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida. The song was also used by wrestlers Mike Bucci (as Nova) and Chris Chetti during their time as a tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling. Bucci continued to use the song while competing in independent promotions.

References

Intergalactic (song) Wikipedia