The Greatest Hit

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For other uses, see Greatest Hits (disambiguation).
"The Greatest Hit"
Single by Annie
from the album Anniemal
Released 1999 (1999)
Format CD single, 7" single, 12" single, digital download
Genre House, funktronica
Length 3:39
Label Tellé
Writer(s) Erot, Annie
Producer(s) Erot, Annie
Annie singles chronology
"The Greatest Hit"
(1999)		 "I Will Get On"
(2002)
Alternative cover
UK and digital cover

"The Greatest Hit" is a song by Norwegian recording artist Annie. It was written and produced by Annie and DJ Tore "Erot" Kroknes. The song samples Madonna's 1982 debut single "Everybody".[1] The track was released as a limited edition 7-inch single in 1999. It became an underground club hit in Norway and the United Kingdom.[1] Retitled "Greatest Hit", the song was later included on Annie's debut album Anniemal (2004).

Background and release

In the late 1990s, Annie opened a nightclub called Pop Till You Drop in her hometown of Bergen, Norway. There she met producer Tore "Erot" Kroknes, and the two began dating.[2] "The Greatest Hit" was conceived while they were staying in a house belonging to Annie's mother. Kroknes was working on a track, but did not know what to do with it, so he asked Annie for help.[3]

Annie was listening to the song "Everybody" at the time, so she decided to play Madonna's debut album Madonna (1983) for Kroknes.[1][3] He started to construct a song from a sample of "Everybody", and Annie came up with a melody to sing over the track. The two borrowed a small studio from downtempo duo Röyksopp to record the song.[1]

In 1999, Mikal Tellé, Annie's friend and neighbour, issued a limited edition 7-inch single of "The Greatest Hit" under his label Tellé Records.[1][4] The release sold out in two days, and track became an underground hit in nightclubs in Norway and Britain, resulting in offers for record deals.[1] After seeing the interest that "The Greatest Hit" generated, Annie decided to turn her project into a studio album.[3]

British producer Richard X heard "The Greatest Hit" as part of a techno set and described the song as "otherworldly and beautiful". He cited the song's "idea of pop music coming from another place, another way of thinking" as an influence on his early work.[5] As a result, Richard X asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 (2003). In exchange, he contributed "Me Plus One" and Annie's third single "Chewing Gum" to her debut album Anniemal.[6] Annie originally aimed to make Anniemal a pop album that would not become quickly dated, one "that you could listen to in five years and it wouldn't sound terrible." She considered excluding "The Greatest Hit" from the album to achieve this, but ultimately included it because she felt it did not sound as if it were five years old.[3]

Critical reception

"The Greatest Hit" received little attention when released as a single, but garnered critical acclaim when Anniemal was released in 2004. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine that the song's "recycled synth-loop and elastic bassline still sound as fresh as they did in 1999 and, yes, even 1982."[7] In a review for Pitchfork Media, Scott Plagenhoef described the song as an "intoxicating clubland 'duet' between producer and vocalist."[8] Allmusic's Andy Kellman likened the song's "nonchalant ecstasy" to that of Patrice Rushen's 1982 funk single "Forget Me Nots".[9] Dylan Hicks, in a review for The Village Voice, commented that the song "still parties as if it were" from 1999 and "betters" the song it samples.[10]

Track listings

Personnel

Credits adapted from 7" single liner notes.[11]

  • Annie – lead vocals, production
  • Torbjørn Brundtland – mixing
  • Erot – mixing, production, sleeve design
  • Thoroball – photography

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[18] 100

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Rosen, Jody. "Much Ado About Annie". The New York Times. 1 May 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
  2. ↑ Ely, Suzanne. "Anniemal Magnetism". Baltimore City Paper. 1 June 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Anne Lilia Bergen-Strand - Annie". Scandinavian Press, volume 12, issue 4, 2005, page 25.
  4. ↑ "A fjord fiesta with the Norwegian Kylie". The Daily Telegraph. 3 March 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Gary. "Annie - pop with an edge". Manchester Evening News. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  6. ↑ Draper, Jimmy. "Norwegian would". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal. "Music Review: Annie: Anniemal". Slant Magazine. 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  8. ↑ Plagenhoef, Scott. "Anniemal". Pitchfork Media. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  9. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Anniemal – Annie". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  10. ↑ Hicks, Dylan. "Caught in the Web". The Village Voice, volume 50, issue 23. 8 June 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The Greatest Hit" (Norwegian 7" limited edition single liner notes). Annie. Tellé. 1999. TELLÉ 003.
  12. ↑ "The Greatest Hit" (Norwegian 12" limited edition single liner notes). Annie. Tellé. 1999. TELLÉ 005.
  13. ↑ "The Greatest Hit" (UK CD single liner notes). Annie. Loaded Records. 2000. LOAD 69CD.
  14. ↑ "The Greatest Hit" (UK 12" single liner notes). Annie. Loaded Records. 2000. LOAD 69.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ "The Greatest Dubs" (UK 12" single liner notes). Annie. Loaded Records. 2001. LOAD 70.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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