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Life in Mono

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For the Emma Bunton album, see Life in Mono (album).

1996 single by Mono
"Life in Mono"
Single by Mono
from the album Formica Blues
Released13 September 1996
GenreTrip hop
Length3:45
LabelEcho
Songwriter(s)John Barry, Martin Virgo
Producer(s)Martin Virgo, Jim Abbiss
Mono singles chronology
"Life in Mono"
(1996) 		"Silicone"
(1997)

"Life in Mono" is the debut single by English trip hop duo Mono, which consisted of singer Siobhan de Maré and musician Martin Virgo. It was released on the band's first EP in 1996 which contained various remixes, most notably two by the Propellerheads. It was released again in 1997 on the band's only album, Formica Blues.

Background

The song was used as the theme to the 1998 version of the movie Great Expectations (reportedly chosen by actor Robert De Niro), appearing in the Daria episode "Monster", as well as being used for the launch television advert for the new Rover 25. It was covered by Emma Bunton in 2006 for her third album, also titled Life in Mono.

The chorus consists of "ingenue, I just don't know what to do" repeated; the word was a late addition in songwriting, to rhyme with "I just don't know what to do".

It was also used in the television series La Femme Nikita, in season 2 episode 14.

Reception

Billboard called the song's usage in Great Expectations an example of film music that "works", citing its "anguished" lyrics as complementary to Ethan Hawke's character's predicaments, and comparing de Maré's voice to those of Roberta Flack and Billie Holiday.

In the U.S., Mercury Records marketed the single in a campaign aimed to "build awareness at both the radio and club levels", shipping promotional singles to modern rock-format radio stations on 10 February, and to nightclubs at about the same time. Promotion to Top 40 stations followed later on. The single's sales only allowed it to chart in the lower echelons of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 70 (though it did reach at least 19 on the Top Heatseekers chart), but radio airplay and requests allowed it to reach 28 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

"Life In Mono" reached No 60 in the band's native United Kingdom.

Charts

Chart performance for "Life in Mono"
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 83
UK Singles (OCC) 60
US Billboard Hot 100 70
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard) 28

References

  1. James, Martin (11 October 1997), "Mono double-edged, low-phat pop", Melody Maker, vol. 74, no. 41, p. 12, ISSN 0025-9012
  2. Anderson, Jason (16 April 1998). "Getting Back to Mono". Eye Weekly. Retrieved 19 January 2007.
  3. Bell, Carrie (25 April 1998), "The modern age", Billboard, vol. 110, no. 17, p. 77, ISSN 0006-2510
  4. Paoletta, Michael (28 February 1998), "Mercury's Mono evades pop stereotypes with 'Blues'", Billboard, vol. 110, no. 9, pp. 36–37, ISSN 0006-2510
  5. "Mono - Restarting the UK Attack - And This Time Taking No Prisoners". Dotmusic. April 1998. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  6. "Latest News". Official Mono website. 1998. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  7. "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Mono". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2006.
  8. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 192.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  10. "Mono Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  11. "Mono Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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