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Now That I Own the BBC

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"Now That I Own the BBC"
Single by Sparks
from the album Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins
Released
  • 1995 (Europe)
  • February 26, 1996 (UK)[1]
Length3:40
LabelLogic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ron Mael
  • Russell Mael
Sparks singles chronology
"When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)"
(1995) 		"Now That I Own the BBC"
(1995) 		"The Number One Song in Heaven"
(1997)
Music video
"Now That I Own the BBC" on YouTube

"Now That I Own the BBC" is a song by American pop and rock duo Sparks, which was released in Europe in 1995 and the UK in 1996 as the third and final single from their sixteenth studio album Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1994). The song was written and produced by Ron Mael and Russell Mael, with additional production by Linus Burdick.

Background

[edit]

Sparks originally envisioned recording the song using different broadcasting company names in the title and lyrics, and releasing them as singles in their respective countries. In a 1996 interview with VH1, Ron Mael revealed, "We were actually thinking at one point of making this a song that would be different in every single country. It would be NBC for America and BBC for Britain, but at a certain point it got just too overwhelming and RTL doesn't rhyme with anything, so we just kept it as the BBC."[2]

Music video

[edit]

The song's music video features Sparks on board an animated 'BBC ship'. It was directed by Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Deygas, who were also responsible for the video's animation.[3]

Critical reception

[edit]

Upon its release as a single in the UK, Dave Jennings of Melody Maker considered "Now That I Own the BBC" to be musically "one of the [duo]'s less memorable disco-pop doodles", but praised the lyrics as "a wonderfully wicked fantasy of revenge for years of unforgivable airplay deprivation" and "a truly magnificent flight of berserk imagination".[4] The Newark Advertiser described the song as "techno-dance weirdness" and added, "Vocal version and two mindbending instrumental opportunities missed by the insertion of vocal snatches."[5]

Track listing

[edit]

1995 European release

[edit]
CD single[6]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Sparks Radio Edit3:53
2."Now That I Own the BBC"BBC-Underworld Mix5:21
3."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"Live BBC Session - Acoustic Version3:34
4."Now That I Own the BBC"Live BBC Session - Acoustic Version1:32
CD promotional limited edition single[7]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Radio Mix4:00
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Extended Vocal Mix6:00
3."When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"Extended Dub Mix6:00
4."Now That I Own the BBC"Legend B. Mix5:21
12-inch promotional single (Germany)[8]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"BBC Underworld Mix5:21
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Legend B. Remix5:21

1996 UK release

[edit]
CD single #1[9]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Radio Edit3:58
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Tony Catania & Ingo Kays Mix5:21
3."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Dub5:55
4."She's an Anchorman" 5:08
CD single #2[10]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Sparks Radio Edit3:53
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Extended Vocal Mix6:00
3."Now That I Own the BBC"Legend B. Remix5:21
4."Beat the Clock"Live in Concert5:43
Cassette single[11]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Radio Edit3:58
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Sparks Radio Edit3:53
12-inch promotional single[12]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Tony Catania & Ingo Kays Mix5:21
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Legend B. Remix5:24
3."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Extended Vocal Mix6:00
4."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Extended Dub Mix5:55
CD promotional single[13]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Radio Edit3:58
2."Now That I Own the BBC"Sparks Radio Edit3:53
3."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Extended Vocal Mix6:00
4."Now That I Own the BBC"Motiv 8 Dub5:55
5."Now That I Own the BBC"Tony Catania & Ingo Kays Mix5:21
6."Now That I Own the BBC"Legend B. Remix5:21

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1995–96) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[14] 81
Scotland (OCC)[15] 53
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 60
UK On a Pop Tip Club Chart (Record Mirror)[17] 3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dingwall, John (February 24, 1996). "Mael order". Daily Record. p. 10. Retrieved December 15, 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ Ron Mael (1996). Now That I Own the BBC feature (TV). VH1 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Zappaterra, Yolanda (March 6, 2003). "Credit rating". Design Week. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Jennings, Dave (2 March 1996). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 34. ISSN 0025-9012.
  5. ^ "Leisure Guide: Disc". Newark Advertiser. March 8, 1996. p. 30.
  6. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (European CD maxi-single liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1995. LOC 183, 74321 31339-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (European promotional limited edition CD maxi-single liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1995. LOC 187 P, 74321 34519-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (German 12-inch promotional single sleeve notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1995. LOC 183 P.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (UK CD single #1 liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1996. LUK 073, 74321 34866-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (UK CD single #2 liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1996. LUK 073, 74321 34867-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (UK cassette single liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1996. 7432134866-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (UK 12-inch promotional single label notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1996. BBC 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Now That I Own the BBC (UK CD promotional single liner notes). Sparks. Logic Records, BMG. 1996. BBC 1, LUK 073.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Sparks – Now That I Own the BBC" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Sparks: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Jones, Alan (March 2, 1996). "On a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via World Radio History.
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