"Clown Prince" is a song by Australian hip-hop band, the Hilltop Hoods. It was released in January 2006 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, The Hard Road.
| "Clown Prince" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_coverart.jpg) | ||||
| Single by Hilltop Hoods | ||||
| from the album The Hard Road | ||||
| Released | 20 January 2006 | |||
| Recorded | X Bred Production Studios | |||
| Genre | Australian hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Obese Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Don Argott, Barry Francis, Matthew Lambert, Daniel Smith | |||
| Producer(s) | DJ Debris | |||
| Hilltop Hoods singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Clown Price" peaked at #30 in the ARIA charts, becoming the first Hilltop Hoods song to appear on the ARIA Singles Chart.[1]
The song also charted at #23 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006 list.[2]
Sampling
editThe main bassline used for "Clown Prince" is sampled from "Laying Pipe" by Pornosonic.[3] It was previously used in a 70's pornographic film, featuring Ron Jeremy.[4]
You'd have to ask DJ Debris how that happened. I think it did come from his personal collection. I'm really putting him in it, aren't I? The film was called Laying Pipe; it's about a plumber. Some kind of theme movie, I'm told. I haven't seen it, but I've heard the audio. It's pretty funny.
— Daniel Smith (Pressure)[3]
It also contains vocal samples of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Things Done Changed" and A Tribe Called Quest's "Excursions". A remix of the song featuring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was also released on the Hilltop Hoods' 2007 remix album The Hard Road: Restrung.
Music video
editThe music video for the song solely features animation.[5]
CD single track listing
editAll tracks are written by Matthew Lambert (Suffa), Daniel Smith (Pressure), Barry Francis (DJ Debris) and Don Argott[6][7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clown Prince" | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Clown Prince" (Radio Edit) | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Clown Prince" (Instrumental) | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Clown Prince" (Trials Remix) (vocal) | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Clown Prince" (Trials Remix) (radio edit) | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Clown Prince" (Trials Remix) (instrumental) | 3:33 |
Personnel
edit- Artwork (Graphic Design) - Benjamin Funnell
- Artwork (Illustration) - John Engelhardt
- Mastered - Neville Clark
Charts
editWeekly chart
edit| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 30 |
Year-end chart
edit| Chart (2006) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australian Artists (ARIA)[9] | 46 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 20 January 2006 | Obese | CD | OBR 041 |
| 12" vinyl | OBR 041-2 |
References
edit- ^ "Hilltop Hoods - Clown Prince". Australian Charts.com. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
- ^ "hottest 100 2006". triple j. ABC. 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ a b Coleman, Tim (21 July 2006). "Gold in them thar hills". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- ^ "Don Argott a/k/a "Pornosonic" Receives First Gold Award Plaque". Bernard M. Resnick - Attorney at Law. 21 February 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
- ^ "Hilltop Hoods - Clown Prince". NovaFM. dmgRadio Australia. 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ ""Clown Prince" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
- ^ "Hilltop Hoods - Clown Prince". Discogs. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
- ^ "Hilltop Hoods – CLOWN PRINCE". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Australian Singles for 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 August 2024.