"Fit but You Know It" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released on 26 April 2004 as the lead single of the Streets' second studio album, A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004). The song reached number four on the UK Single Charts.
| "Fit but You Know It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Streets | ||||
| from the album A Grand Don't Come for Free | ||||
| B-side | "Soaked by the Ale" | |||
| Released | 26 April 2004 | |||
| Length | 4:14 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Skinner | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Skinner | |||
| The Streets singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editSkinner told the Daily Star that the lyrics refer to former S Club 7 member Rachel Stevens who was embarking on a solo career at the time the song was recorded. He later denied the song was about Stevens and said that he threw her name out as a red herring to escape the nosey reporter's questions.[1]
Critical reception
editLeonie Cooper of NME called the "chugging beat" and "the extreme rowdiness of it all" the best parts of the song.[2] James Snodgrass of NME called it, "a great first single, it takes a guitar chug and a boozy rant and combines them to joyous effect."[3] Decca Aitkenhead of The Guardian said that the song "managed to capture the comically crude but complex sexual politics of a busy late-night chip shop on a lads' holiday".[4]
Commercial performance
editThe single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, spending 15 weeks inside the top 75. In Australia, the song was ranked number 18 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.[5]
Music video
editThe music video for the single has a cameo of the cast of The Football Factory which includes Danny Dyer and Frank Harper. In the video, Mike Skinner plays the part of a man picking up his holiday photos from the developers. As the song is playing, he looks through the photos which show scenes from his holiday. The video was released on two separate formats- a DVD single (which also included the video for "The Irony of It All") and a bonus DVD which came with some copies of parent album A Grand Don't Come for Free.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fit but You Know It" (Radio Edit) | 3:08 |
| 2. | "Soaked by the Ale" | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 06:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fit but You Know It" | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Fit but You Know It" (featuring The Futureheads) | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Fit but You Know It" (featuring Kano, Donae'o, Lady Sovereign and Tinchy Stryder) | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Fit but You Know It" (Donae'o Remix) | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Fit but You Know It" (Video) | 3:34 |
| Total length: | 18:13 | |
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | 37 |
| Germany (GfK)[7] | 85 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 11 |
| Scotland (OCC)[9] | 6 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 42 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 4 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[12] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26 April 2004 | CD | [14] | |
| Australia | 10 May 2004 | [15] |
References
edit- ^ "Skinner denies ode to Stevens". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 10 June 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Cooper, Leonie (13 October 2017). "The Streets' 10 best songs". nme.com. NME. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Snodgrass, James (12 September 2005). "The Streets: A Grand Don't Come For Free". nme.com. NME. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (18 March 2012). "Mike Skinner: 'I get withdrawal symptoms if I've not created something for a few days'". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ "Hottest 100 2004". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "The Streets – Fit but you Know It". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "The Streets – Fit but you Know It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fit but you Know It". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "The Streets – Fit but you Know It". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "British single certifications – Streets – Fit but You Know It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 24 April 2004. p. 27.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th May 2004" (PDF). ARIA. 10 May 2004. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2021.