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Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

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"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French duo Daft Punk, released on 13 October 2001 as the fourth single from their second studio album Discovery. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007 on 15 October 2007.[1][2] This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2009. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 132 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[3]

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
Single by Daft Punk
from the album Discovery
Released13 October 2001 (2001-10-13)
GenreFrench house
Length3:45
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Daft Punk
Daft Punk singles chronology
"Digital Love"
(2001) 		"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
(2001) 		"Face to Face"
(2003)
Audio sample
Daft Punk – "Harder Better Faster Stronger" (album version)
Music video
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" on YouTube
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)"
Single by Daft Punk
from the album Alive 2007
Released15 October 2007
Recorded14 June 2007
GenreHouse
Length4:43
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Daft Punk
Daft Punk singles chronology
"The Prime Time of Your Life"
(2006) 		"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)"
(2007) 		"Derezzed"
(2010)
Music video
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)" on YouTube

Composition

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"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is built around a "bouncy" keyboard riff sampled from the 1979 track "Cola Bottle Baby" by the funk musician Edwin Birdsong.[4] In 2016, Birdsong said: "I recorded ['Cola Bottle Baby'] 30 years ago, and here come some guys from France. I asked them, 'Where did you find the music?' And they said, 'I was going through bins and it popped out.' ... I'm blessed and I continue to be blessed by opening my arms to God every day."[4] The track also features vocoded vocals.[5] It is set in the key of F♯ minor.[6]

Reception

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In 2016, Daniel Jeakins wrote for HuffPost: "For all the gifts electronic deities Daft Punk have bestowed upon pop music, no track feels quite as iconic or ingenious as 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' ... Fifteen years on from its release and it’s hard to think of a dance track that’s as prominent in popular culture or influential to modern electronic music."[5] In 2021, Billboard ranked the song number two on its list of the 20 greatest Daft Punk songs.[7]

Music video

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The animated music video for "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was produced by Daft Punk and directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, director for Toei Animation, under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto. It features the four characters shown on the single cover in a vast electronic facility. There, they are prosthetically and cosmetically changed by various machines to resemble humans. The video was first released as an individual episode in promotion for the single release. It later appeared as a scene in the feature film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.

A music video for the live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was directed by Olivier Gondry. It contains footage shot by the audience on 250 cameras at Daft Punk's Brooklyn performance in KeySpan Park (now called Maimonides Park) in Coney Island. The video was inspired by the Beastie Boys concert film Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!.[1] The video had its world premiere online on 26 October 2007, at Webcastr.[8]

Live performances

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A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was recorded at Bercy in Paris from 14 June 2007. It was released as a download single on 15 October 2007, for the live album Alive 2007.[2] The track also contains a part of the "Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls" segment of the Bercy performance that features elements of the songs "Around the World", "Steam Machine", "Television Rules the Nation".[9] This version of the song won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards.[10]

Other versions

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Diplo released a remix of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" titled "Work Is Never Over". It appeared in his compilation album Decent Work for Decent Pay. The title of the song was also parodied in an episode of The Cleveland Show called '"Harder, Better, Faster, Browner", which was a part of season two. Neil Cicierega used the "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" instrumental, along with Smash Mouth's songs "Walkin' on the Sun" and "All Star", for the mashup "Daft Mouth" as part of Cicierega's Mouth Sounds album.

Philippe Uminski of the band Circus released a cover version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" in 2004.[11] Mike Tompkins released an a cappella version of the song in May 2012.[12]

Kanye West's song "Stronger" from the album Graduation prominently features a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Two actors who wore the robotic Daft Punk costumes in the film Daft Punk's Electroma appear in the music video for "Stronger".[1] It was performed live at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards with Daft Punk in their trademark pyramid while West was on stage rapping.[13] Daft Punk member Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo said that "Stronger" was "not a collaboration in the studio, but the vibe of the music we do separately connected in what [West] did with the song".[14] He later clarified that the live version was "truly a collaboration from the start. We really did it all hand in hand."[15]

Norwegian YouTube singer Per Fredrik Pellek Asly, or "PelleK", released a power metal version of the song in July 2013.[16] Steam Powered Giraffe covered the song in May 2014.[17]

Usage in media

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The television show Grey's Anatomy used the title of the song for the one of episodes seen in season fourteen. A clip of the song was used in the intro for the show "How It's Made". The song was used both in a Ben 10 promo, and in the theatrical trailer for the Disney animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet.[18][19] It was also used in the official trailer for the upcoming 2025 DreamWorks Animation film Dog Man.

The song was used as part of a task for contestants to complete in the UK Big Brother television series 10. It was performed by Sophie and Rodrigo.

Daft Hands

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"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is featured in the 2007 YouTube viral video Daft Hands, which shows a pair of hands moving to reveal each word of the song's lyrics.[20][21] The video was performed by Austin Hall, who later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[22] In 2010, Time magazine included Daft Hands in a list of "YouTube's 50 Best Videos".[23] The video inspired numerous remakes including the variant Daft Bodies; both videos, along with other viral videos, were referenced in Weezer's "Pork and Beans" music video.[22][24]

Track listing

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CD Maxi-Single (Virgin 7243 8979682 7)[25]
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" 3:43
2."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (Breakers Break remix)Dominique Torti4:38
3."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (The Neptunes remix) 5:12
4."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (Pete Heller's stylus mix) 9:14
Total length:22:47
CD Single – Alive 2007 version (5 099951 928803)[26]
No.TitleLength
1."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)" (radio edit)3:34
2."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)" (extended)4:43
3."Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)" (video)3:25
Total length:11:42

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Live Album To Chronicle Daft Punk Tour Archived 21 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine Billboard.com. Retrieved on 17 August 2007.
  2. ^ a b Daft Punk's official YouTube channel's channel on YouTube. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.
  3. ^ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". NME.COM. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b Savage, Mark (23 January 2019). "Funk musician sampled by Daft Punk dies". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Harder Better Faster Stronger: The Song That Proved Daft Punk's Genius | HuffPost UK". 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  6. ^ Thomas, Bangalter; Edwin, Birdsong; Punk, Daft (18 February 2014). "Harder Better Faster Stronger". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  7. ^ Bein, Kat (22 February 2021). "Daft Punk's Best Songs (Updated 2021)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  8. ^ webcastr.com - Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Archived 2007-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Daft Punk Alive 2007 Archived 6 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine ilikemusic.com. Retrieved on 14 October 2007.
  10. ^ MTV News Staff (8 February 2009). "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  11. ^ Uminski - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Archived 9 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine - YouTube
  12. ^ "Harder Better Faster Stronger - Daft Punk - Mike Tompkins - A Capella Cover". YouTube. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. ^ Daft Punk Make Surprise Grammy Appearance with Kanye West Archived 2016-04-02 at the Wayback Machine nme.com. Retrieved on 10 February 2008.
  14. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (14 August 2007). "Exclusive: Live Album to Chronicle Daft Punk Tour". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  15. ^ Blurt, "Encounters of the Daft Kind" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine (September 2008) pgs. 28-29. Retrieved on July 26, 2009.
  16. ^ "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Metal Cover)". YouTube. 10 July 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  17. ^ "Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Cover by Steam Powered Giraffe)". YouTube. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Daft Punk...Ben 10!?". Anime Superhero Forum. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  19. ^ Alexander, Julia (4 June 2018). "Wreck-It Ralph 2 trailer mocks Google's annoying predictive search". Polygon. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Daft Hands" video on YouTube. Retrieved on 1 December 2007.
  21. ^ "The 100 Greatest YouTube Videos of All Time, Ranked". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  22. ^ a b Cole, Samantha (23 February 2021). "'Daft Bodies' Was TikTok Before Trend Dances Were a Thing". Vice Motherboard. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  23. ^ Fletcher, Dan (29 March 2010). "YouTube's 50 Best Videos - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  24. ^ Willmott, Ben (4 August 2008). "The DIY Daft Punk video craze". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  25. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger". Discogs. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  28. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  29. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  30. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Daft Punk". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  33. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved Jan 23, 2020.
  34. ^ "Daft Punk Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  35. ^ "Daft Punk Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  36. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  37. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  38. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  39. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  40. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  41. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  42. ^ "Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2008". Ultratop. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  44. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2008". Ultratop. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  45. ^ "British single certifications – Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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