Underworld released “Born Slippy” – for the first time

Born Slippy Underworld

Writer(s): Rick Smith, Karl Hyde, Darren Emerson (see lyrics here) Released: May 1, 1995 First Charted: May 13, 1995 Peak: 2 UK, 20 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.4 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 78.4 video, 140.24 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Karly Hyde and Rick Smith are “pioneers of electronic music” XFM who worked together more than 20 years, 14 as Underworld. However, it wasn’t until “Born Slippy,” “the dance anthem of the Ibiza generation – that they became known for bringing dance music to the masses.” XFM The song “took Underworld from underground electro obscurity to the festival roster.” AMG It became “one of the greatest dance tracks of the decade.”XFM All Music Guide’s Tim DiGravina says it is “one of the best slices of electronica one will find…a landmark of its genre.” TG “The song's big opening chords, laced with delay and backed up with an ethereal wash of faux, electronic voices, made as much of an imprint as any of the great rock riffs of the past half century.” AMG Hyde wrote the song after a night of drinking with the intent of capturing how a drunk sees the world. It “document[s] the x-statically sharp heights of an evening out -- dancefloors, lust, and chemical highs -- and how quickly they are to dissipate.” AMG The song was mistakenly adopted by some as a drinking anthem, when it was really Hyde’s cry for help in dealing with alcoholism. The song first emerged as a B-side in 1995 and reached #52 on the UK charts. It resurfaced a year later after its inclusion in the movie Trainspotting. Underworld were initially reluctant to be involved with the film for fear of strengthening the link between drugs and dance music. XFM Director Danny Boyle showed them a clip of how it would be used and they signed on. Boyle called the song the “heartbeat” of the film. XFM The new version, known as “Born Slippy. NUXX,” was released as a single in July 1996 and went all the way to #2 on the UK charts. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Underworld AMG All Music Guide TG All Music Guide review by Tim DiGravina WK Wikipedia XFM Mike Walsh (editor) (2010). The XFM Top 1000 Songs of All Time. Elliott & Thompson Limited: London, England. Page 443. First posted 10/13/2021; last updated 8/24/2023.