Pop Muzik
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“Pop Muzik”
Single by M from the album New York • London • Paris • Munich
B-side	"M Factor"
Released	1979
Format	7", 12"
Genre	New Wave, Synthpop
Length	3:21
Label	MCA / EMI / Sire
Writer(s)	Robin Scott
Producer	Robin Scott
M singles chronology
"Moderne Man" (1979) "Pop Muzik" (1979) "Moonlight and Muzak" (1979)

"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song performed by the British band M, fronted by Robin Scott.

Concept and chart performance

Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:

I was looking to make a fusion of various styles which somehow would summarize the last 25 years of pop music. It was a deliberate point I was trying to make. Whereas rock and roll had created a generation gap, disco was bringing people together on an enormous scale. That's why I really wanted to make a simple, bland statement, which was, 'All we're talking about basically (is) pop music.^[1]

The single was released in the UK first, peaking at number 2 on May 12, 1979, unable to break Art Garfunkel's 6 week stint at number 1 with "Bright Eyes". In August of that same year, it was released in America, where it eventually climbed all the way to number one on November 3.

Along with Scott, other musicians who played on the track were his brother Julian Scott (on bass), then unknown keyboardist Wally Badarou, Canadian synthesizer programmer John Lewis (who died of AIDS in 1985) and Brigit Novik, the backing vocalist.

The single was bolstered by a promotional video that was well received in its day; the clip featured Scott as a DJ singing into a microphone from behind an exaggerated turntable setup, at times flanked by two women who sang and danced in a robotic manner. One of the sight gags in the video depicted a rather plain-looking woman actually recording the backup vocals, which are then mimed by the female models, something that seems to foreshadow a number of incidents that occurred much later in the music industry with groups such as Milli Vanilli, C&C Music Factory, and Black Box.

The single's B-side, "M Factor", was featured in two different versions. The original cut appeared on the first UK and European releases of the single, while a slightly remixed version appeared on the single released in the United States and Canada.

Album

The subsequent full-length album New York • London • Paris • Munich was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, at Queen's Mountain Studio, using their regular engineer David Richards, as well as Julian Scott, Wally Badarou (who would later work with Level 42 and Compass Point All Stars, among others) and Brigit Novik. Additional musicians on the album included drummer Phil Gould (later of Level 42), Gary Barnacle on saxophone and flute and (at the time) local Montreux resident David Bowie, who did occasional handclaps. The album was also released in the U.S. on Sire Records, but it was not a commercial success.

Other formats

The 12-inch single version was notable for the B-side having a double groove such that the two tracks ("Pop Muzik" and "M Factor") both started at the outer edge of the record and finished in the middle (with a long silence at the end of "M Factor" since the track was the shorter of the two). This resulted in a random selection of tracks.

Remixes and covers

The Barron Knights recorded a brief parody of Pop Muzik ("Chop Suey") as part of their comedy medley "Food for Thought".

"Pop Muzik" was re-released in remixed form several times, first in 1989. Other remixes and remakes recorded by other artists have come from all sides since its creation, including Marcus' "Pop Muzic 2001", eX-Girl in 2001, and by Junior Vasquez and the Dub Pistols in 2003.

A dance remix of the original M track by Steve Osborne was used by U2 during the introduction to each concert on their 1997-1998 PopMart Tour. The remix was later released as the "Pop Mart Mix" on U2's "Last Night on Earth" single, with new vocals by Bono and slightly altered lyrics.

Tricky released a cover version of the song as a B-side to his 1999 single "For Real".

A cover of "Pop Muzik" by 3rd Party appeared on the soundtrack album to the 1998 movie A Night at the Roxbury.

Track listings

Original 7" single

Original 7" single released by MCA Records and EMI in Europe.

1. Pop Muzik – 3:21
2. M Factor – 2:30

Long version single

Single released as a 7" vinyl in the United States by Sire Records, and as a 12" vinyl in France by Pathé Marconi EMI, both featuring a longer version of the song.

1. Pop Muzik (Long Version) – 4:58
2. M Factor – 2:30

Netherlands 12" single

12" single released in the Netherlands by MCA Records. The B-side "M Factor" was featured on the A-side of the vinyl on this release, with a remix of the title song on the B-side.

1. Pop Muzik
2. M Factor
3. Pop Muzik (Long Version)

Sweden 7" 1989 release

7" single re-released in Sweden in 1989 by Freestyle Records.

1. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10
2. Pop Muzik (Original 7" Version) – 3:20

Sweden 12" 1989 release

12" single released in Sweden in 1989 by Freestyle Records.

1. Pop Muzik (Extended 1989 Hip Hop Remix) – 5:40
2. Pop Muzik (7" Version) – 3:20
3. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Dub Remix) – 3:20
4. Pop Muzik (Original 12" Version) – 5:00
5. Pop Muzik (Edited 1989 Remix) – 3:10

Germany 12" 1989 release

12" single re-released in Germany in 1989 by ZYX Records.

1. Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Club Remix) – 5:38
2. Pop Muzik (The Hip Hop Remix) – 3:20
3. Pop Muzik (Original '79 Mix) – 3:21

Notes