Dirty Harry (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the song by the Gorillaz. "Dirty Harry" is also a song by Adam & the Ants.
“Dirty Harry”
“Dirty Harry” cover
Single by Gorillaz featuring Booty Brown
from the album Demon Days
Released November 21, 2005 (UK)
December 6, 2005 (US)
Format 12", CD, Maxi-CD, DVD
Recorded 2004
Genre Hip hop, Alternative
Length 3:49
Label Parlophone Records
Producer Gorillaz, Danger Mouse
Gorillaz featuring Booty Brown singles chronology
"DARE"
(2005)		 "Dirty Harry"
(2005)		 "Kids With Guns" / "El Mañana"
(2006)

"Dirty Harry" is a song from Gorillaz' second album Demon Days. It was the third single from the album, released 21 November 2005. It peaked at #6 in the UK. It was also released as a promo and onto iTunes earlier that year. An early version of "Dirty Harry" titled "I Need A Gun" was included on Damon Albarn's album Democrazy. On 8 December 2005 it was announced that "Dirty Harry" had been nominated for a Grammy under the category "Urban/Alternative Performance", but was beaten by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock".

The song's lyrics contain the line "The war is over so says the speaker with the flight suit on", apparently referring to George W. Bush's televised speech of May 1, 2003.

Dirty Harry is also a 1971 film directed by Don Siegel. One of Gorillaz's earlier singles is also the name of this movie's actor, Clint Eastwood. The single cover is similar to that of the film Full Metal Jacket.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

[edit] UK releases

  1. "Dirty Harry" - 3:49
  2. "Dirty Harry" (instrumental) - 3:49
  3. "Dirty Harry" (a cappella) - 3:49
  1. "Dirty Harry" - 3:49
  2. "All Alone" (live) - 3:39
    • From the summer 2005 Demon Detour radio program
  • CD CDRS6676
  1. "Dirty Harry" - 3:49
  2. "Hongkongaton" - 3:34
  3. "Dirty Harry" (Chopper remix) - 3:39
  4. "Dirty Harry" (video) - 3:49
  5. "Dirty Harry" (animatic with "Dirty Harry" instrumental)
  • DVD DVDR6676
  1. "Dirty Harry" (video) - 3:49
  2. "Murdoc Is God" - 2:25
  3. "Dirty Harry" (animatic with "Dirty Harry" instrumental)

[edit] Japan release

  1. "Dirty Harry" - 3:49
  2. "All Alone" (live) - 3:39
    • From the summer 2005 Demon Detour radio program.
  3. "Dirty Harry (Chopper remix)" - 3:39
  4. "Hongkongaton" - 3:34
  5. "Dirty Harry" (video)

[edit] Australia release

  1. "Dirty Harry" - 3:49
  2. "Dirty Harry (Chopper remix)" - 3:39
  3. "Hongkongaton" - 3:34
  4. "Dirty Harry" (video)
  5. "Dirty Harry" (animatic with "Dirty Harry" instrumental)

[edit] US iTunes EP

  1. "Dirty Harry" (video)
  2. "Dirty Harry" (Demon Days Live in Harlem - video)
  3. "Highway (Under Construction)" (audio)
  4. "Hongkongaton" (audio)

[edit] Music video

The video was first released on 25 October to subscribers of the Gorillaz website mailing list.

Like the Gorillaz video Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry is a reference to the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name.

Dirty Harry is the only Gorillaz music video to be filmed on-location. The band was going to use a computer animated desert, but it turned out simply flying the crew and band to the desert was cheaper and easier. Most of the video features shirtless 2-D and an animated version of the Children's Choir San Fernandez stranded in the middle of a desert, following what appears to have been a helicopter crash (which may be a relation to El Mañana, but most likely isn't, as Noodle is completely unharmed in the video and El Manana was created after Dirty Harry). The survivors keep themselves entertained with the song while awaiting the arrival of rescuers, portrayed by Noodle and Murdoc crewing a South African Defence Force Casspir mine-proof vehicle driven by Russel (who has grown a Fu Manchu). The song and video feature a guest appearance by Pharcyde rapper Bootie Brown, who leaps out of a sand dune in WW2 military fatigues to perform his verse of the song.

In the end of the video the Gorillaz, the children and Bootie Brown depart the crash site in the military vehicle, which unfortunately breaks down meters away. The video also features a reference to the film Napoleon Dynamite (a film 2-D claims to admire) where 2-D makes his hands resembling a bird flying.

The themes in the single, as well as the themes in the entire album are all based on Damon Albarn's observations on the state that the world is in today[1].

The helmet which appears on the single cover and the poster for the video (seen in the cinema section of the Gorillaz website) is reminiscent of the Full Metal Jacket movie poster, hinting that the album follows a story much like the movie. This song is the part in the story while the soldier (Bootie Brown) is being sent off to war unjustly, now separated from his lover at home.

[edit] Cover images

UK (DVD), Japan (EP)

[edit] Trivia

  • In an interview, 2D had stated that the keyboard collaboration was something that he had picked up from watching Sesame Street.
  • This is the first and only music video of Gorillaz to be filmed on location.
  • This is the second music video to feature Gorillaz in the real world, the first being Tomorrow Comes Today.
  • The beat for Dirty Harry has been used by Lupe Fiasco and Wale (rapper) on songs of their own
  • Australian producer Paul Mac remixed the track, which became the preferred version for radio play across many networks.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Gorillaz
2D · Murdoc Niccals · Noodle · Russel Hobbs
Albums & EPs
Remix & Compilations
DVDs
Singles
"Clint Eastwood" · "19-2000" · "Rock the House" · "911" · "Tomorrow Comes Today" · "Lil' Dub Chefin'" · "Feel Good Inc." · "Dare" · "Dirty Harry" · "Kids with Guns" / "El Mañana" ·
Interview albums
Collaborators
Related articles