Black Velveteen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Black Velveteen” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lenny Kravitz from the album 5 |
|||||
| Released | December 1999 | ||||
| Format | CD Single, Maxi-Single, 12", Promo Single | ||||
| Genre | Electronica,Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:48 | ||||
| Label | Virgin America | ||||
| Writer(s) | Lenny Kravitz | ||||
| Producer | Lenny Kravitz | ||||
| Lenny Kravitz singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
"Black Velveteen" is the sixth and last single to be released from 5 album by Lenny Kravitz. The song was also used to promote his Greatest Hits album. It was released on December 6, 1999.
[edit] Composition
Lenny Kravitz on the inspiration for Black Velveteen:
| “ | "Black Velveteen" is about technology and we're getting so pulled in by computers and technology and our kids have their face in the computers all day. We have our face in computers all day and the human relationship is being diminished by this so I figured, well ok, we're so into computers, and we're so into technology and now we're also beginning to play God and get into cloning and all kinds of things. So we don't like to have relationships we like to have them but we don't like to keep them and we don't know how to keep them. We give up quickly. Divorce is an easy option. So why not just create your own mate? And synthesize a human being. You get tired of it, you turn it off and put it in the closet, you know, like the vacuum cleaner. (laughs) You pull it out when you want it. Oh you don't want this one, and then you want, you start, it's probably going to happen one day. We're going to get to a really sick point of designing fake people."[1] | ” |
Musically, the song, apart from having an electro-rock influence, features notable sound effects that can be associated with everyday machines, such as the vacuum cleaner and drill.
[edit] Music Video
The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, tries to represent what the song really says. It features Kravitz and some women naked in an artistic and meaningful way. They were at a colorful place with avant-grade furniture, actually being Kravitz's own house in Miami. The video also shows a woman making some daily routine in a robotic and fast mode. The naked women, in spite of being shown nude not for erotic purposes, were censored. Nevertheless, the uncensored version of the video was included in the single release of the song.
[edit] Single track listing
- UK CD single edition
- Black Velveteen (Album Version)– 4:49
- American Woman (Timbaland Remix)– 3:49
- Black Velveteen (S-Man's Ghost In The Machine Mix)– 7:11
Note: This release also contains the uncensored version of the music video for the song.
- 12" edition
- Black Velveteen (S-Man's Ghost In The Machine Mix)– 7:10
- Black Velveteen (S-Man's Ghost In The Machine Dub)– 5:58
- Black Velveteen (S-Man's Ghost In The Machine Instrumental)– 5:55
- Black Velveteen (Stonebridge EXFM Mix)– 4:57
- Black Velveteen (Stonebridge Club Dub)– 6:21
- Black Velveteen (RPO Ready To Please Mix)– 6:16
- Black Velveteen (RPO Titanium Spin Dub Mix)– 5:41
|
||||||||
