Peak
36
Weeks
20
Score
1,629
Chart Year
1999
The accompanying video for "Praise You" was directed by Spike Jonze with Roman Coppola.[5] Jonze starred in the film, under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, along with a fictional dance group: The Torrance Community Dance Group.[5] The video intro described it as "A Torrance Public Film Production".[6] The video was shot[7] guerrilla-style – that is, on location without obtaining permission from the owners of the property – in front of puzzled onlookers outside the Fox Bruin Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles, California.[8] In the video, a heavily disguised Jonze and the dance group, acting as a flash mob, dance to "Praise You", much to the chagrin of a theatre employee who turns off their portable stereo. One of the actor-dancers in the fictional dance group, Michael Gier, documented the making of the "Praise You" video on his website.[8] The "Praise You" video was made only because Jonze, unable to work with Fatboy Slim on the video for "The Rockafeller Skank", recorded and sent his own solo dance video of "Skank" as a gift; Jonze's 'alternative' music video was so well received by Cook that Jonze's fictional Torrance Community Dance Group was green-lighted for the official video for "Praise You".[9] Cook has said he liked this music video more so than the one for "The Rockafeller Skank," which he hated.[10] Cook himself is briefly seen in the video as one of the many onlookers, with the clearest view shown at the conclusion of the video, while Jonze claims his "b-boy moves" came from living in New York. Cook curiously peers over Jonze to catch a glimpse of the camera before walking off to the right. The video reportedly cost only US$800 to produce.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction (awarded to "Torrance Community Dance Group"), and Best Choreography (awarded to "Richard Koufey & Michael Rooney"). It was also nominated for, but did not win, Best Dance Video. The group also put on a dance performance to the song at the awards.[19] In 2001, it was voted number one of the 100 best videos of all time, in a poll to mark the 20th anniversary of MTV.[2
This is based on a 1975 song by the actress and soul singer Camille Yarborough called "Take Yo' Praise." She released just one album, and this was the last track. It was a very obscure song, but Fatboy Slim found it on a compilation CD and sampled it. Yarborough was a civil rights activist. Her song is about a particular man, but also a message to Black people in general. Yarborough's vocal is used throughout. She made much more money on royalties from this than she did on her own album. Al Gore used this while campaigning for president in 2000. Slim's response: "Thank God it wasn't the Republicans. I would have had to sue." This was used in a slew of television features about athletes and celebrities. The exposure helped the song gain popularity. The video that's making bad dancers look good was shot after Fatboy Slim's performance at the Mayan Theatre in LA. It was shot on the lam outside a Westwood theatre, in one take in under 10 minutes. The dancers are from the fictional "Torrance Community Dance Group," the theatre managers and bouncers appearances were unscheduled, as was a break dancing Michael Jackson impersonator (who was cut from the video). The video is an expanded version of Spike Jonze's (Video Guru behind Weezer's "Buddy Holly," Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and the Chemical Brothers' "Electrobank") video treatment for "Rockafeller Skank." The treatment was a joke... a video tape of Spike dancing it up on Hollywood Boulevard. Look for Norman Cook in the video. He's bald, and pops his head in behind choreographer Richard Carfay (aka Spike Jonze) when he's talking about b-boys and posses. Total cost of the video was $800. >> This was featured in the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions. When British Prime Minister Tony Blair borrowed this in 1999, pundits took exception to the line, "I have to praise you like I should," accusing the New Labour leader of rampant egotism. Slim was unimpressed; "Somehow it's become the anthem of the soft left," he shrugged.
We've come a long, long way together Through the hard times and the good I have to celebrate you, baby I have to praise you like I should We've come a long, long way together Through the hard times and the good I have to celebrate you, baby I have to praise you like I should I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you like I should I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you We've come a long, long way together Through the hard times and the good I have to celebrate you, baby I have to praise you like I should I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you I have to praise you like I should I have to praise you
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 13, 1999 | 98 | 28 |
| 2 | Mar 20, 1999 | 71 | 55 |
| 3 | Mar 27, 1999 | 64 | 62 |
| 4 | Apr 3, 1999 | 61 | 65 |
| 5 | Apr 10, 1999 | 59 | 67 |
| 6 | Apr 17, 1999 | 53 | 73 |
| 7 | Apr 24, 1999 | 50 | 76 |
| 8 | May 1, 1999 | 48 | 78 |
| 9 | May 8, 1999 | 41 | 85 |
| 10 | May 15, 1999 | 37 | 89 |
| 11 | May 22, 1999 | 36 | 90 |
| 12 | May 29, 1999 | 39 | 87 |
| 13 | Jun 5, 1999 | 42 | 84 |
| 14 | Jun 12, 1999 | 41 | 85 |
| 15 | Jun 19, 1999 | 42 | 84 |
| 16 | Jun 26, 1999 | 48 | 78 |
| 17 | Jul 3, 1999 | 60 | 66 |
| 18 | Jul 10, 1999 | 76 | 50 |
| 19 | Jul 17, 1999 | 83 | 43 |
| 20 | Jul 24, 1999 | 87 | 39 |