Planet of the Bass
| "Planet of the Bass" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kyle Gordon featuring DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica | ||||
| from the album Kyle Gordon Is Great | ||||
| Released | August 15, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kyle Gordon | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Kyle Gordon singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Planet of the Bass" on YouTube | ||||
"Planet of the Bass" is a 90s style eurodance song written by American comedian Kyle Gordon under the pseudonym DJ Crazy Times, featuring American singer-songwriter Chrissi Poland under the name Ms. Biljana Electronica.[1][2][3] It was released on August 15, 2023.[4] Brooks Allison, a sketch writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Jamie Siegel served as producers.[3][5]
"Planet of the Bass" is part of Kyle Gordon Is Great, a comedy album released in early 2024.[6]
Background and composition[edit]
The song was created as a parody of 1990s European dance music.[7] The song contains broken English lyrics, such as "When the rhythm is glad / There is nothing to be sad", and "Life, it never die / Women are my favorite guy".[1]
The female vocals are provided by Chrissi Poland, who vocally portrays the fictional character Ms. Biljana Electronica. In the music videos, she is mainly portrayed by actress Audrey Trullinger, in addition to Mara Olney and Sabrina Brier.[8] Electronica was featured in the original short video of the song, being portrayed by Trullinger. Trullinger was replaced by Olney, who was criticised for being less energetic.[9][10] Olney was replaced with Brier who portrayed Electronica in one video.[11] Electronica was featured in the official "Planet of the Bass" music video, ultimately portrayed by Trullinger, but with minor appearances by Olney and Brier as Biljana on a computer screen.[12][13][14]
Gordon filmed a short video for the song in New York City's Oculus building, with Trullinger portraying Biljana Electronica,[2][3] before they were asked to leave by the police for filming in the area.[3][4]
Release[edit]
The video was uploaded on July 28, 2023, and it soon went viral on Twitter, TikTok and Tumblr.[2][7] Gordon advanced the song's official release date from August 22 to August 15.[15]
On August 3, Gordon uploaded another snippet of the song, this time with Mara Olney playing Biljana over the same vocal track. This, as well as Olney's "less nostalgic fashion and relatively muted expressions", was faced with backlash from fans who demanded Trullinger's return. That same night, Gordon premiered the full song live at Mood Ring, a queer bar in Brooklyn. On August 7, a third snippet was uploaded, featuring TikTok personality Sabrina Brier portraying Biljana. Gordon told NBC News that the videos with Trullinger and Olney were inspired by a common trope in 1990s Eurodance music videos, in which the singers would be replaced by various models.[5] In an interview with The Washington Post, Trullinger said that she initially thought she had been replaced after learning that Gordon was filming the version with Olney. After both versions were released, she called the stunt "so funny" and praised Olney for being "fantastic and hilarious".[3]
Reception[edit]
Soon after the release of the snippet of the song, Mark Harris, former executive at Entertainment Weekly, praised the clip, saying that had the song been released in 1997, they would've been given a whole page with a photo shoot in Entertainment Weekly.[2] The band Aqua commented: "Wait, is this play about us???",[16] on Gordon's initial TikTok clip of the song, referencing a line spoken by Euphoria character Maddy Perez. Gordon named Aqua as one of the inspirations for the track, and credited the hype around their 1997 song "Barbie Girl" (due to the release of the film Barbie) for his song's popularity.[5] Miles Klee of Rolling Stone described the song as a "landmark achievement" and a party anthem.[4]
On August 16, Gordon and Trullinger were invited by the Jonas Brothers to perform the song in Boston during their world tour. The song debuted at number 46 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, with 736,000 streams in the US.[17]
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[17] | 46 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (August 1, 2023). "'Planet of the Bass' is our most anticipated song of the summer". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Mather, Katie (August 1, 2023). "WHAT IS THE SONG 'PLANET OF THE BASS'? PARODY EURO-POP MUSIC VIDEO GOES VIRAL FOR SPOT-ON HOMAGE TO THE '90S". intheknow. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Chery, Samantha (August 6, 2023). "What happened to the original Biljana in 'Planet of the Bass'?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c Klee, Miles (August 3, 2023). "'Planet of the Bass': Nobody Can Get This 1990s Eurodance Parody Out of Their Head". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c Tolentino, Daysia (August 4, 2023). "'Planet of the Bass' is the song of the summer on TikTok. And it hasn't even debuted yet". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ Paltrowitz, Paltrocast With Darren (December 4, 2023). "Kyle Gordon On His New Album For BMG, "The Simpsons," Music & More — "Paltrocast" Exclusive |..." Medium. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (July 31, 2023). "'Planet of the Bass': What is this weird song taking over the internet?". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Mather, Katie (August 1, 2023). "What is the song 'Planet of the Bass'? Parody Euro-pop music video goes viral for spot-on homage to the '90s". In The Know. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Chery, Samantha (August 7, 2023). "What happened to the original Biljana in 'Planet of the Bass'?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Klee, Miles (August 7, 2023). "Will the Real Ms. Biljana Electronica Please Stand Up?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "The Definitive Ranking of the Revolving 'Planet of the Bass' Vocalists". Gizmodo. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Ms. Biljana Electronica makes triumphant return to Planet of the Bass". Dexerto. August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "'Planet of the Bass' Gets a Full Music Video -- With the Original Ms. Biljana Electronica". Rolling Stone. August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Radulovic, Petrana (August 15, 2023). "Ms. Biljana Electronica returns for the full 'Planet of the Bass' music video". Polygon. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Klee, Miles (August 7, 2023). "Will the Real Ms. Biljana Electronica Please Stand Up?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ Abraham, Ellie (August 1, 2023). "'Planet of the Bass' might be the best parody song you hear this year". Indy100. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Zellner, Xander (August 23, 2023). "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: DJ Crazy Times, Men I Trust, Obongjayar, Briscoe & More". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2023.