"Buddy X" is a song by Swedish musician

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (; born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, rapper, occasional disc jockey, and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a numb ...

, released in 1993 by Circa and

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

as the third and final single from her second album, '' Homebrew'' (1992). Co-written and co-produced by Cherry, it was a top-40 hit in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, peaking at numbers 23 and 35, respectively. The song also charted in the United States, reaching No. 43 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, and in Canada, where it reached No. 28 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Singles chart. Additionally, it peaked at No. 2 on the

European Dance Radio Chart The European Dance Radio Chart (also known as European Dance Radio Top 25) was a weekly chart compiled by pan-European magazine ''Music & Media''. After dance music had played a more dominant role on the magazine's Eurochart Hot 100 in the beginni ...

by ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' and No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. Its music video was directed by

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna (entertainer), Madonna, David Bowie, Sting (musician), Sting, Björk, Don Henley, ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' felt the song is "way-hip", adding that on this "

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

-derived romp", Cherry "further proves that her double talent for singing and rhyming comes in mighty handy, as she swerves from sassy street kid-to worldly chanteuse with ease." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' said, "She speaks for all those who've been jacked around by that special someone in their life. Her message really cuts through, thanks to a catchy

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

woven into not only the chorus, but the entire track." Chris Dafoe from ''

Globe & Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it falls ...

'' remarked that the song finds Cherry "tipping towards

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

". In his weekly UK chart commentary,

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...

opined, "The latest is unlikely to progress much further either, a far cry from the days of '

Buffalo Stance "Buffalo Stance" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry, released in November 1988 by Circa and Virgin Records as the first single from the singer's debut album, ''Raw Like Sushi'' (1989). The song was co-written by Cherry and produ ...

' and ' Manchild'." A reviewer from ''

'' wrote that "intrinsically this is a slow song, but it has the drive of a real mean stomper. When Neneh sings "''yeah yeah''" you automatically join in and your feet start itching." Dave Piccioni from the ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' Dance Update remarked that the singer "drops the home girl stuff just long enough for us to discover that there's been a good voice in there all along."

Adam Higginbotham Adam Higginbotham (born 1968) is a British journalist who is the former U.S. correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph Magazine and former editor-in-chief of '' The Face''. He has also served as a contributing writer for'' The New Yorker'', ''Wired ...

from '' Select'' viewed it as "a fine, simple song — Neneh's voice is laid over bubbling clarinet, scalding backing vocals, and simple R&B guitar lick."

Siân Pattenden Siân Pattenden is an English journalist, author, illustrator and artist. She has worked for British publications like '' The Face'', ''The Guardian'', ''Independent'', ''NME'', '' Select'' and ''Smash Hits''. Pattenden has written six children's ...

from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' gave "Buddy X" three out of five, adding that "this tune seems boring at first but is a "grower". It has a nice beat and some friendly backing sorts who croon "''yeah yeah yeah''"."

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single. It was directed by French fashion photographer and music video director

1999 remix

In 1999, "Buddy X" was remixed by

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...

trio the

Dreem Teem The Dreem Teem are a British DJ, music production and remixing trio consisting of DJ Spoony, Mikee B, and Timmi Magic. They formed in 1996 through pirate radio, and were instrumental in developing the UK garage sound. They presented radio shows ...

and retitled "Buddy X 99". This version was a top-twenty hit, peaking at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the

UK Dance Singles Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...

. Other mixes on the single include the Original Dreem Teem Edit, the Dreem Teem Vocal Mix and the Original Dreem Teem Dub Mix.

Track listing

* CD single # "Buddy X 99" (Dreem House Edit) - 3:21 # "Buddy X 99" (Original Dreem Teem Edit) - 3:33 # "Buddy X 99" (Dreem Teem Vocal Mix) - 5:02 # "Buddy X 99" (Original Dreem Teem Dub Mix) - 5:32

Charts

Original version

1999 remix

References

{{authority control 1992 songs 1993 singles 1999 singles Neneh Cherry songs UK garage songs Songs written by Neneh Cherry Songs written by Cameron McVey Song recordings produced by Cameron McVey Song recordings produced by Jonny Dollar Virgin Records singles Music videos directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino