"E=MC²" is a 1986 single by the English band

Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist), Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of th ...

, released as the second single from their debut studio album, ''

This Is Big Audio Dynamite ''This Is Big Audio Dynamite'' is the debut studio album by the English band Big Audio Dynamite, led by Mick Jones, the former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. It was released on 1 November 1985 by Columbia Records. The album p ...

'' (1985). The song was the band's first Top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 11. Additionally, it peaked at number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States. The song features prominent dialogue samples from the crime drama film ''

Performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

'' (1970). The song is also played during the opening titles of the French movie '' Forces spéciales'' (2011).

History

This song was inspired by the films of

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg ( ; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance (film), Performance'' (1970), ''Walkabout (film), Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973) ...

, including ''

'' (1970; written and co-directed by

Donald Cammell Donald Seton Cammell (17 January 1934 – 24 April 1996) was a Scottish painter, screenwriter, and film director. He has a cult reputation largely due to his debut film ''Performance'', which he wrote the screenplay for and co-directed wi ...

), '' Walkabout'' (1971), ''

Don't Look Now ''Don't Look Now'' () is a 1973 English-language thriller film directed by Nicolas Roeg, adapted from the 1971 short story by Daphne du Maurier. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland portray Laura and John Baxter, a married couple who trav ...

'' (1973), ''

The Man Who Fell to Earth ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' is a 1976 British science fantasy drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and adapted by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows an extraterrestrial named Thomas Jerom ...

'' (1976), ''

Eureka Eureka often refers to: * Eureka (word), a famous exclamation attributed to Archimedes * Eureka effect, the sudden, unexpected realization of the solution to a problem Eureka or Ureka may also refer to: History * Eureka Rebellion, an 1854 g ...

'' (1983), and '' Insignificance'' (1985). Its lyrics refer directly to many of them. For example: *The last four lines of the first verse "Man dies first reel / People ask what's the deal? / This ain't how it's supposed to be / Don't like no Aborigine" are a reference to the adventure survival film '' Walkabout'' (1971), which begins with an adult character committing suicide, which then leaves two children to survive a trek across the Australian outback, aided by a young Aboriginal male. * The second verse (from "Took a trip to Powis Square" to "Insanity Bohemian style") refers to the two main characters in ''Performance'' (1970): a retired rock star (played by

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

) and a gangster on the run (played by

James Fox James William Fox (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor known for his work in film and television. Fox's career began in the 1960s through roles in films such as '' The Servant'' and ''Performance''. He is also known for his role ...

) * "King of brains" – refers to

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

, a lead character in ''Insignificance'' (1985) * "Queen of the sack" – refers to

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

, a lead character ''Insignificance'' (1985) * "Hall of fame baseball" – refers to

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...

, a lead character in ''Insignificance'' (1985) * "Senator's a hoodlum" – refers to

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...

, a lead character in ''Insignificance'' (1985) * "Space guy fell from the sky" – refers to ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976), starring

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

* The second verse (from "Met a dwarf who was no good" to "Gets to take the funeral ride") describes ''

'' (1973), starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

. Included throughout the song are dialogue samples from ''Performance'' (1970).

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song (directed by

Don Letts Donovan Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band Big Au ...

) features clips from films made by

, coupled with scenes of the band performing in a mine.

Mick Jones and Hard-Fi

Indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Hard-Fi Hard-Fi is an English indie rock band, formed in 2003 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. The band consists of Richard Archer ( lead vocals and guitar), Ross Phillips (guitar and backing vocals), Kai Stephens (bass guitar and backing vocals) and S ...

have performed "E=MC²" live, being joined by Big Audio Dynamite's lead vocalist Mick Jones on occasion. One such performance was at the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...

on 15 May 2006, a gig at which

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...

and

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

also appeared.Hard-Fi team up with very special guest , News , NME.COM
/ref> On 18 May 2006, Hard-Fi were again joined onstage by Jones one song into their three-song encore for their final performance of "E=MC²".

Track listing

7" CBS / A 6963 (UK) # "E=MC²" – 4:30 # "This Is Big Audio Dynamite" – 3:39 7" Columbia / 38-06053 (US) # "E=MC²" – 4:30 # "A Party" – 4:44 12" CBS / TA 6963 (UK) # "E=MC² (Extended Remix)" – 6:18 (remixed by Paul 'Groucho' Smykle) # "This Is Big Audio Dynamite" – 5:53 12" Columbia / 44-05909 (US) # "E=MC² (Extended Remix)" – 5:33 (remixed by Bert Bevans) # "A Party" – 10:15 (remixed by Paul 'Groucho' Smykle)

Chart positions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:E=Mc2 (Song) 1985 songs 1986 singles Big Audio Dynamite songs Music videos directed by Don Letts Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Song recordings produced by Mick Jones (The Clash) CBS Records singles Songs written by Don Letts Songs based on speech samples