Tequila (Terrorvision Song)
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"Tequila" is a song by English rock band
Terrorvision Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 (as The Spoilt Bratz) in Keighley, West Yorkshire, and initially disbanded in 2001. The band used Bradford as a base after the name change to Terrorvision in 1991, by which time ...
, written by the band and
Chuck Rio Daniel Flores (July 11, 1929 – September 19, 2006), also known by his stage name Chuck Rio, was an American Rock and roll saxophonist. He is best remembered for his self-penned song "Tequila", which he recorded with The Champs, the band of wh ...
and produced by Scottish musician
Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a so ...
. The song originally appeared on the band's fourth studio album, ''
Shaving Peaches ''Shaving Peaches'' is the fourth album by Terrorvision. Released in 1998 as the follow-up to ''Regular Urban Survivors'', it found the band heading in a more chart-orientated pop direction with co-production from Edwyn Collins. Here, the band ...
'' (1998), and was released as the album's second single on 18 January 1999. For the single release, English music producer
Mint Royale Mint Royale is the alias of electronic music producer Neil Claxton and, until 2004, a duo consisting of himself and Chris Baker, originating from Manchester, England. It was founded by Claxton and Baker in 1997. Baker left the band in 2004, bu ...
remixed the track. These remixes were heavily championed by
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
DJ
Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster and presenter. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows for the BBC, and in 2024 was confirmed as the second-highest paid BBC presenter after G ...
, allowing the song to reach number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Terrorvision's highest-charting song in the UK. In 1999, the song won the
Kerrang! Award for Best Single The ''Kerrang!'' Award for Best Single is an honor presented at the Kerrang! Awards, ''Kerrang!'' Awards, an annual ceremony established in 1993 to recognise achievements in rock music. The award was renamed 'Best Song' for the 2018 ceremony onwar ...
.


Release

For its release as a single,
Mint Royale Mint Royale is the alias of electronic music producer Neil Claxton and, until 2004, a duo consisting of himself and Chris Baker, originating from Manchester, England. It was founded by Claxton and Baker in 1997. Baker left the band in 2004, bu ...
remixed "Tequila", creating three mixes known as the "Mint Royale shot", "Mint Royale chaser", and "Mint Royale slammer" versions. "Risk Worth Taking" was also included as a
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
on the second UK CD. The song was originally scheduled to be released a week earlier than planned, but during a meeting with
Terrorvision Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 (as The Spoilt Bratz) in Keighley, West Yorkshire, and initially disbanded in 2001. The band used Bradford as a base after the name change to Terrorvision in 1991, by which time ...
's record label,
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
, management convinced the band to delay the release for a week. According to lead vocalist Tony Wright: Although Wright stated that
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (''née'' Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...
's debut release was the reason they had delayed the release of "Tequila", Halliwell's first solo single was not scheduled for release until 10 May 1999. The single that was at number one the week before "Tequila" charted, "
A Little Bit More "A Little Bit More" is a song written and performed by American musician Bobby Gosh, released on his 1973 album ''Sitting in the Quiet''. American rock band Dr. Hook recorded the first hit version which was released as a single in 1976. It ch ...
", was a cover version by English
boyband A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands dance a ...
911 911, 9/11 or Nine Eleven may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** The 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, commonly referred to as 9/11 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that ousted the ...
, not Halliwell. Shortly before EMI Records released "Tequila", they discussed dropping Terrorvision from the label. However, the Mint Royale mixes of the song soon earned heavy support from
Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster and presenter. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows for the BBC, and in 2024 was confirmed as the second-highest paid BBC presenter after G ...
, who at the time hosted
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's ''
Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regi ...
'' show. Public demand eventually led to the single's release on 18 January 1999.


Critical reception

British columnist
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 ...
wrote that the original version of the song was not a standout on the album but called the Mint Royale version "the most sublime party track you have heard since, well,
Brimful of Asha "Brimful of Asha" is a song by English alternative rock band Cornershop from their third album, '' When I Was Born for the 7th Time'' (1997). The recording, released by Wiiija, originally reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. Afte ...
". At the 1999
Kerrang! Awards The ''Kerrang!'' Awards was an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards featured performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards ...
, the song won the Award for Best Single. In 2011,
Tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...
-based website TasteTequila ranked the song at number three on their list of the "13 Obscure (Yet Awesome) Songs About Tequila". Conversely, Caroline Sullivan of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' wrote that the song was a "fluke", going on to say that the only thing that distinguishes the song from anonymity is the
refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...
, comparing "Tequila" as a whole to a cover version of
Five 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
's " Keep On Movin".


Chart performance

On the week starting 24 January 1999, "Tequila" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, behind
the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
's " Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", with sales of 58,000 copies. Regarding this result, Wright said that he did not mind that Terrorvision did not top the chart, explaining that he was happy there were two rock bands occupying the top two positions. By reaching number two, "Tequila" became Terrorvision's highest-charting single in their home country as well as their longest-charting, staying in the top 100 for 13 weeks, twice as long as their second-longest-charting song, " Oblivion" (1994). In 2013, the single was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for shipping over 200,000 copies in the UK. Outside the UK, "Tequila" became Terrorvision's only top-30 hit on the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
, peaking at number 20 and spending four weeks in the top 30. The song also reached the top 30 in Iceland, where it peaked at number 23 in May 1999. Elsewhere in Europe, the song charted only in the Netherlands, reaching number 83 on the
Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
ranking. On the
Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
, the single debuted and peaked at number 13 on the issue dated 6 February 1999. In New Zealand, "Tequila" became Terrorvision's only song to chart, debuting at its peak of number 13 on 28 March 1999 and spending seven weeks in the top 50. Despite the song's success, Terrorvision would soon be dropped by EMI Records.


Track listings

UK CD1 and 12-inch single # "Tequila" (Mint Royale chaser) # "Tequila" (album version) # "Tequila" (Mint Royale slammer) UK CD2 # "Tequila" (Mint Royale shot) # "Tequila" (album version) # "Risk Worth Taking" European CD single # "Tequila" (Mint Royale shot) # "Tequila" (album version)


Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the ''
Shaving Peaches ''Shaving Peaches'' is the fourth album by Terrorvision. Released in 1998 as the follow-up to ''Regular Urban Survivors'', it found the band heading in a more chart-orientated pop direction with co-production from Edwyn Collins. Here, the band ...
'' album booklet and the UK CD1 liner notes. * Terrorvision – writing ** Tony Wright – lead vocals, backing vocals ** Mark Yates – electric guitar, Spanish guitar ** Leigh Marklew – bass ** Ian "Shutty" Shuttleworth – drums * Charlotte Banadout – backing vocals * Grace Maxwell – backing vocals * Kassie Landau – backing vocals * Melissa Mantigi – backing vocals * Monique Kyriacou – backing vocals * Naomi Stoll – backing vocals * Jeff Scantlebury – percussion *
Dick Cuthell Dick Cuthell is a British musician and record producer. He plays flugelhorn, cornet, and trumpet, amongst a range of other brass instruments, including tenor horn and valve trombone. Cuthell is best known for his work with the SpecialsStrong, M ...
– trumpet *
Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a so ...
– production * John Cornfield – mixing * Mint Royale – remixing * AP.D – artwork design * Spencer Rowell – photography


Charts


Certifications


References

{{Authority control 1998 songs 1999 singles EMI Records singles Mint Royale songs Songs about alcohol Terrorvision songs