"The Greatest Hit" is a song by Norwegian singer Annie. It was written and produced by Annie and DJ Tore "Erot" Kroknes. The song

sample Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's 1982 debut single "

Everybody Everybody may refer to: Music Albums * ''Everybody'' (Chris Janson album) or the title song, 2017 * ''Everybody'' (Gods Child album), 1994 * ''Everybody'' (Hear'Say album), 2001 * ''Everybody'' (Ingrid Michaelson album) or the title song, 2009 * ...

", and she received a co-writing credit. The track was released as a limited edition

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

in 1999. It became an underground club hit in Norway and the United Kingdom. Retitled "Greatest Hit", the song was later included on Annie's debut album, ''

Anniemal ''Anniemal'' is the debut album by Norwegian singer Annie. It was first released by 679 Recordings in September 2004. Annie began recording music in 1999 with her boyfriend, Tore Kroknes, who died in 2001. She returned to recording later that ...

'' (2004).

Background and release

In the late 1990s, Annie ran a

club night Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

called Pop Till You Drop in her hometown of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, Norway. There she met producer Tore "Erot" Kroknes, and the two began dating. "The Greatest Hit" was conceived while they were staying in a house belonging to Annie's mother. Kroknes was working on a track, but did not know what to do with it, so he asked Annie for help. Annie was listening to the song "Everybody" at the time, so she decided to play Madonna's self-titled debut album for Kroknes. He started to construct a song from a

of "

", and Annie came up with a

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

to sing over the track. The two borrowed a small studio from

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

duo

Röyksopp Röyksopp () a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different Electronic Mu ...

to record the song. In 1999, Mikal Tellé, Annie's friend and neighbour, issued a limited edition

of "The Greatest Hit" under his label Tellé Records. The release sold out in two days, and the track became an underground hit in nightclubs in Norway and Britain, resulting in offers for record deals. After seeing the interest that "The Greatest Hit" generated, Annie decided to turn her project into a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Composition

British producer

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...

heard "The Greatest Hit" as part of a

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

set and described the song as "otherworldly and beautiful". He cited the song's "idea of pop music coming from another place, another way of thinking" as an influence on his early work. As a result, Richard X asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album ''

Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 ''Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1'' is the debut compilation album by British pop producer Richard X. The album features 15 tracks all produced by Richard X, most of which feature guest vocals. Track listing # "Start" (Richard X) # "Bein ...

'' (2003). In exchange, he contributed "Me Plus One" and Annie's third single "

Chewing Gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its tex ...

" to her debut album ''Anniemal''. Annie originally aimed to make ''Anniemal'' a pop album that would not become quickly dated, one "that you could listen to in five years and it wouldn't sound terrible." She considered excluding "The Greatest Hit" from the album to achieve this, but ultimately included it because she felt it did not sound as if it were five years old.

Critical reception

"The Greatest Hit" received little attention when released as a single, but garnered critical acclaim when ''Anniemal'' was released in 2004. Sal Cinquemani of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' said that the song's "recycled synth-loop and elastic

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

still sound as fresh as they did in 1999 and, yes, even 1982." In a review for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Scott Plagenhoef described the song as an "intoxicating clubland 'duet' between producer and vocalist."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Andy Kellman likened the song's "nonchalant ecstasy" to that of

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist, R&B singer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, her 1982 single, "Forget Me Nots", received a no ...

's 1982

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

single "

Forget Me Nots "Forget Me Nots" is a song by the American R&B musician Patrice Rushen, released in April 1982 by Elektra Records as the first single from her seventh album, '' Straight from the Heart'' (1982). The song is co-written by Rushen with Freddie Was ...

". Dylan Hicks, in a review for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', commented that the song "still parties as if it were" from 1999 and "betters" the song it samples.

Track listings

*Norwegian 7-inch limited edition single :A. "The Greatest Hit" (7" Edit) – 4:29 :B. "The Greatest Hit" (7" Dub Rework) – 6:08 *Norwegian 12-inch limited edition single :A1. "The Greatest Hit" (12" Extended Disco Mix) – 7:29 :A2. "The Greatest Hit" (Radio Edit) – 4:19 :B. "The Greatest Hit" (12" Instrumental) – 9:39 *UK CD single #"The Greatest Hit" (Edit) – 4:22 #"The Greatest Hit" (Extended Disco Mix) – 7:32 #"The Greatest Hit" (Freeform Reform Vocal) – 9:40 *UK 12" single :A1. "The Greatest Hit" (Extended Disco Mix) – 7:32 :AA1. "The Greatest Hit" (Freeform Reform Vocal) – 9:40 *Digital EP #"The Greatest Hit" (Extended Disco Mix) – 7:28 #"The Greatest Hit" (Freeform Reform Vocal) – 9:42 #"Greatest Hit" (Edit) – 4:21 #"Greatest Hit" (Soul Mekanik Remix) – 10:43 *UK 12" single – The Greatest Dubs :A1. "The Greatest Dub" ( Soul Mekanik Dub) – 10:41 :A2. "The Greatest Dub" (Soul Mekanik ) – 2:20 :AA1. "The Greatest Dub" – 9:38 *Digital EP – 2010 Remixes #"Greatest Hit" (Stefano Noferini & Marini Mix) – 6:23 #"Greatest Hit" (Mark E Late Night Space Workout) – 7:07 #"Greatest Hit" (Mazoku Boyfriend Remix) – 3:33 #"Greatest Hit" (Stefano Noferini & Marini Radio Edit) – 3:32

Personnel

Credits adapted from 7-inch single liner notes. * Annie – lead vocals, production * Torbjørn Brundtland – mixing * Erot – mixing, production, sleeve design * Thoroball – photography

Charts

References

External links

* on AnnieMelody.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Hit, The 1999 debut singles 1999 songs Annie (singer) songs Songs written by Annie (singer) Songs written by Madonna