Music Sounds Better with You

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"Music Sounds Better with You" is a song by French house band Stardust, released as their only single on 20 July 1998, through the Roulé label. The song uses a sample of the song "Fate" by American singer Chaka Khan, which appeared on her third solo studio album What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981).

"Music Sounds Better with You" was one of the highest-selling singles of the year in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number two in August 1998 and maintained the position for two weeks. That same month, the song also spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It was also used in the encore of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 world tour.

Video Music Sounds Better with You

Production

The track was recorded in Paris at Daft House, where Bangalter (one half of the French group Daft Punk) is based. The song was conceived in Rex Club, Paris, where the trio were playing a live set. Bangalter and Braxe created the instrumental, which Diamond instinctively sang the title words over. The next day they laid down the track in the studio, adding the Chaka Khan sample.

The song remains the only release of the trio. Diamond and Braxe resumed their ongoing solo careers, and Bangalter, along with his usual partner Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, went on to release the second Daft Punk album, Discovery, as well as releasing other house music tracks solo or with other partners.

Maps Music Sounds Better with You

Critical reception

John Bush from AllMusic gave the single 4.5 stars out of 5 and also labels it as an "Album Pick" calling it "One of the most irresistible, sublime dance singles of the decade". It was ranked 46th on Pitchfork's Top 200 songs of the '90s. The publication included "Music Sounds Better with You" in its collection of The Pitchfork 500. In 2001, the magazine from the United Kingdom, Mixmag, listed the 100 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time with "Music Sounds Better with You" listed at number 11. The song also appears at number 6 on Mixmag's 50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time in 2013.

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Music video

Directed by Michel Gondry, set in California, United States, the song's music video depicts the story of a boy building a balsa wood model airplane over several summer days (it's implied that his parents are arguing, and this is his distraction from this). As he works, he watches a "Top 5" video countdown on television, on which the band Stardust move up one spot a day past other, fictional artists.

Braxe, Diamond, and Bangalter appear wearing metallic costumes in the video -- a trend Bangalter would follow as a member of Daft Punk. One of the fictional videos, "Hollipz" by "Dave Stavroz", is a parody of the music video of Robert Palmer's hit "Addicted to Love" (1986). When the boy has completed the plane, he takes it into the large fields next to the house and throws it in the air, only to watch it become stranded on top of a cloud. It is the same cloud Stardust were performing on in their video Top 5. They throw it back to the boy with a wave; he recovers it, waves at them, and runs away.

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Track listing and formats

12" vinyl single

1. "Music Sounds Better with You" - 6:48

CD single

1. "Music Sounds Better with You" (7" Edit) - 4:24
2. "Music Sounds Better with You" (12" Club Mix) - 6:48
3. "Music Sounds Better with You" (Bob Sinclar Remix) - 6:46

CD single (re-release)

1. "Music Sounds Better with You" (7" Edit) - 4:24
2. "Music Sounds Better with You" (12" Club Mix) - 6:48
3. "Music Sounds Better with You" (Bibi & Dim's Anthem from Paris Mix) - 10:30
4. "Music Sounds Better with You" (Chateau Flight Remix) - 7:17

Music Sounds Better with You Remixé EP

1. "Music Sounds Better with You" (Bibi & Dim's Anthem from Paris Mix) - 10:30
2. "Music Sounds Better with You" (DJ Sneak's 32 on Red Dub Mix) - 5:41
3. "Music Sounds Better with You" (Chateau Flight Remix) - 7:17
4. "Music Sounds Better with You" (DJ Sneak's 32 on Red Mix) - 8:16

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Charts and certifications

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Use in other media

• The song was interpolated in the 2006 video game Sonic '06, for the theme of Silver, "Dreams of an Absolution" by Lee Brotherton.
• The song is remixed in the encore of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 world tour.
• The song is featured in Grand Theft Auto V on fictional radio station Non-Stop-Pop FM.
• The song is featured in By Any Means in episode six of season one as the opening.
• The song inspired Madonna's song "Get Together".
• The song is partially covered in Big Time Rush's song "Music Sounds Better with U".
• The song was remixed by Giraffage in 2013.
• The song is sampled in Katy Perry's "California Gurls" - The Prismatic World Tour version.
• The song was used as an opening theme for the final season of Telemundo's MTV Dance Mix in 1998.
• The song is sampled in Statik Selektah's song "Beautiful Life", featuring Joey Badass and Action Bronson.
• The song was covered in 2016 by electronic music duo Vanrip.
• The song was covered in 2017 by Basada.
• The song was covered in 2017 by Neil Frances

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References

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External links

• "Music Sounds Better with You" at Discogs

Source of article : Wikipedia