Connected (Stereo MC's song)

Did You Know?

• The song appears in the 1995 movie Hackers and the 2004 programme Dr. Vegas.
• It was used in the reveal trailer of the 2023 video game Crime Boss: Rockay City.
• Android used the song for its #GetTheMessage campaign encouraging Apple to adopt Rich Communication Services.

Background and release

Rob Birch and Nick Hallam of Stereo MCs grew up as next-door neighbours in Nottingham before moving to London and releasing their debut album 33-45-78 in 1989. "Connected" was created after three years of touring and was one of the last tracks completed for the album. Hallam told The Guardian in 2023 that they had the chorus but hit a dead end; in the studio, Birch began jamming "Aiii Aiii Aiii" vocals, which they looped through the song using a Bel Delay Unit sampler. Birch recalled repeatedly retriggering the sample until his finger bled. The bassline samples Jimmy "Bo" Horne's "Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover)". Hallam told Billboard in 1993 that the lyrics address the lack of connection between people and the tendency to categorize everything.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard called the song an instantly insinuating hiphop/funk workout with a shuffling groove, cool horns, and a contagious chorus phattened by femme vocal chants, later describing it as a mid-tempo retro-funk affair. Per Reinholdt Nielsen from Danish Gaffa praised it as a clever lesson in funk, extremely simple, with a great sound sampled from half a beat of KC and the Sunshine Band pulling back while Owen If drives the drums forward. Andrew Smith from Melody Maker complimented its forbidding funk, marrying a lazy swagger with Curtis Mayfield-like melancholy, and noted an Andrew Weatherall-esque shuffle, guaranteeing the chorus would be hummed until Christmas 1993. Music & Media called it a sure hit with new female vocalists shining over expressive rich grooves. Alan Jones from Music Week noted the pulsing bass and slick femme harmonies. Jim Carroll from NME described it as chock-a-block with jazzy flutes, chugging organs, and Rob B's fine growling rap. Jonathan Bernstein from Spin remarked its maximum uplift, comparing it to a less lush Massive Attack. Victor Haseman from The Stanford Daily found the group stitching a patchwork quilt of Euro-electro pop, hip-hop, and house.

Chart performance

"Connected" entered the top 10 in Austria, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the top 20 in Belgium, Finland, and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 18 during its second week and stayed there for two weeks. It reached the top 30 in France and the top 60 in the Netherlands. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 36 in January 1993, and on the European Dance Radio Chart, it reached number four in November 1992. Outside Europe, it peaked at number seven on the Canadian RPM Dance chart, number 32 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and number seven on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. In the US, it reached number 15 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, also charting on Billboard's Maxi-Singles Sales, Modern Rock Tracks, Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover, and Top 40/Mainstream charts. In Australia and New Zealand, it peaked at numbers 24 and 47, respectively.

Impact and legacy

Melody Maker ranked "Connected" number 19 in their "Singles of the Year" list in December 1992, calling it the grooviest single of the year. NME ranked it number 16 in their same list that month. Paste ranked it number eight in their "25 Awesome One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s" in 2011. In 2014, Musikexpress ranked it number 322 in their "700 Best Songs of All-Time". The Daily Telegraph ranked it number 34 in their "Top 50 Dance Songs" in 2015. BuzzFeed ranked it number 82 in their "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" in 2017. ThoughtCo ranked it number 65 in their "The Best 100 Songs from the 1990s" in 2018, with editor Bill Lamb remarking it is propelled by a catchy but downbeat atmospheric brand of hip-hop.