fbpx
Wikipedia

Better Off Alone

"Better Off Alone" is a song by Alice Deejay, the eurodance project of Dutch producer DJ Jurgen in collaboration with Wessel van Diepen, Dennis van den Driesschen, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg (Pronti & Kalmani). In 1997, the song was released as an instrumental by DJ Jurgen on Violent Records. Later releases of the track included vocals by Judith Pronk, who would later become an important part of the Alice Deejay project. The song was included on the project's debut album, Who Needs Guitars Anyway? (2000). The song is known for playing a key role in the development of the commercial trance sound, and has since been considered an electronic/trance music classic.[citation needed]

"Better Off Alone"
Orbit Records German cover
Single by Alice Deejay
from the album Who Needs Guitars Anyway?
Released1999[1]
Recorded1997[2]
StudioViolent (Studio 4045), (Hilversum, Netherlands)[3]
Genre
Length3:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Sebastiaan Molijn
  • Eelke Kahlberg
Producer(s)
Alice Deejay singles chronology
"Better Off Alone"
(1999)
"Back in My Life"
(1999)
Music video
"Better Off Alone" on YouTube
DJ Jurgen version
Violent Records DJ Jurgen single
Audio sample
21-second excerpt where the song's primary line is featured.

Production

The song was initially an instrumental track composed in 1997 by Jürgen "DJ Jurgen" Rijkers, Sebastiaan "Pronti" Moljin, and Eelke "Kalmani" Kahlberg at the Violent Studios 4045 complex in Hilversum, Netherlands.[4][2][3][5] Violent Music and Violent Studios owners Dennis "Danski" Van Der Driesschen and Wessel "Delmundo" van Diepen had previously offered studio space for Pronti and Kalmani next to their 4045 complex.[5] Before the production of "Better Off Alone", Pronti and Kalmani had worked on composing music for the label's other project the Vengaboys.[5]

In post-production of the instrumental, Sebastiaan Molijn stated he invented the lyric "Do you think you're better off alone?" after his romantic partner had left him. Molijn stated that "I started humming the vocal melody while the track was playing and we decided to add vocals. It made the emotion of the song as real as it gets."[4] Judith Pronk later served as singer for the Alice Deejay compositions of the song.[6] Pronti and Kalmani's official biography once stated that DJ Jurgen, "wanted to stay the underground DJ that he was, so the group Alice Deejay was formed."[5] In 1999, the "Radio Edit" was produced.[5]

Later in 1999, Sebastiaan Moljin and Eelke Kahlberg produced several remixes of the song which included the "Vocal Clubmix", "Pronti & Kalmani Vocal Remix", and the "Pronti & Kalmani Club Dub".[5]

Composition

"Better Off Alone" is written in the key of G-sharp minor. The song is set in common time with a fast tempo of 137 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of E–Dm–Gm–F, and the vocals span from B3 to G4.[7]

With the turn of the century, "Better Off Alone" has been described as a turning point in the development of a commercialized techno sound. This sound is shared by related compositions such as "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65 that surfaced around the same time.[8] Co-founder of Dash Berlin Jeffrey Sutorious stated, "It became such a huge chart hit around the world that many people categorised it as Euro Dance, when in fact it started out as vocal trance". Eelke Kalberg and Sebastiaan Molijn are Dash Berlin's other co-founders.[2] Entertainment Weekly described the song as "techno-pop" while Spin described it as a "trance-fueled Eurodance".[6][9]

Release

Single

The single was initially released as an instrumental single by DJ Jurgen in 1997 on Violent Music B.V.'s label Violent Records.[5] Upon its release, there were only 500 vinyls pressed.[2] After the single established credibility under DJ Jurgen's name, the vocal versions got re-released as "DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay" as well as "Alice Deejay Featuring DJ Jurgen" in some countries. The vocal single later came to be of just Alice Deejay.[10][11]

The track was released to dance clubs and became an international hit in clubs reaching number 2 on the Billboard club charts and a top ten club chart worldwide. The song then became a hit reaching number 2 in Canada, number 27 in the U.S. and number 2 in the UK. It went on to sell over 600,000 copies in the UK and become one of the country's best-selling singles of 1999, despite the radio edit not being on the commercial CD release.[12] The song was in the top 100 best-selling singles in Australia for 2000 as compiled by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[13]

Music videos

"Better Off Alone" is notable for having two versions of its music video. The original music video was directed by Olaf van Gerwen through the studio Blood Simple – who at the time directed videos for Sebastian Molijn and Eelke Kalberg's other music project the Vengaboys.[14][15] In the first version of the video, a man travels in a Jeep through the Moroccan desert. His car stalls and is forced to walk on foot. He discards his items along the way such as a watch, a map and some vodka. In parallel, a woman is sitting on a couch in a living room singing the lyrics to the song while the man sees her in the desert. The man gets lost in the desert while intercut scenes of him and his girlfriend in love are shown. He takes off his broken dog tag while screaming. Because the dog tag is already broken and the girl has the second part probably means he is already dead and she is missing him. The video ends on his dead body being covered by the desert sand. The second version was directed by "Cousin Mike" from the 1711 Production Group. The second video was shot in Miami for Republic and Universal.[16] The second version is interspersed with desert scenes from the original, but with added scenes where Judith Pronk, Mila Levesque and Angelique Versnel are dancing in a room with Moroccan decor. Sometimes just Pronk alone, wearing a blue dress with a veil.

Remixes

  • "Better Off Alone" (Signum Remix)
  • "Better Off Alone" (DJ Jam X & De Leon's Dumonde RMX)

Response

Critical reception

The song was initially received with passiveness by some critics. J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun wrote in his review of Who Needs Guitars Anyway?, "Alice Deejay's sound is synth-driven and slightly retro, owing more to the frothy fun of '80s electropop than to the relentless thump of modern techno, and the songwriting is tuneful and hook-driven, lending an engaging, Ace of Base charm to the likes of "Better Off Alone"."[17] Entertainment Weekly gave the song a B rating, describing it as having "catchy, throwaway results" with "barely there lyrics".[9] Scottish Daily Record complimented its "great vocal and a pounding techno beat".[18]

In retrospect the song garnered acclaim. Vibe magazine considering the song "a timeless track" in their 30 Dance Tracks from The '90s That Changed the Game.[19] Complex magazine stated the song, "perfectly embodies the 1990s Eurodance/euro trance sound that took over clubs, and today we're hearing the big room house scene build upon what was started here" in their 10 Essential Eurodance Classics. Complex also stated that Sebastiaan Moljin and Eelke Kahlberg's production of trance music project Dash Berlin, is directly reflective of the song's influence on the modern day electronic music scene.[20] In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 24 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s.[21] Dash Berlin honorarily included the song in their top 5 greatest trance classics.[2] Critic George McCarthy has described the song as being 'full of life: displaying an extensive range of raw emotional vulnerabilities that are unmatched by any other modern dance track, is a banger'.

Meagan Garvey of MTV referenced the song as an example of "Eurodance Nostalgia" and that the cult status of the song is "mostly retroactive". Garvey stated that songs such as "Better Off Alone", "left you with an aching sensation, as if something had been left unsaid. The undercurrent of melancholy seemed more akin to mid-'90s tracks like La Bouche's "Where Do You Go" or Haddaway's "What Is Love," dance tracks built around unanswerable questions."[22]

Cover versions and samples

In 2007, New Jersey rock group Paulson released a rock cover of the song on their Calling on You EP.[23]

In 2008, the main melody of the song was sampled by producer Johnny Juliano in "Say Yeah" by Wiz Khalifa, which added the Roland TR-808 as well as drum machine claps to the existing melody.[24] Hip hop and trap producer AraabMuzik stated that sampling the song was initially what led him to sampling "trance and really upbeat dance music". The song was sampled by him in "South Beach" by 40 Cal featuring Duke Da God.[25]

In 2011, Dutch DJ and producer Laidback Luke introduced an electro house remix of the song in the compilation Cream Ibiza: Super You & Me, marketed as a 2011 "Summer anthem".[26]

In 2011, Witch house group Salem covered the song on their EP I'm Still in the Night.[27]

French producer David Guetta was authorized to use the main melody (or "hook") of the song.[28] The main melody of the song was sampled in Guetta's 2013 song "Play Hard" featuring Ne-Yo and Akon. The recording was later included in the reboot album Nothing but the Beat 2.0. Some sources have described this "heavy" sampling as an example of the "gray area in the world of music plagiarism". Despite the authorized use of the melody, some sources have stated that this poses the question of "How much sampling is too much sampling?".[29]

Lindsay Lohan's 2019 track "Xanax" is built around a slowed-down sample of the song.[30][31]

Canadian pop band Purity Ring also released a cover of the song on September 29, 2020.[32]

Dutch DJ San Holo recorded a guitar version of the song, and published it on his Twitter feed on August 2, 2021.[33]

In 2021, Trevor Daniel interpolated the chorus on his song "Alone". That same year, Farruko interpolated it on his song "El Incomprendido", from his album La 167.

Charts and certifications

Release history

Release dates for "Better Off Alone"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Netherlands 1999
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
Violent [1]
Europe 4 June 1999 CD
[44]
United Kingdom 19 July 1999
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[78]
United States 29 February 2000 [79]

References

  1. ^ a b c "DJ Jurgen – Better Off Alone" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nick Jarvis (January 23, 2014). . Archived from the original on June 4, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Alice Deejay (1999). Better Off Alone (Compact disc). Scandinavia: Jive Records; Violent Records. 0523562.
  4. ^ a b DJ Ron Slomowicz. . Archived from the original on 2005-09-18. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g . August 9, 2004. Archived from the original (URL masked index page) on August 9, 2004. Retrieved 6 February 2017..
  6. ^ a b "ALICE DEEJAY - "BETTER OFF ALONE" | SPIN | Animal Collective Centipedia". SPIN. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  7. ^ "Better Off Alone". www.musicnotes.com. 3 August 2000. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  8. ^ . Ministry of Sound Australia. February 15, 2015. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Beth (June 23, 2000). "Better Off Alone". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  10. ^ . Violent Records. 2001. Archived from the original on February 7, 2001. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Alice Deejay". Hypergirl Entertainment Magazine. May 1, 2001.
  12. ^ Better Off Alone at AllMusic
  13. ^ . Archived from the original on 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  14. ^ . Orbit Records. 2001. Archived from the original on February 15, 2001. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  15. ^ . Orbit Records. 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2000. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  16. ^ . 1711 Production Group. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  17. ^ Considine, J.D. (April 21, 2000). "New On Record". The Baltimore Sun. p. 16 Scene. Retrieved January 8, 2023 – via Gainesville Sun.
  18. ^ "Charts Lot". Daily Record. September 10, 1999.
  19. ^ "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks From The '90s That Changed The Game". Vibe. July 22, 2013.
  20. ^ "10 Essential Eurodance Classics". Complex. July 5, 2013.
  21. ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  22. ^ Garvey, Meagan (September 29, 2016). "BETTER OFF ALONE: MINING THE DEPTHS OF EURODANCE NOSTALGIA". MTV.com. MTV. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  23. ^ . Phobos.apple.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  24. ^ "The 10 Most Well-Known Techno Samples in Rap Tracks". Complex. 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  25. ^ "AraabMuzik | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  26. ^ "Cream Ibiza 2011 - Laidback Luke - Super You&Me - Win Cds". Ibiza-Voice.com. 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  27. ^ "Salem: I'm Still in the Night EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  28. ^ "Alice DJ". Alice DJ. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  29. ^ Sprankles, Julie (2016). . SheKnows. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  30. ^ Looks Like That Lindsay Lohan Music-Career Comeback Is Legit New York Magazine. 21 August 2019
  31. ^ Lindsay Lohan Set to Make Music Return With New Single 'Xanax' Billboard. 30 August 2019
  32. ^ "Purity Ring release cover of Alice DJ's 'Better Off Alone' | NME Australia". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  33. ^ Guttridge-Hewitt, Martin (5 August 2021). "San Holo covers Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone": Watch". DJ Mag. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  34. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  35. ^ "DJ Jurgen – Better Off Alone" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  36. ^ "DJ Jurgen – Better Off Alone" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Alice Deejay: Canadian Singles Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  38. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9908." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  39. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 9987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  40. ^ Danish Singles Chart 14 January 2000
  41. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 34. 21 August 1999. p. 11. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  42. ^ "Alice Deejay: Better Off Alone" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  43. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone" (in French). Les classement single.
  44. ^ a b "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  45. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 30. 24 July 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  46. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 338 Vikuna 26.8. – 2.9. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 27 August 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  47. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Better Off Alone". Irish Singles Chart.
  48. ^ "Hits of the World: Italy". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 39. 25 September 1999. p. 74.
  49. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 16, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  50. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone". Top 40 Singles.
  51. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone". VG-lista.
  52. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  53. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone". Singles Top 100.
  54. ^ "Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone". Swiss Singles Chart.
  55. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  56. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  57. ^ "Alice Deejay Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  58. ^ "Alice Deejay Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  59. ^ "Alice Deejay Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  60. ^ "Alice Deejay Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  61. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  62. ^ "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  63. ^ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1999" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  64. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  65. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  66. ^ (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  67. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  68. ^ (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  69. ^ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 31. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  70. ^ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Pop Top 20 Tracks of 1999" (PDF). Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 32. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  71. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000". ARIA. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  72. ^ . Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  73. ^ . Jam!. Archived from the original on 26 July 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  74. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  75. ^ "French single certifications – Alice DeeJay – Better Off Alone" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  76. ^ (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  77. ^ "British single certifications – Alice DeeJay – Better Off Alone". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  78. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 19 July, 1999: Singles". Music Week. 17 July 1999. p. 23.
  79. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1339. 25 February 2000. pp. 71, 77.

better, alone, other, uses, disambiguation, song, alice, deejay, eurodance, project, dutch, producer, jurgen, collaboration, with, wessel, diepen, dennis, driesschen, sebastiaan, molijn, eelke, kalberg, pronti, kalmani, 1997, song, released, instrumental, jurg. For other uses see Better Off Alone disambiguation Better Off Alone is a song by Alice Deejay the eurodance project of Dutch producer DJ Jurgen in collaboration with Wessel van Diepen Dennis van den Driesschen Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg Pronti amp Kalmani In 1997 the song was released as an instrumental by DJ Jurgen on Violent Records Later releases of the track included vocals by Judith Pronk who would later become an important part of the Alice Deejay project The song was included on the project s debut album Who Needs Guitars Anyway 2000 The song is known for playing a key role in the development of the commercial trance sound and has since been considered an electronic trance music classic citation needed Better Off Alone Orbit Records German coverSingle by Alice Deejayfrom the album Who Needs Guitars Anyway Released1999 1 Recorded1997 2 StudioViolent Studio 4045 Hilversum Netherlands 3 GenreDance Eurodance techno popLength3 34LabelViolent UniversalSongwriter s Sebastiaan Molijn Eelke KahlbergProducer s Wessel van Diepen Dennis van den Driesschen Sebastiaan Moljin Eelke KalbergAlice Deejay singles chronology Better Off Alone 1999 Back in My Life 1999 Music video Better Off Alone on YouTubeDJ Jurgen versionViolent Records DJ Jurgen singleAudio sample source source 21 second excerpt where the song s primary line is featured filehelp Contents 1 Production 2 Composition 3 Release 3 1 Single 3 2 Music videos 4 Remixes 5 Response 5 1 Critical reception 5 2 Cover versions and samples 6 Charts and certifications 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 6 3 Certifications 7 Release history 8 ReferencesProduction EditThe song was initially an instrumental track composed in 1997 by Jurgen DJ Jurgen Rijkers Sebastiaan Pronti Moljin and Eelke Kalmani Kahlberg at the Violent Studios 4045 complex in Hilversum Netherlands 4 2 3 5 Violent Music and Violent Studios owners Dennis Danski Van Der Driesschen and Wessel Delmundo van Diepen had previously offered studio space for Pronti and Kalmani next to their 4045 complex 5 Before the production of Better Off Alone Pronti and Kalmani had worked on composing music for the label s other project the Vengaboys 5 In post production of the instrumental Sebastiaan Molijn stated he invented the lyric Do you think you re better off alone after his romantic partner had left him Molijn stated that I started humming the vocal melody while the track was playing and we decided to add vocals It made the emotion of the song as real as it gets 4 Judith Pronk later served as singer for the Alice Deejay compositions of the song 6 Pronti and Kalmani s official biography once stated that DJ Jurgen wanted to stay the underground DJ that he was so the group Alice Deejay was formed 5 In 1999 the Radio Edit was produced 5 Later in 1999 Sebastiaan Moljin and Eelke Kahlberg produced several remixes of the song which included the Vocal Clubmix Pronti amp Kalmani Vocal Remix and the Pronti amp Kalmani Club Dub 5 Composition Edit Better Off Alone is written in the key of G sharp minor The song is set in common time with a fast tempo of 137 beats per minute The song follows a chord progression of E D m G m F and the vocals span from B3 to G 4 7 With the turn of the century Better Off Alone has been described as a turning point in the development of a commercialized techno sound This sound is shared by related compositions such as Blue Da Ba Dee by Eiffel 65 that surfaced around the same time 8 Co founder of Dash Berlin Jeffrey Sutorious stated It became such a huge chart hit around the world that many people categorised it as Euro Dance when in fact it started out as vocal trance Eelke Kalberg and Sebastiaan Molijn are Dash Berlin s other co founders 2 Entertainment Weekly described the song as techno pop while Spin described it as a trance fueled Eurodance 6 9 Release EditSingle Edit The single was initially released as an instrumental single by DJ Jurgen in 1997 on Violent Music B V s label Violent Records 5 Upon its release there were only 500 vinyls pressed 2 After the single established credibility under DJ Jurgen s name the vocal versions got re released as DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay as well as Alice Deejay Featuring DJ Jurgen in some countries The vocal single later came to be of just Alice Deejay 10 11 The track was released to dance clubs and became an international hit in clubs reaching number 2 on the Billboard club charts and a top ten club chart worldwide The song then became a hit reaching number 2 in Canada number 27 in the U S and number 2 in the UK It went on to sell over 600 000 copies in the UK and become one of the country s best selling singles of 1999 despite the radio edit not being on the commercial CD release 12 The song was in the top 100 best selling singles in Australia for 2000 as compiled by the Australian Recording Industry Association 13 Music videos Edit Better Off Alone is notable for having two versions of its music video The original music video was directed by Olaf van Gerwen through the studio Blood Simple who at the time directed videos for Sebastian Molijn and Eelke Kalberg s other music project the Vengaboys 14 15 In the first version of the video a man travels in a Jeep through the Moroccan desert His car stalls and is forced to walk on foot He discards his items along the way such as a watch a map and some vodka In parallel a woman is sitting on a couch in a living room singing the lyrics to the song while the man sees her in the desert The man gets lost in the desert while intercut scenes of him and his girlfriend in love are shown He takes off his broken dog tag while screaming Because the dog tag is already broken and the girl has the second part probably means he is already dead and she is missing him The video ends on his dead body being covered by the desert sand The second version was directed by Cousin Mike from the 1711 Production Group The second video was shot in Miami for Republic and Universal 16 The second version is interspersed with desert scenes from the original but with added scenes where Judith Pronk Mila Levesque and Angelique Versnel are dancing in a room with Moroccan decor Sometimes just Pronk alone wearing a blue dress with a veil Remixes Edit Better Off Alone Signum Remix Better Off Alone DJ Jam X amp De Leon s Dumonde RMX Response EditCritical reception Edit The song was initially received with passiveness by some critics J D Considine from The Baltimore Sun wrote in his review of Who Needs Guitars Anyway Alice Deejay s sound is synth driven and slightly retro owing more to the frothy fun of 80s electropop than to the relentless thump of modern techno and the songwriting is tuneful and hook driven lending an engaging Ace of Base charm to the likes of Better Off Alone 17 Entertainment Weekly gave the song a B rating describing it as having catchy throwaway results with barely there lyrics 9 Scottish Daily Record complimented its great vocal and a pounding techno beat 18 In retrospect the song garnered acclaim Vibe magazine considering the song a timeless track in their 30 Dance Tracks from The 90s That Changed the Game 19 Complex magazine stated the song perfectly embodies the 1990s Eurodance euro trance sound that took over clubs and today we re hearing the big room house scene build upon what was started here in their 10 Essential Eurodance Classics Complex also stated that Sebastiaan Moljin and Eelke Kahlberg s production of trance music project Dash Berlin is directly reflective of the song s influence on the modern day electronic music scene 20 In 2017 BuzzFeed listed the song at number 24 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the 90s 21 Dash Berlin honorarily included the song in their top 5 greatest trance classics 2 Critic George McCarthy has described the song as being full of life displaying an extensive range of raw emotional vulnerabilities that are unmatched by any other modern dance track is a banger Meagan Garvey of MTV referenced the song as an example of Eurodance Nostalgia and that the cult status of the song is mostly retroactive Garvey stated that songs such as Better Off Alone left you with an aching sensation as if something had been left unsaid The undercurrent of melancholy seemed more akin to mid 90s tracks like La Bouche s Where Do You Go or Haddaway s What Is Love dance tracks built around unanswerable questions 22 Cover versions and samples Edit In 2007 New Jersey rock group Paulson released a rock cover of the song on their Calling on You EP 23 In 2008 the main melody of the song was sampled by producer Johnny Juliano in Say Yeah by Wiz Khalifa which added the Roland TR 808 as well as drum machine claps to the existing melody 24 Hip hop and trap producer AraabMuzik stated that sampling the song was initially what led him to sampling trance and really upbeat dance music The song was sampled by him in South Beach by 40 Cal featuring Duke Da God 25 In 2011 Dutch DJ and producer Laidback Luke introduced an electro house remix of the song in the compilation Cream Ibiza Super You amp Me marketed as a 2011 Summer anthem 26 In 2011 Witch house group Salem covered the song on their EP I m Still in the Night 27 French producer David Guetta was authorized to use the main melody or hook of the song 28 The main melody of the song was sampled in Guetta s 2013 song Play Hard featuring Ne Yo and Akon The recording was later included in the reboot album Nothing but the Beat 2 0 Some sources have described this heavy sampling as an example of the gray area in the world of music plagiarism Despite the authorized use of the melody some sources have stated that this poses the question of How much sampling is too much sampling 29 Lindsay Lohan s 2019 track Xanax is built around a slowed down sample of the song 30 31 Canadian pop band Purity Ring also released a cover of the song on September 29 2020 32 Dutch DJ San Holo recorded a guitar version of the song and published it on his Twitter feed on August 2 2021 33 In 2021 Trevor Daniel interpolated the chorus on his song Alone That same year Farruko interpolated it on his song El Incomprendido from his album La 167 Charts and certifications EditWeekly charts Edit Weekly chart performance for Better Off Alone Chart 1999 2000 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 34 4Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 35 14Belgium Ultratop 50 Wallonia 36 30Canada Nielsen SoundScan 37 2Canada Top Singles RPM 38 19Canada Dance Urban RPM 39 1Denmark IFPI 40 11Europe Eurochart Hot 100 41 12Finland Suomen virallinen lista 42 16France SNEP 43 6Germany Official German Charts 44 32Hungary Mahasz 45 10Iceland Islenski Listinn Topp 40 46 25Ireland IRMA 47 3Italy FIMI 48 17Netherlands Dutch Top 40 49 9Netherlands Single Top 100 1 8New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 50 11Norway VG lista 51 3Scotland OCC 52 1Sweden Sverigetopplistan 53 5Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 54 28UK Singles OCC 55 2UK Dance OCC 56 1US Billboard Hot 100 57 27US Dance Club Songs Billboard 58 3US Dance Singles Sales Billboard 59 16US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard 60 20 Year end charts Edit 1999 year end chart performance for Better Off Alone Chart 1999 PositionBelgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 61 75Europe Eurochart Hot 100 62 40France SNEP 63 51Netherlands Dutch Top 40 64 24Netherlands Single Top 100 65 36Romania Romanian Top 100 66 84Sweden Sverigetopplistan 67 44UK Singles OCC 68 12UK Airplay Music Week 69 33UK Pop Music Week 70 22000 year end chart performance for Better Off Alone Chart 2000 PositionAustralia ARIA 71 88US Billboard Hot 100 72 882001 year end chart performance for Better Off Alone Chart 2001 PositionCanada Nielsen SoundScan 73 143Certifications Edit Certifications and sales for Better Off Alone Region Certification Certified units salesAustralia ARIA 74 Gold 35 000 France SNEP 75 Gold 250 000 Sweden GLF 76 Gold 15 000 United Kingdom BPI 77 Platinum 600 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history EditRelease dates for Better Off Alone Region Date Format s Label s Ref Netherlands 1999 12 inch vinylCD Violent 1 Europe 4 June 1999 CD OrbitVirgin 44 United Kingdom 19 July 1999 12 inch vinylCDcassette PositivaViolent 78 United States 29 February 2000 Rhythmic contemporarycontemporary hit radio RepublicUniversal 79 References Edit a b c DJ Jurgen Better Off Alone in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 7 February 2020 a b c d e Nick Jarvis January 23 2014 Dash Berlin s top five trance classics Archived from the original on June 4 2016 a b Alice Deejay 1999 Better Off Alone Compact disc Scandinavia Jive Records Violent Records 0523562 a b DJ Ron Slomowicz Pronti amp Kalmani Interview Archived from the original on 2005 09 18 Retrieved January 29 2014 a b c d e f g Pronti amp Kalmani August 9 2004 Archived from the original URL masked index page on August 9 2004 Retrieved 6 February 2017 a b ALICE DEEJAY BETTER OFF ALONE SPIN Animal Collective Centipedia SPIN 2012 09 05 Retrieved 2014 01 29 Better Off Alone www musicnotes com 3 August 2000 Retrieved 2015 10 27 A History of Trance Ministry of Sound Australia February 15 2015 Archived from the original on June 1 2016 Retrieved May 3 2016 a b Johnson Beth June 23 2000 Better Off Alone Entertainment Weekly Retrieved May 3 2014 Better Off Alone Violent Records 2001 Archived from the original on February 7 2001 Retrieved 2 May 2016 Alice Deejay Hypergirl Entertainment Magazine May 1 2001 Better Off Alone at AllMusic ARIA Charts End Of Year Charts Top 100 Singles 2000 Archived from the original on 2010 07 27 Retrieved 2006 10 03 Alice Deejay Orbit Records 2001 Archived from the original on February 15 2001 Retrieved 2 May 2016 Alice Deejay Video Orbit Records 2001 Archived from the original on October 18 2000 Retrieved 2 May 2016 Music Videos 1711 Production Group Archived from the original on 2018 12 28 Retrieved 2016 05 04 Considine J D April 21 2000 New On Record The Baltimore Sun p 16 Scene Retrieved January 8 2023 via Gainesville Sun Charts Lot Daily Record September 10 1999 Before EDM 30 Dance Tracks From The 90s That Changed The Game Vibe July 22 2013 10 Essential Eurodance Classics Complex July 5 2013 Stopera Matt Galindo Brian March 11 2017 The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the 90s BuzzFeed Retrieved March 31 2020 Garvey Meagan September 29 2016 BETTER OFF ALONE MINING THE DEPTHS OF EURODANCE NOSTALGIA MTV com MTV Retrieved February 13 2016 iTunes Store Phobos apple com Archived from the original on 2012 10 09 Retrieved 2012 10 05 The 10 Most Well Known Techno Samples in Rap Tracks Complex 2013 Retrieved September 10 2016 AraabMuzik Pitchfork Pitchfork com Pitchfork Media Retrieved 2016 11 17 Cream Ibiza 2011 Laidback Luke Super You amp Me Win Cds Ibiza Voice com 2011 Retrieved February 15 2017 Salem I m Still in the Night EP Pitchfork Retrieved 2021 02 19 Alice DJ Alice DJ Retrieved September 10 2016 Sprankles Julie 2016 31 songs you didn t know were allegedly plagiarized SheKnows Archived from the original on September 2 2016 Retrieved September 10 2016 Looks Like That Lindsay Lohan Music Career Comeback Is Legit New York Magazine 21 August 2019 Lindsay Lohan Set to Make Music Return With New Single Xanax Billboard 30 August 2019 Purity Ring release cover of Alice DJ s Better Off Alone NME Australia NME Music News Reviews Videos Galleries Tickets and Blogs NME COM 2020 09 30 Retrieved 2020 10 04 Guttridge Hewitt Martin 5 August 2021 San Holo covers Alice Deejay s Better Off Alone Watch DJ Mag Retrieved 6 August 2021 Alice Deejay Better Off Alone ARIA Top 50 Singles DJ Jurgen Better Off Alone in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved 7 February 2020 DJ Jurgen Better Off Alone in French Ultratop 50 Retrieved 7 February 2020 Alice Deejay Canadian Singles Chart Billboard Retrieved 19 February 2022 Top RPM Singles Issue 9908 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 27 May 2019 Top RPM Dance Urban Issue 9987 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 27 May 2019 Danish Singles Chart 14 January 2000 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 16 no 34 21 August 1999 p 11 Retrieved 26 June 2018 Alice Deejay Better Off Alone in Finnish Musiikkituottajat Alice Deejay Better Off Alone in French Les classement single a b Alice Deejay Better Off Alone in German GfK Entertainment charts Top National Sellers PDF Music amp Media Vol 16 no 30 24 July 1999 p 10 Retrieved 27 June 2018 Islenski Listinn Topp 40 NR 338 Vikuna 26 8 2 9 1999 Dagbladid Visir in Icelandic 27 August 1999 p 8 Retrieved 13 July 2018 The Irish Charts Search Results Better Off Alone Irish Singles Chart Hits of the World Italy Billboard Vol 111 no 39 25 September 1999 p 74 Nederlandse Top 40 week 16 1999 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 27 May 2019 Alice Deejay Better Off Alone Top 40 Singles Alice Deejay Better Off Alone VG lista Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Alice Deejay Better Off Alone Singles Top 100 Alice Deejay Better Off Alone Swiss Singles Chart Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Alice Deejay Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Alice Deejay Chart History Dance Club Songs Billboard Alice Deejay Chart History Dance Singles Sales Billboard Retrieved 1 August 2021 Alice Deejay Chart History Pop Songs Billboard Jaaroverzichten 1999 in Dutch Ultratop Retrieved 7 February 2020 Year in Focus Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999 PDF Music amp Media Vol 17 no 1 1 January 2000 p 11 Retrieved 7 February 2020 Tops de L annee Top Singles 1999 in French SNEP Retrieved 1 August 2021 Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1999 Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 4 March 2020 Jaaroverzichten Single 1999 in Dutch MegaCharts Retrieved 27 May 2019 Romanian Top 100 Top of the Year 1999 in Romanian Romanian Top 100 Archived from the original on 22 January 2005 Retrieved 27 April 2020 Arslista Singlar 1999 in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 27 April 2020 Yearly Best Selling Singles PDF British Phonographic Industry Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2010 Retrieved 10 April 2017 Most Broadcast of 1999 Airplay Top 50 PDF Music Week 22 January 2000 p 31 Retrieved 24 April 2022 Most Broadcast of 1999 Pop Top 20 Tracks of 1999 PDF Music Week 22 January 2000 p 32 Retrieved 24 April 2022 ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000 ARIA Retrieved 1 August 2021 Billboard Top 100 2000 Archived from the original on 4 March 2009 Retrieved 31 August 2010 Canada s Top 200 Singles of 2001 Jam Archived from the original on 26 July 2002 Retrieved 28 March 2022 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2000 Singles PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 27 May 2019 French single certifications Alice DeeJay Better Off Alone in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved 27 May 2019 Guld och Platinacertifikat Ar 1999 PDF in Swedish IFPI Sweden Archived from the original PDF on 2011 05 17 Retrieved 6 July 2019 British single certifications Alice DeeJay Better Off Alone British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 21 October 2020 New Releases For Week Starting 19 July 1999 Singles Music Week 17 July 1999 p 23 Going for Adds Radio amp Records No 1339 25 February 2000 pp 71 77 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Better Off Alone amp oldid 1132651393, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.