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White Knuckle Ride

"White Knuckle Ride"
Single by Jamiroquai
from the album Rock Dust Light Star
Released31 October 2010
Recorded2005–2007
StudioJam (London)
Genre
Length
  • 3:35 (album version)
  • 3:26 (radio edit)
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jay Kay
Jamiroquai singles chronology
"Runaway"
(2006) 		"White Knuckle Ride"
(2010) 		"Blue Skies"
(2010)

"White Knuckle Ride" is the first single from British funk/acid jazz group Jamiroquai's studio album Rock Dust Light Star.[1] The single was released via Digital Download on 31 October 2010, with a Limited Edition Vinyl release due to appear on 1 January 2011.[2] The song was written by band frontman Jay Kay and Matt Johnson and produced by Kay. It is the band's first record to be released under Mercury Records.[1][3]

The band's official website originally announced that the single would be released on 11 October.[1] The band describe "White Knuckle Ride" as "a hi-octane retrospective on Jay's career experiences – a cautionary tale equally applicable to anyone's life in these pressure cooker times."[3] It appears that the Jamiroquai logo typeface has been stretched vertically for this release. The video for the single was made available on the group's YouTube account on 25 September.[4] The single charted at No.39 in the UK Singles Chart and as of 2024, remains their last UK Top 40 hit.

Music video

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The music video shows Jay Kay piloting a helicopter in pursuit of a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 along a winding desert road. After several unsuccessful attempts at losing the helicopter – including driving in wide circuits to raise a cloud of dust to blind Kay, and taking a detour down a tree-lined dirt road – the driver comes to a halt under a viaduct and escapes on foot. Kay arrives to find the car abandoned with no sign of the driver, whose face is never shown. The helicopter is a Robinson R44 Raven 2 owned by Jay Kay,[5] who is a qualified private helicopter pilot, however a stunt pilot was used for some scenes.[6]

The video was filmed on the Tabernas Desert, in Almeria, Spain and was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.

Track listing

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Digital Download
  1. "White Knuckle Ride" – 3:35

Remixes

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Live performances

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Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2010–2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 96
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 37
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 34
France (SNEP) Download Chart[11] 24
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 16
Germany (GfK)[13] 49
Italy (FIMI)[14] 1
Italy Airplay (EarOne)[15] 1
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[16] 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 25
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 15
Scotland (OCC)[19] 43
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 39
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[22] 7

Year-end charts

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Chart (2010) Position
Italy (FIMI)[23] 65
Italy Airplay (EarOne)[24] 55
Japanese Top 100[25] 76

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[26] Gold 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The new single by Jamiroquai is 'White Knuckle Ride'". Jamiroquai.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Music CDs, DVDs, Games & More". hmv.com. 15 December 2005. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Jamiroquai's New Album Is Called 'Rock Dust Light Star'". Jamiroquai.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Kanaal van Jamiroquaivideo". YouTube. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  5. ^ "CAA G-INFO Listing for G-JKAY". Caa.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Making of video". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 143.
  8. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ^ "Robbie Williams – White Knuckle Ride" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "Classement des ventes de titres téléchargés en France du 15 novembre au 21 novembre 2010" (in French). Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  12. ^ "Jamiroquai: White Knuckle Ride" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Earone Airplay - Settimana #40 dal 01/10/2010 al 07/10/2010" (in Italian). Earone.
  16. ^ "Jamiroquai Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 38, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride". Swiss Singles Chart.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Jamiroquai - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015.
  23. ^ "FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana – Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Earone Top 100 of the year 2010" (in Italian). Earone.
  25. ^ "レコード協会調べ 2009年12月16日～2010年12月14日「着うたフル(R)」 2010年有料音楽配信「年間チャート」（通称：レコ協チャート）" [Record Association Analysis: 16 December 2009 – 14 December 2010 Full-length Cellphone Download 2010 paid digital sales "Yearly Chart" (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart)] (PDF). RIAJ. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  26. ^ "Italian single certifications – Jamiroquai – White Knuckle Ride" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 January 2012. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "White Knuckle Ride" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".