"Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia" (meaning "the experts versus the intellectual elite"), also known as "C vs. I", is a song by English electronic music group the Cuban Boys. The song consists almost in its entirety of an unofficial soundalike sampled loop from "Whistle Stop" by Roger Miller which was featured in the Disney movie Robin Hood, played at high speed in a manner similar to the classic "Chipmunks" records. The original sample, also sped up, was first featured on the Internet as part of "The Hampster Dance" song on the website of the same name.

Background

The song was first aired on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show on 7 April 1999, and quickly became one of the most requested songs on his show. After being included on a free sampler CD on the industry magazine The Tip Sheet, the song caught the attention of numerous large record labels including EMI, Parlophone and RCA, thanks mostly to the efforts of Jonathan King. The band eventually signed for EMI. They were given £25,000 to record a video for the song which ended up featuring a giant fibreglass melon covered in trifle and a live-action hamster singing along.

The song's closing lines are of an announcer of a children's radio show:

<blockquote>

And this is your Uncle Dan saying good night.<br />

Good night, little kids, good night.<br />

We're off? Good, well that oughta hold the little bastards."

</blockquote>

This last line, usually omitted on radio play, is itself a sample from Kermit Schafer's 1950s "recreation" of a supposed on-air blooper by 1920s children's radio presenter, "Uncle Don". In fact, this faux pas is an urban legend. The sample caused many complaints to the band's label EMI, enough for a Parental Advisory sticker to be included on the single by the end of the single's first week of release,

Release

Unlike the later single "The Hampsterdance Song", "Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia" was released without the involvement of the owner of the original website, Deidre LaCarte. LaCarte accused the Cuban Boys of stealing in an article in the Mail on Sunday

  1. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia"
  2. "Fluorescent Dream Beams"
  3. "Datacrime"

European 12-inch single

:A1. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia"

:A2. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia" (shuffle mix)

:B1. "Fluorescent Dream Beams"

:B2. "Datacrime"

European maxi-CD single

  1. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia"
  2. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia" (radio mix)
  3. "Fluorescent Dream Beams"
  4. "Datacrime"
  5. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia" (shuffle mix)
  6. "Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia" (enhanced video)

Charts

Weekly charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1999–2000)

!Peak<br/>position

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

|21

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1999)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

|90

|}

References