“Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim (ft. Bootsy Collins)

Bootsy Collins is sort of a pioneer as far as modern dance songs go. That’s another way of saying that he isn’t particularly known for participating on tracks with deep lyricisms but rather those which rhythmically are designed to keep the party jumping.

So in the case of “Weapon of Choice” for instance, first of all the lyrics are for the most part repetitive. And secondly, they are soundly overpowered by the instrumental, to the point where it can even be deemed that it’s difficult to make out what Bootsy is saying. Or put otherwise, the emphasis obviously isn’t intended to be on the lyrics.

Concerning the title, the “weapon of choice”, as presented, is apparently meant to allude to “the tone of (the) voice” of the vocalist. Or all things considered, perhaps we can say that the title refers to the efficacy of the music of Fatboy Slim in particular. Such is actually a common disposition amongst dance artists, i.e. dropping songs whose themes revolve around how effective their music is in terms of keeping a party lit.

The one part of this piece that is a bit intricate, in a manner of speaking, is the third verse, in which the vocalist gets to ruminating on his love life and what have you. But again, it can be deemed that the listener is not really meant to pay too much attention to what Bootsy is saying, as this part of the narrative is also the most poetic and incomprehensible, if you will.

Facts about “Weapon of Choice”

Fatboy Slim is a DJ/producer from England who, around the turn of the century, was recognized on a number of fronts as being one of the best at what he does.  

“Weapon of Choice” ranks amongst his most-popular tracks. This song’s popularity has more to do with the success of its music video, which stars Hollywood A-lister Christopher Walken. Walken is known for his compelling acting skills. However, on the clip, it is rather his proficiency in dancing that is on full display.

The visual was filmed in what is now known as L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown and was assembled by director Spike Jonze.  And on top of being nominated for a plethora of industry awards, it went on to win a whopping six MTV VMAs (Best Cinematography in a Video) in 2001, in addition to earning a Grammy the following year in the category of Best Music Video.

The featured vocalist, Bootsy Collins, is a funk musician who is mostly associated with the era decades ago (i.e. the late 1970s) in which said genre was at its peak in the United States. It is he who serves as the lead vocalist on this track. And to note, Fatboy Slim did produce Collins’ 1997 track “Party Lick-A-Ble’s”, and Slim went on to feature Bootsy on his 2001 track “Illuminati” as well as his 2004 outing “The Joker”.

Fatboy Slim wrote and produced “Weapon of Choice” on his own.

During our research, we found out that the lyrics of the second verse, “walk without rhythm, it won’t attract the worm” might have been inspired by or derived from the classic sci-fi film “Dune” (1984).

Release of “Weapon of Choice”

This was officially released on the 23rd of April, 2001. It is one of the singles from the Fatboy album titled “Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars”.

“Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars”

English DJ and musician, Fatboy Slim had “Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars” released on November 6 of 2000 as his 3rd studio album.

The album boasts of 11 tracks consisting of songs in the electronica, funk and soul genres with a total runtime of 68 minutes and 14 seconds. Fatboy Slim being an electronic music producer himself was solely responsible for its production.

Two record labels, Skint Records and Universal Music Group’s Astralwerks, released the album a day apart. The former had it officially released on the 6th of November in the UK while the latter made it available on the American market the day after.

Fatboy Slim received support from a number of guest artists including the following:

• Ashley Slater
• Bootsy Collins
• Macy Gray
• Roger Sanchez
• Roland Clark

 “Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars” received a string of positive reviews from music publications and pundits across the music space. It ranked highly on charts globally, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200. The album reached No. 6 in Australia and was No. 8 in his home country, UK.

“Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars” sold platinum in the UK and New Zealand. It received gold certifications in Japan as well as Australia.