21 Seconds

"21 Seconds"
Single by So Solid Crew
from the album They Don't Know
Released	6 August 2001
Format	CD
Recorded	2001
Genre	2-step garage
Label	Relentless Records
So Solid Crew singles chronology
"Oh No (Sentimental Things)" (2001) "21 Seconds" (2001) "They Don't Know" (2001)

"21 Seconds" is a song by the UK garage act So Solid Crew. It is included on their debut album They Don't Know. The song was released as a single on Relentless Records in 2001. It charted at a peak position of number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 2001,^[1] while it peaked just outside the top 40 in the Netherlands. It achieved first week sales of 118,135 units in the United Kingdom.^[2] The full album version features So Solid Crew members in the following order: Megaman, Asher D, Mac, Kaish, G-Man, Harvey, Romeo, Lisa Maffia, Face & Skatt D. The single version places Harvey's, Romeo's & Lisa Maffia's raps after Face & Skatt D's raps. The chorus is sung by Kaish.

Production

The song uses fairly stripped back production, utilizing a catchy 2-step rhythm which was common in UK garage at the time. The track was actually ripped off an old skool rave track. But no mention of this is accredited to anyone but the band.

Song structure

The song title alludes to the approximate 21 seconds that each of the band members is given to perform their rap. 21 seconds is arrived at as the song's tempo is approximately 140BPM and each rapper has 12 bars of 4 beats (48 beats at 140BPM, when worked out to the nearest integer, rounds to 21 seconds).

Music video

The music video received the award for Best British Video at the 2002 BRIT Awards.

Track listing

1. "21 Seconds"
2. "21 Seconds" (12" Version)
3. "21 Seconds" (DJ Swiss & Dan Da Man Remix Vocal)
4. "21 Seconds" (music video)

Charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[4]	45
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[5]	9
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6]	1

References

1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 663. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. "ALL THE NUMBER 1s". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
3. "Chart Track: Week 34, 2001". Irish Singles Chart.
4. "Dutchcharts.nl – So Solid Crew – 21 Seconds" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
5. "Archive Chart: 2001-08-12". Scottish Singles Top 40.
6. "Archive Chart: 2001-08-12" UK Singles Chart.

External links

• "21 Seconds" music video on YouTube