"Astounded" is a song by Canadian musical collective Bran Van 3000 featuring vocals from American artist Curtis Mayfield. The song contains interpolations from Mayfield's song "Move On Up" and also contains a sample and an interpolated melody of The Doobie Brothers' "Rockin' Down the Highway". The song was first released for download on Bran Van 3000's website in January 2001. It was then officially released on May 7 of the same year as the lead single from their second studio album, Discosis (2001).

"Astounded" was successful in Canada, receiving heavy airplay on MuchMusic and reaching number three on the Canadian Singles Chart. Outside Canada, the song reached the top 40 in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; in the latter country, it peaked at number two on the UK Dance Chart. The song was among Canada's 40 most played radio tracks in 2001 and

Background Bran Van 3000 member James Di Salvio approached Curtis Mayfield with the idea of collaborating months before his death in 1999. Mayfield was too ill to contribute a vocal, but weeks before his death, he gave Di Salvio permission to pull through his archives, which is where he discovered an unused vocal Mayfield recorded in the 1980s. With Mayfield's permission, that vocal was incorporated into "Astounded."

Music video The music video was directed by Paul Street and premiered in May 2001. The entire video focuses on a couple french kissing and features shots of Montreal with the Olympic Stadium in the background. The video features a cameo by Benicio Del Toro.

Track listings

Canadian, European, and Australian maxi-CD single "Astounded" (long radio edit) – 3:54 "Astounded" (album version) – 5:57 "Astounded" (MJ Cole radio edit) – 3:47 "Astounded" (Eric Kupper radio mix) – 3:42

UK CD single "Astounded" (long radio edit) – 3:54 "Astounded" (album version) – 5:56 "Astounded" (MJ Cole Master Mix) – 6:21

European CD single "Astounded" (long radio edit) – 3:54 "Astounded" (album version) – 5:57

European 12-inch vinyl A1. "Astounded" (album version) – 5:57 B1. "Astounded" (MJ Cole Master Mix) – 6:21 B2. "Astounded" (Eric Kupper club mix) – 7:25

Credits and personnel Credits are lifted from the maxi-CD single liner notes and the Discosis album booklet.

Studio Mixed at Olympic Studios (London, England)

Personnel

James Di Salvio – writing, production Gary McKenzie – writing Curtis Mayfield – writing, vocals Dominique Grand – writing, production, engineering, string arrangement Sylvain Grand – writing, production, engineering, string arrangement Ric Ocasek – production Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing Rod Shearer – engineering Martin Rouillard – engineering Craig Aaronson – executive production

Charts

Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for "Astounded"Chart (2001)PeakpositionAustralia Hitseekers (ARIA)16Australian Dance (ARIA)16Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)3Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS)8Croatia (HRT)7Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)77Ireland Dance (IRMA)10US Dance Club Play (Billboard)35

Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for "Astounded"Chart (2001)PositionCanada (Nielsen SoundScan)32Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)33

Release history +Release dates and formats for "Astounded"RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)CanadaMay 7, 2001Maxi-CDUnited KingdomJune 4, 2001AustraliaJuly 16, 2001CD

In popular culture The song is featured on the soundtrack of the EA Sports video game FIFA Street 2.

References