Captain Jack (Captain Jack song)

"Captain Jack" is a song by the German eurodance group Captain Jack, consisting of singer Franky Gee, actor Sharky Durban and singer Liza da Costa. It was released in July 1995, as the lead single from their album The Mission. The song is based on an old army tune known as "Hey, Hey Captain Jack". It was a great success in many countries, particularly in the Netherlands and Hungary, where it topped the chart. It sold to platinum in Germany and gold in the Netherlands and Norway. "Captain Jack" was nominated to the 1997 Echo Awards for the most successful national dance single.

"Captain Jack"
Single by Captain Jack
from the album The Mission
B-side"Remix"
Released27 July 1995
Recorded1994
GenreEurodance
Length4:06
LabelCologne Dance Label (CDL)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Udo Niebergall
  • Eric Schnecko
Captain Jack singles chronology
"Captain Jack"
(1995)
"Drill Instructor"
(1996)
Music video
"Captain Jack" on YouTube

Critical reception edit

Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "Captain Jack is a ludicrous creation, already fearsomely popular on the continent. The first Captain Jack single to escape into the UK is a self-titled effort combining a banging techno backing track with some deep-throated singing/rapping. The good captain reels off dance instructions in a frenetic manner which recalls "sounding off" in the style of the US military drill. A bit of a novelty, but one that shouldn't be underestimated."[1]

Chart performance edit

"Captain Jack" was very successful on the charts in Europe. It peaked at number-one in Hungary and the Netherlands. In the latter, it spent 20 weeks on the Dutch Single Top 100. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium (number 2), Denmark, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. In Belgium, the single was held off reaching the top spot by 2 Fabiola's "Lift U Up". Additionally, it was a Top 20 hit in Ireland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 14 in February 1996. In the UK, it only reached number 104 on the UK Singles Chart. "Captain Jack" earned a gold record in the Netherlands and Norway, with a sale of 40,000 and 15,000 singles. In Germany, it was awarded with a platinum record, when 500,000 units were sold there.

Music video edit

A music video was made for the song. It was directed by Mark Glaeser and filmed in Frankfurt and Turley Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. The video was uploaded to YouTube in March 2010. As of May 2021, it had more than 6 million views.[2]

Track listings edit

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ Jones, Alan (1996-06-29). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  2. ^ "Captain Jack - Captain Jack (Official Video 1995)". YouTube. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Captain Jack", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 19, 2008)
  4. ^ Billboard, May 25, 1996: Page 67
  5. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  6. ^ "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  7. ^ Ireland peak positions Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
  9. ^ "Captain Jack – Captain Jack" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
  10. ^ "Chart Log UK: Chris C. - CZR".
  11. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1996". Ultratop. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "1996 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1996". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1996". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1996 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Captain Jack)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  18. ^ "Captain Jack - Captain Jack". NVPI. Retrieved 2010-07-26.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "SØK I TROFÉER". IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2010-07-26.