Son of a Gun (JX song)

"Son of a Gun" is the debut single of British dance music DJ Jake Williams, released under the name JX. It was released in March 1994, reaching number six in the United Kingdom and Australia and number 35 in the Netherlands. The song contains samples from the 1976 song "Touch and Go" by Ecstasy, Passion & Pain featuring Barbara Roy. Two different music videos were made to promote the single. The Top Ten chart success of "Son Of A Gun" in Australia was very much, almost solely, due to a community radio station in Melbourne, 98.9 North West FM. The station instantly identified the hit quality of the song and immediately added the song to the station's playlist on high rotation, and also incorporated grabs (small parts) of the song in station IDs, "cue to call" promotions and other program elements. This almost saturation exposure of the song not only brought the song to the attention of the station's listeners, but also forced the hand of other Melbourne radio stations to add the song to their own playlists, some taking a full three months after North West FM's debut.

"Son of a Gun"
Single by JX
Released21 March 1994 (1994-03-21)
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • JX
  • Norman Harris
  • Allan Felder
  • Bunny Sigler
Producer(s)
  • JX
  • Red Jerry
JX singles chronology
"Son of a Gun"
(1994)
"You Belong to Me"
(1995)
Music video
"Son of a Gun" on YouTube

Critical reception

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In his weekly UK chart commentary in Dotmusic, James Masterton described the song as a "bubbling synthesised dance hit".[1] A reviewer from Music Week gave it four out of five, adding, "A corking house tune that has failed to keep its head down, hence the reissue. Lyrics with attitude and some stomping remixes from JX and Red Jerry among others."[2] Iestyn George from NME praised it as a "classic camp-a-rama".[3] The RM Dance Update complimented it as a "banging Euro stomper".[4] An RM editor, Andy Beevers, called it "an unstoppable belter with dead catchy hi-energy synth riffs and the unforgettable 'A man that's on the run is a dirty son of a gun' female vocal hook. There are apparently Alex Party remixes on the way, although this existing mix should be all you need to create dancefloor mayhem."[5] He also declared it as "a potential hit".[6] In his dance column DJ Directory, James Hamilton described it as a "diva prodded raver".[7]

Chart performance

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In the UK, the single originally peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart on 2 April 1994. In August 1995, it was re-released after "You Belong to Me"'s chart success and peaked at number six the same month. On the UK Dance Singles Chart and Music Week's Dance Singles chart, it reached number two and number one, respectively. In Scotland, it went to number four, while in Ireland, it entered the top 20 (15). "Son of a Gun" was also a top-10 hit in Australia, peaking at number six.

Track listings

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  • 12-inch, UK and Europe
A1: "Son of a Gun" (Red Jerry/JX Mix)
A2: "Son of a Gun" (C.Y.B. Run Mix)
B1: "Son of a Gun" (Alex Party Mix)
B2: "Son of a Gun" (A Deeper Cut)
  • CD single, UK
  1. "Son of a Gun" (Hooj Edit) – 3:38
  2. "Son of a Gun" (Red Jerry/JX Mix) – 7:35
  3. "Son of a Gun" (Alex Party Mix) – 4:51
  4. "Son of a Gun" (C.Y.B. Run Mix) – 4:39
  5. "Son of a Gun" (A Deeper Cut) – 7:29
  6. "Son of a Gun" (Original Mix) – 5:50
  • CD maxi, Europe
  1. "Son of a Gun" (Original Hooj Edit) – 3:15
  2. "Son of a Gun" (JX & Red Jerry Flog The Horse Remix) – 7:12
  3. "Son of a Gun" (Blu Peter Vs Trigger Bitchin Remix) – 6:35
  4. "Son of a Gun" (Candy Girls "Where's The Crack" Remix) – 9:07
  5. "Son of a Gun" (Original Hooj 12" Mix) – 6:58

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 21 March 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[21]
United Kingdom (re-release) 7 August 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[22]

References

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  1. ^ Masterton, James (13 August 1995). "Week Ending August 19th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 July 1995. p. 29. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ^ George, Iestyn (25 February 1995). "Groove Check". NME. p. 19. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Cool Cuts" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 19 February 1994. p. 3. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ^ Beevers, Andy (19 February 1994). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  6. ^ Beevers, Andy (26 March 1994). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  7. ^ Hamilton, James (19 March 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  8. ^ "JX – Son of a Gun". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 15. 9 April 1994. p. 26. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  10. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 16 September 1995. p. 19. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  11. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Son of a Gun". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – JX" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  13. ^ "JX – Son of a Gun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  17. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 April 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  18. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 26 February 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1995. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  20. ^ "The RM Club Chart of the Year" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 24 December 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. 19 March 1994. p. 21.
  22. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 5 August 1995. p. 31.