What other song is the sass line in Alizee's 'Moi Lolita' similar to?

July 14, 2004 11:15 PM

Attention mid-90s earworm pop fans: Alizee's "Moi Lolita" was widely released in 2002, but I swear I recognize that bass-line, and it's driving me absolutely crazy. Can anyone figure out what song I'm thinking of? I'm guessing something like Ace of Base, Aqua or even Daft Punk...
posted by Marquis to media & arts (15 comments total)

Thanks, now it's driving me crazy as well. . . .
posted by Quartermass at 12:33 AM on July 15, 2004

"Your Woman" by Whitetown?
posted by ed\26h at 1:16 AM on July 15, 2004

after listening to it; I'm pretty sure it comes VERY close to being an ace of base rip-off. however, the baseline is unlike anything i've heard, and i've heard the majority of 90s rock. so....i guess that's it.
posted by bob sarabia at 1:39 AM on July 15, 2004

It's very similar to "Your Woman" by White Town, but it's not. They share the same key and scale (though I'd be damned if I could tell you which scale it is. It's certianly not a Major, Minor or 7th), which gives it that distinct sound. It's not a common one.
posted by cheaily at 2:42 AM on July 15, 2004

I was thinking of "Big in Japan" by Alphaville, but I dug that one up and listened to it and... no.

"Your Woman" by White Town (I'm ashamed to admit I own the album) is the closest I've found too, but it really reminds me of something else I can't put my finger on. It's just the bottom notes of a pretty common chord progression, though, so it's not that surprising that it would sound familiar.
posted by mmoncur at 3:13 AM on July 15, 2004

It doesn't sound to me like anything I've ever heard, aside from reasonably standard pop/europop. Ditto mmoncur, I think it's just a pretty common progression.

PS: I love these questions, they're like audio daily doubles!
posted by loquax at 5:13 AM on July 15, 2004

Are you thinking of "Young and Proud" by Ace of Bass? Both "Young and Proud" and "Your Woman" by Whitetown have basslines similar to that of "Moi Lolita". In fact when you kick all these tracks into Acid and pitch them accordingly ("Moi Lolita" is 2 whole steps higher than the other two tunes) they blend together nicely.

Still, I am pretty sure that mmoncur is correct, and that the bassline in the Alizee tune is a variation on a common chord progression.
posted by darainwa at 5:32 AM on July 15, 2004

i third the White Town guess
posted by normal_molly at 5:32 AM on July 15, 2004

It is White Town, I think! You boys and girls are brilliant! Thank-you! I'll have to track down that Ace of Base song, too.

It doesn't matter, of course, whether the melodies are identical - just that they're close enough to drive me (us?) crazy. And that so many people made the connection assures me that I didn't just imagine it.
posted by Marquis at 7:08 AM on July 15, 2004

Oh my. I totally forgot that song. And if I don't stop myself in the next 3 seconds, I may buy it from iTunes.

And I can't explain why. (shakes fist at Apple)
posted by jragon at 9:39 AM on July 15, 2004

(smiles at Limewire)
posted by jragon at 9:43 AM on July 15, 2004

Also, if you like Moi Lolita, check out both of Alizées albums.. they're great. The second album 'Mes courants électriques' has a particularly good first few tracks.
posted by wackybrit at 1:11 PM on July 15, 2004

Oh, and because of your nick and the mention of Alizée.. I just have to say..

c'est mon mac, mon lit, c'est mon maquis
posted by wackybrit at 1:12 PM on July 15, 2004

Seconding wackybrit's comment regarding her second album.

And to be more specific, here are some of the tracks to have a listen to:

? 01 - J' En Ai Marre!
? 02 - A Contre-Courant
? 03 - Toc De Mac
? 05 - C' Est Trop Tard

Quite enjoyable pop music.
posted by kchristidis at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2004

[Those question marks were supposed to be arrows (& r a r r ;) and on "Preview" they did show up like that. Weird..]
posted by kchristidis at 2:54 PM on July 15, 2004