Single Stories: Daft Punk, ONE MORE TIME
It was November 30, 2000, when electronic music legends Daft Punk released the first single from the band's groundbreaking second album, Discovery: "One More Time." The monster club hit rocked dance floors and airwaves around the world with its infectious energy and motivating message. The track the introduced Daft Punk to the masses after building up a massive underground following is officially 20 years old. We're celebrating the monumental moment with these five fun facts.
1. "One More Time" was a global chart hit
Daft Punk took on the charts of the world with "One More Time," hitting #1 in Canada, on the Eurodance Hot 100, France, Portugal, and the Ireland, UK and US dance charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at #61 for the week of March 24, 2001. The #1 song in America that week: Crazy Town's "Butterfly.'
2. Late New Jersey House Music legend Romanthony sang lead vocals on "One More Time"
Daft Punk has always paid homage to American house and techno music pioneers. With "One More Time," they tapped late New Jersey house artist, Romanthany (he died in 2014 from kidney disease complications). "We liked the track, Romanthony liked it, we can be disappointed about what they said about the song, but still we liked it. It's just music, it's just entertainment, and as long as we believe in it that's what is important," Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter said when some writers criticized Romanthony's use of a Vocoder (think the original Auto-Tune) on the track. "It's what we wanted to do. We love to be able to use instruments the way we want to. Criticizing the Vocoder is like asking bands in the '60s, 'Why do you use the electric guitar?' It's just a tool... no big deal. Creation is interaction. The healthy thing is that people either loved it or hated it. At least people were not neutral. The worst thing when you make art is for people to not even be moved by it. Love and hate are interesting because it's deep and intense. It's one side of our music that people might be sensitive to and others might not." Romanthony produced a special version of the tune for Daft Punk's 2003 Daft Club remix album.
3. "One More Time" is featured on multiple video games
The high-energy track is ideal for gaming, and "One More Time" has popped up in the in the Wii video game Boogie, as well as PlayStation 3's SingStar. The song can also be heard on episodes of classic teen TV shows Veronica Mars and MTV's Daria.
4. The track's music video is plucked from Daft Punk's very own amine movie, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
Released in May 2003, Daft Punk's anime film tells the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band, all set to the music of the Discovery album. Footage from the anime makes up the "One More Time" visual.
5. In 2021, model Gigi Hadid starred in a "One More Time" tribute video.
Artist Maha Alamri crafted a special animated tribute video to "One More Time," and he was able to score none less than international supermodel Gigi Hadid for the lead role. "During these difficult times and being stuck in the same routine can drag us down. And I guess breaking from that routine, even for a night and letting your imagination run free, can make a difference," Alamri told Billboard. "So at the end of this video, when Gigi wakes up to reality, I wanted to bring her dreams to life and show that just because dreams are intangible, doesn't mean they aren't real. They're made of memories, imagination, and hope."
