Virtual Insanity

About this song

The band's sound before this song was linked to the acid jazz genre, alongside The Brand New Heavies. The song was a big hit for Jamiroquai in 1997, and its music video, in which Jay appears alone in a barely furnished room with a floor that seems to move like a treadmill, was also notable. It earned 4 MTV Music Awards from 10 nominations. The band members appear in the video when the chorus first arrives, being blown away as Jay walks ahead, which signified the change the band expected after the song's success.

What it's about

The song imagines a dystopian future in which people depend so heavily on technology that the world barely functions, living in a morbid virtual reality that gives the track its title.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 9 other songs, like “アーバンけけ (K.K. Cruisin’) by K.K. Slider”.
• Covered 6 times, including “Virtual Insanity by Cosmos (LVA)”.
• Written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith.
• Produced by Al Stone.
• Recorded at Great Linford Manor (Milton Keynes).