| "Kowalski" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| SinglebyPrimal Scream | ||||
| from the album Vanishing Point | ||||
| B-side | ||||
| Released | 5 May 1997 (1997-05-05) | |||
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| Primal Scream singles chronology | ||||
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"Kowalski" is a song by Scottish rock band Primal Scream, released on 5 May 1997 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Vanishing Point. The song contains a drum sample from "Halleluhwah" by Can and an interpolation of the bassline from "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" by Funkadelic, and is named after the main character of the 1971 film Vanishing Point, played by Barry Newman; it also features various dialogue samples from this film.
The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and became the band's highest-charting single in Scotland, reaching number two. In Australia, the song was a minor hit on the ARIA Singles Chart, peaking at number 79.
Scripted by Irvine Welsh and directed by Steven Hanft, the video features Kate Moss and Devon Aoki stealing a Dodge Challenger before then tracking down and assaulting the band. The band's lead singer, Bobby Gillespie, described the video as "a cross between Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and The Sweeney."[1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kowalski" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:58 |
| 2. | "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover) | Rudy Martínez | 2:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kowalski" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:58 |
| 2. | "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover) | Martínez | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Kowalski" (Automator mix) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:11 |
| 4. | "Know Your Rights" (The Clash cover) | Joe Strummer, Mick Jones | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kowalski" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:58 |
| 2. | "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover) | Martínez | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Know Your Rights" (The Clash cover) | Strummer, Jones | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Kowalski" (Automator mix) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:11 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kowalski" (radio edit) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Kowalski" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:58 |
| 3. | "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover) | Martínez | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Know Your Rights" (The Clash cover) | Strummer, Jones | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Kowalski" (Adrian Sherwood dub) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kowalski" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:58 |
| 2. | "Star" | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 4:25 |
| 3. | "96 Tears" (? and the Mysterians cover) | Martínez | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Kowalski" (radio edit) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 4:18 |
| 5. | "Kowalski" (Automator mix) | Gillespie, Innes, Young, Duffy, Mounfield | 5:11 |
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[2] | 79 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[3] | 58 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] | 16 |
| Scotland (OCC)[5] | 2 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[7] | 8 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 5 May 1997 |
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Creation | [8] |
| Japan | 28 May 1997 | CD | [9] |
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