Stem (DJ Shadow song)

"Stem"
SinglebyDJ Shadow
from the albumEndtroducing.....
Released	1996
Recorded	1996
Studio	The Glue Factory (San Francisco)
Genre	"Stem": Trip hop breakbeat illbient "Long Stem": Ambient plunderphonics spoken word
Length	3:24( "Stem") 4:26 ( "Long Stem")
Label	Mo' Wax
Songwriter(s)	Patrick Campbell-Lyons Josh Davis Alex Spyropoulos
Producer(s)	DJ Shadow
DJ Shadowsingles chronology
"Midnight in a Perfect World" (1996) "Stem" (1996) "The Number Song" / "Painkiller" (1998)

"Stem"is a song byDJ Shadowfrom his 1996 debut studio album,Endtroducing......The song reached number 9 on theIrish Singles Chart,DJ Shadow's only top 10 hit to date.

The album version of the song combines "Stem" with "Long Stem".

Samples used

Like all other tracks on the album, "Stem" / "Long Stem" makes heavy use of sampling. Below are among the samples used for the track:

• The firstsampleused in the track is sampled from the beginning of the 1969 song "Love Suite" by English rock bandNirvana.
• The "...uicide...uicide..." vocal sample is taken from "Moshitup" by American hip-hop artistJust-Icefeaturing fellow American hip-hop artistKRS-One.
• The high-pitched string samples are sampled from "Variazione III" by Italianprogressive rockbandOsanna.
• The recurring guitar and violin parts are sampled from "Linde Manor" by American singer-songwriterDennis Linde.
• The organ sample that starts "Long Stem" is taken from "Tears" by Italian musicianGiorgio Moroder;the same sample is used on another track onEndtroducing....,"Organ Donor".
• The "I could just lay right down..." vocal sample is taken from "Blues So Bad" by American funk/soul group The Mystic Number National Bank.
• The "parking tickets" monologue which appears midway in the song is sampled from "Freedom" by American comedianMurray Roman.
• The synths that appear in the "Long Stem" section of the song are sampled from "Oleo Strut" by American electronic groupMother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company.

CD Track listing

1. "Stem" – 3:24
2. "Long Stem" – 4:26
3. "Red Bus Needs to Leave!" – 2:41
4. "Soup" – 0:43

7 "Track listing

1. "Stem (Cops 'N' Robbers) - 3:38
2. "Red Bus Needs to Leave!" - 2:41

The version of 'Stem' on the 7 "version contains dialogue samples from the Michael Mann film 'Heat' (1995).

In popular culture

It has been featured in several films and on television, including:

• The 1997 film,Twin Town.
• The 1997 film,One Eight Seven.
• The 1999 film,Wisconsin Death Trip,originally broadcast in the UK as part of theBBC'sArenaseries.
• In Chris Morris' TV series,Jam,and in its radio predecessor,Blue Jamwhich aired onChannel 4in 2000 andBBC Radio 1from 1997-99 respectively.
• An advert for aBBCtelevision programme that aired in November 2006 called,Lock Them Up or Let Them Out.
• Used in the background of theITVprogramme,The X Factorin series 3.
• ABBCWorld War IIdocumentary aboutSaint-Nazairethat aired on 18 March 2007 called,Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of All Time.The show was repeated on theBBCon 29 June 2008.
• UK TV adverts forO2andGuinness.
• The 2007 UKBravoTV series,Brits Behind Bars: America's Toughest Jail.
• ABBCPanoramaprogramme in June 2007.
• Football's Hardest Away DaysonBravo.
• An episode of theBBC OneTV series,Britain's Lost Worldthat aired on June 26, 2008.
• The trailer for 2003 film,Gothika.
• First semi-final ofseason 1of British TV series,Britain's Got Talent,during the flashback introduction for MD Productions.
• A 2009 French anti-drugs campaign.
• As background music in many shows of the BBC program,Horizon.
• As background music forEx Machinatrailer.