Virtual Insanity

"Virtual Insanity" is the first and lead single of Jamiroquai's third album Travelling Without Moving, released on 19 August 1996 via Sony Soho Square. Written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith and produced by Al Stone, it charted number-one in Iceland and peaked at number-three on the UK Charts, along with charting in several other countries. It also became their biggest US song, charting number 38 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. Considered their biggest song, it would win them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

The song regained popularity again in 2023 for it's music video, along as a Family Guy cutaway gag where the character Carter Pewterschmidt rearranges furniture in his home in the style of the music video.

Background

Despite being the first track and single of their third album, it was the last to be recorded. Only recorded as a rough track with one verse and the keyboard structure written, it only became a proper track as the label had requested the band to make a a proper single for Traveling Without Moving. The premise of the track was inspired by a walk in an underground city in Sendai, Japan, by singer Jay Kay and the band's didgeridoo player, Wallis Buchanan. Kay wrote in liner notes of the album quote, "Everything was covered in snow and there was absolutely no one about. [We took] these stairs that led down to this whole underground city … with all the color and noise you get in Japanese streets."

Lyrically, the song delves into social issues such as overpopulation, human genetic enhancement, eugenics, and ecological collapse, with lyrics such as "And now every mother can choose the colour / Of her child, that's not nature's way".

The runtime of the track is 5:40 for album releases, 4:04 for the single, and 3:46 for radio edits. Physical release include both the studio and radio edit along with the b-side tracks "Bullet", a funk instrumental, and "Do U Know Where You're Coming From", a track featuring M-Beat originally released as a single for the album.

In popular culture

Popular culture

The music video has been parodied