Vitamin C (song)
{{Short description|1972 song by Can}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Vitamin C
| cover = Can-VitaminC-cover-d.jpg
| alt =
| caption = German single picture sleeve (1973)
| type = Single
| artist = Can
| album = Ege Bamyası
| B-side = I'm So Green
| released = 1972
| recorded =
| studio = {{ill|Inner Space Studio|de}} (Weilerswist, West Germany)
| venue =
| genre = Krautrock
| length = 3:32
| label = United Artists
| writer =
| producer = Holger Czukay
| prev_title = Spoon
| prev_year = 1971
| next_title = Moonshake
| next_year = 1973
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|zrkUiCugQDE|"Vitamin C"}}}}
}}
"Vitamin C" is a song by the krautrock band Can from their 1972 album Ege Bamyası. The song is one of the band's most recognizable songs.{{Cite news |last=Renard |first=David |date=2018-06-12 |title="Can Was 40 Years Ahead of Its Time. A New Book Helps Us Catch Up." |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/arts/music/can-book-all-gates-open.html |access-date=2024-10-26 |work=The New York Times}}
Jordan Potter of Far Out magazine noticed that the album's sleeve art features a can of Aegean okra, which is incidentally rich in vitamin C.{{Cite magazine |date=2024-07-24 |title=What is Can's krautrock classic 'Vitamin C' about? |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/story-behind-song-can-krautrock-vitamin-c/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |magazine=Far Out |language=en-US|author=Jordan Potter}}
Background
In the first half of 1972, United Artists "requested a follow-up 45 rpm single to capitalize on the success of the previous single "Spoon". Can recorded and released "Vitamin C" / "I'm So Green".{{sfn|Young|Schmidt|2018|page=175}}{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Rob |last2=Schmidt |first2=Irmin |author-link2=Irmin Schmidt |title=All Gates Open: The Story of Can |year=2018 |edition=e-book |publisher=Faber and Faber |location=London |isbn=978-0-571-31151-4|page=175}}
When Can was commissioned to perform a piece for the soundtrack for 1973 German television film Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street, the band settled on "Vitamin C" as their commission work, believing it fit the film well.{{Cite magazine |last=Schube |first=Will |date=2017-07-02 |title=Talking 'Singles' with CAN's Irmin Schmidt |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/talking-singles-with-cans-irmin-schmidt/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |magazine=Vice |language=en-US}}
A version of the song appeared as "Dead Pigeon Suite" on 2012 compilation album The Lost Tapes, which features the studio out-takes recorded by Can.
Legacy
British musical outfit U.N.K.L.E. created an 8-minute remix version of "Vitamin C", featured on Can's double remix album Sacrilege (1997). Brooklyn band Woods's 2016 song "Can't See at All" interpolated a keyboard sample from "Vitamin C".{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
=Soundtracks=
"Vitamin C" has been prominently featured in film soundtracks, appearing in Pedro Almodóvar's 2009 film Broken Embraces,{{cite magazine|last=Rose|first=Steve|date=11 March 2011|title=Can: the ultimate film soundtrack band?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/mar/11/can-film-soundtrack|access-date=26 November 2020|magazine=The Guardian}} in Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack for 2014 film Inherent Vice,{{cite web|last=Renshaw|first=David|date=18 November 2014|title=Details of Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's 'Inherent Vice' soundtrack confirmed|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-115-1220367|access-date=26 November 2020|website=NME}} in the second season of Preacher (2016–19),{{cite web|title=WhatSong Soundtracks - Stream Songs from the Latest Movies & TV Shows|url=https://www.what-song.com/|access-date=26 November 2020|website=www.what-song.com}} in the 2017 film Hot Summer Nights,{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hot-summer-nights-2018|title=Hot Summer Nights review|author=Sheila O'Malley|date=July 27, 2018}} and in the second season of the HBO Max series Euphoria (2019),{{Cite web |title=All of the Music Played During 'Euphoria' Season 2 |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/khal/euphoria-season-2-songs |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=www.complex.com |language=en}} and in the first episode of the 2024 Netflix miniseries Eric.{{cite magazine|url=https://screenrant.com/netflix-eric-soundtrack-guide/|magazine=Screen Rant|title=Eric Soundtrack Guide: Every Song In The Netflix Series & When They Play|author=Kat Mondor|date=Jun 3, 2024}}
"Vitamin C" has been incorporated into "The Get Down: Original Soundtrack" for the 2016 Netflix series of the same name, used as the theme song of Jaden Smith's character Dizzed. It features the lyric "Hey you! You're losing, you're losing..." but instead of "vitamin C" the lyrics were altered to "your mind". In 2018, the DJs Adam Beyer and Bart Skils released their track "Your Mind" which features the sample from the theme song.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
= In popular culture =
In the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a character named Damo Tamaki has an ability named "Vitamin C".{{cite comic | creator =Hirohiko Araki | writer = | artist = | penciller = | inker = | colorist = | letterer = | editor = | story = | title = JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: JoJolion | volume = 14 | issue = 8 | date = December 19, 2016 | publisher = | page = | panel = }}
The song was used throughout the Celine Summer 2022 fashion collection show.{{Cite web |title=ICYMI: Saint Laurent chases the sun, Lanvin reopen their Paris flagship, and Hedi Slimane takes us to Nice |url=https://hero-magazine.com/article/200851/icymi-saint-laurent-lanvin-celine |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Hero |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Can (band)}}