Clint Eastwood

The song "Clint Eastwood," which marked the debut of the Gorillaz project, takes its name from the famous actor, in a nod to the music from films such as *The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly*. This connection became even more evident through the sound of the melodica, an instrument that Damon Albarn used as the track’s foundation and which, as has been noted, is reminiscent of the harmonica in *A Fistful of Dollars*. The idea for the title came to them while they were recording in Jamaica, immersed in dancehall music, as they searched for a nickname that sounded “cool.” The track is a fusion of electronic, dub, hip-hop, and rock, with verses performed by Del the Funky Homosapien and the catchy chorus by Damon Albarn himself.

The creative process behind “Clint Eastwood” has its own unique aspects. Damon Albarn began by recording demos on a four-track recorder, using a drum machine and a guitar. Later, one of these demos was re-recorded in Logic to serve as the backing track. The strings you hear come from a Solina String Ensemble, an instrument that engineer Jason Cox managed to save from Albarn’s plan to use it as part of a fire show. The instrumental foundation, meanwhile, originated from the first preset on an Omnichord, an electronic instrument. Del the Funky Homosapien’s contribution was a last-minute addition; producer Dan the Automator asked him to quickly record his verses during a session for the album *Deltron 3030* in 2000. Del wrote and recorded his part in just thirty minutes, drawing inspiration from a book titled *How to Write a Hit Song* that his mother had given him. In fact, Del didn’t know about the song’s release or its success until his friends began telling him they’d heard it on the radio.

Released in March 2001, “Clint Eastwood” was the first single from the self-titled debut album by Gorillaz, a virtual band project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This album, which also includes tracks such as “Tomorrow Comes Today” and “19-2000,” explored a wide range of genres, from trip-hop and rap rock to reggae and psychedelic music. The song has proven to be adaptable in live performances, featuring various collaborations over the years. At the 2002 Brit Awards, the original version featuring Phi Life Cypher was performed. Later, during the 2005 Demon Detour Live concerts, a version featuring De La Soul and Bootie Brown was performed, which was even included on the “Dare” single. During the Escape to Plastic Beach tour, British rapper Tinie Tempah contributed his verses, and on occasions when Tempah was unable to attend, Kano and Bashy took his place, with Kano using verses from his own song “Bassment.” Even Snoop Dogg joined in at Glastonbury 2010, and on the Asian leg of the tour, Eslam Jawaad performed a version with his own verses from “Alarm Chord,” a song he shares with Damon Albarn.