Porcelain (song)


"Porcelain" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the sixth single from his fifth studio album Play on June 12, 2000. Its melancholic lyrics describe the break-up of a relationship and were written by Moby – who also performs lead vocals on the track – based on his own reflections on past romantic affections. The song incorporates reversed string samples and piano rhythms into its instrumentation. While Moby initially expressed disdain over the song and its production, he was eventually talked into including it on Play.
The song was well received by music critics, who praised its arrangement and named it a standout track on Play. It became one of the most successful singles from the album upon release, becoming a top five hit in the United Kingdom and managing to chart highly in several other countries. Moby later licensed "Porcelain", along with the remainder of Play, for use in several forms of media. Two different music videos were produced for the song, directed by Jonas Åkerlund and Nick Brandt. The song has received remixes by Rob Dougan, Futureshock, Torsten Stenzel and Force Mass Motion, among others.

Background and composition

"Porcelain" was written and produced by Moby for his fifth studio album Play and recorded in his Little Italy, Manhattan apartment. He found the inspiration to compose the song from his own personal experiences; speaking to Billboard, he explained: "I was involved with this really, really wonderful woman, and I loved her very much. But I knew deep in my heart of hearts that we had no business being romantically involved. So, it's sort of about being in love with someone but knowing you shouldn't be with them." Moby initially disliked the track, criticizing his production as "mushy" and his vocals as "really weak". He had dismissed "Porcelain" as "average" and later recalled that he "couldn't imagine anyone else wanting to listen to it". Nonetheless, he was eventually talked into including it on Play by his manager.
Featuring vocals performed by Moby, "Porcelain" is a mid-tempo downtempo song. The song samples the song "Fight For Survival" from the 1960 film Exodus. The song's introspective, wistful lyrics describe "loving someone, but having to break up with them anyway." Composed in the key of E-flat major and running at a tempo of 96 beats per minute, "Porcelain" follows a constant four-chord progression in the B♭ mixolydian mode, with the exception of a bridge midway through the song. Its instrumentation incorporates reversed string samples and piano rhythms. "Porcelain" also makes use of a drum machine and includes several layered elements, including vocal samples, synthesizer chords and a cello line. Pilar Basso performs additional vocals on the song.

Critical reception

"Porcelain" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Alexandra Marshall of MTV called the song a "lush little snippet which sounds like a basement tape from a Magnetic Fields EP." A writer for the Birmingham Evening Mail wrote that its "sweeping melody and atmospheric vocals" create a "distinctive soundscape". While commenting that Play "need of a bit of pruning", David Browne of Entertainment Weekly cited "Porcelain" as an exception and praised it as "gorgeous". Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times characterized the Play songs "Honey" and "Porcelain" as "emotional and gripping" and wrote that if " didn't move you, then you probably had no pulse." Playlouder named "Porcelain" the twenty-sixth best single of 2000, calling it the album's "most crushingly heavenly track" and praising its combination of piano melodies with Moby's "hauntingly haunted" vocals. The song ranked at number fifty-six on The Village Voices 2000 year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll for singles. In 2003, Q placed "Porcelain" at number 253 on their list of the 1,001 Best Songs Ever.

Commercial performance

The song was released as the sixth single from Play on June 12, 2000. Like all other songs from its parent album, it was licensed for use in several commercials, television programs and films. English film director Danny Boyle featured "Porcelain" in his 2000 film The Beach, with Moby crediting its inclusion in the film for raising awareness of the record. Other notable uses include commercials for the Volkswagen Polo, Bosch and France Télécom. "Porcelain" became one of the most successful singles from Play upon release – Moby has since referred to it as the "most signature song" on the album. It debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart and spent a total of six weeks on the chart. The single became a top thirty hit in Ireland and Poland, where it peaked at numbers 26 and 14 respectively. "Porcelain" also managed to chart in several other European countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In North America, it peaked at number 50 on the Canadian RPM singles chart and charted on the United States Billboard Adult Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Dance Club Songs and Dance/Electronic Singles Sales charts. Liana Jonas of AllMusic wrote that the song's commercial success "helped bring electronica music into the limelight", calling it a "groundbreaking recording".
In 2018 the string samples of the song were used as background loop on "A$AP Forever" by ASAP Rocky.

Music videos

Two separate music videos were produced for "Porcelain". The first version, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, is primarily a simple close-up of a human eye; various images are reflected onto the eye throughout the course of the video, including Moby performing the song, people smiling and a piano being played.
The second video, directed by Nick Brandt, features Moby in a driverless 1972 Cadillac DeVille, as it crosses through a city and countryside, passing various individuals in slow-motion. The car drives through a field, a forest, past cattle, and finally down a hillside going into the distance. The Åkerlund-directed version only aired in European markets and was not released in the United States until its inclusion on the video album Play: The DVD.

Track listing

  1. "Porcelain" – 3:32
  2. "Flying Over the Dateline" – 4:48
  3. "Summer" – 5:55
  1. "Porcelain" – 6:36
  2. "Porcelain" – 8:36
  3. "Porcelain" – 4:50
  1. "Porcelain" – 8:36
  2. "Porcelain" – 3:54
  3. "Porcelain" – 6:36
  1. "Porcelain" – 3:32
  2. "Porcelain" – 8:22
  3. "Summer" – 5:55
  1. "Porcelain" – 6:36
  2. "Porcelain" – 4:01
  3. "Porcelain" – 8:36
  4. "Porcelain" – 3:54
  1. "Porcelain" – 6:41
  2. "Porcelain" – 3:31

    Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

Release history