Weapon Of Choice by Fatboy Slim

Album: Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars (2000)

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

"Weapon of Choice" is a track from Fatboy Slim's third album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. It features vocals by American funk icon Bootsy Collins, renowned for his work with Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy's Rubber Band. Released as a double A-side single alongside "Star 69" on April 23, 2001, the song reached #10 on the UK chart.

Collins, who co-wrote and played bass on the track, previously lent his voice to the dance hit "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite.
In David Lynch's film adaptation of Dune, Paul Atreides says to his mother (82 minutes into the movie): "If we walk without rhythm, we won't attract the worm." This is the likely source of the lyrics, "Walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm."
The official music video for "Weapon of Choice" reveals a surprising side of Christopher Walken, known for his intense, often villainous roles in films like Pulp Fiction, The Deer Hunter, and True Romance. What most of us didn't know until this video appeared is that Walken is a great dancer - he trained at the Washington Dance Studio and appeared in musicals such as 1981's Pennies from Heaven. In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Walken said he accepted the role before he became "too decrepit to dance."

He choreographed the video with Michael Rooney, son of Mickey Rooney, and performed stunts, including flying across the mezzanine in a harness. Reflecting on the humor and playfulness of the video, Fatboy Slim told Higher Frequency in 2006: "I think it's full of irony, and to see an actor that I really admire but who's famous for playing psychopaths, to see him do that silly un-psychopathic dancing made me smile and made everyone else smile."
Directed by Spike Jonze, the "Weapon of Choice" music video was filmed over two days in December 2000 in the lobby of the former Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles. Jonze, who previously directed the iconic video for Fatboy Slim's "Praise You," told The Nine Club in 2018 that the inspiration for "Weapon of Choice" came from his father's business trips: "When my dad would come to town, he'd stay at one of those hotels by the airport, those Marriotts. So I just imagined my dad at all these hotels, traveling around the country, and the mundane, repetitive, numbing quality of that. The idea was like the fantasy that comes out of that."

Fatboy Slim was meant to cameo in the flying scenes but was unavailable due to the impending birth of his child with British broadcaster Zoe Ball.
The "Weapon of Choice" music video was a critical hit, winning six MTV Video Music Awards in 2001: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Music Video and was named the greatest music video of all time by VH1 in 2002.

In 2021, the video was restored in 4K, removing the visible wires from Walken's flying scenes and digitally adding a portrait of Fatboy Slim to the hotel wall. Interest in the video was rekindled around the same time, with Walken cast as Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two. The song happens to reference Frank Herbert's novel with the line: "Walk without rhythm, and it won't attract the worm." In 2024, Walken told GQ he was unaware of the connection, adding: "He's a very interesting guy, the Fatboy Slim guy. He must've read the book."
The chorus of "Weapon of Choice," "You could blow with this, or you could blow with that," pays tribute to American hip-hop duo Black Sheep's 1991 song "The Choice is Yours," which includes the line: "You can get with this, or you can get with that."

The track also samples the riff from Sly & the Family Stone's "Into My Own Thing" and the bassline from The Chambers Brothers' "All Strung Out Over You." Additional samples are borrowed from "Word Play" by The X-Ecutioners, a track Fatboy Slim had previously used in his songs "Gangster Tripping" and "Don't Forget Your Teeth."
The line, "Yeah, so move on, baby, check out, halfway between the gutter and the stars, yeah," is a nod to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde's famous quote from Lady Windermere's Fan: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, went on to name the album after this quote.
"Weapon of Choice" appeared in the 2001 comedy drama film Joe Somebody, starring Tim Allen, which follows a man standing up to workplace bullying. The song was also features in the 2006 fantasy comedy Night at the Museum during a scene where Larry, played by Ben Stiller, returns to the museum for his second night, preparing for the chaos to follow.

Comments: 23

Lars H from OsloI'm sure the lyrics says:
"Walk without rythm, it won't attract the one." Still, ofcourse, an adaptation of the line in Dune.
I like to think that someone in a movienight at Cook's misheard the line in Dune and got confused, being the inspiration.
This would also be a definitively better fit to Christopher Walken's fabulously extravagant dance of courtship in the music video.
Mr. A from CanadaMUZE from Australia, from the cover image I gathered that "Halfway between the gutter and the stars" means halfway between the anus and the genitals. That's why the sunbeams come through the gap between the girl legs, highlighting the aforementioned "place." The analogy or metaphor is really poetic IMHO.
Ab#1 from HomeThe thing about this song is that I hear it as bumper music on a radio show and I can not remember which show it was on.

Also I noticed this time around how close the bass line is to Bad from Michael Jackson.
Ted from London"Walk without rhythm and you won't attract the worm" is meant as safety advice in Dune. In the context of the song it's used ironically in that walking with rhythm is assumed to be a desirable characteristic (hence "walk without rhythm and you'll never learn"). What "the worm" means in this instance is kind of open to question, but I'd say the song is about sex, drugs, dancing and generally being a cool dude....
M J from Monterey CaThis music video is one of my top-5 favorites. Christopher Walkin is an amazing dancer. Who knew (rhetorically)! Love the combination of him/the song/the setting/the choreography. Glad to see it won so many awards.
Scott from London, OnHi kraeg from london. This has got to be the same Queen loving Kraeg I used to know. I have been trying to find you for a while and this is the only forum I have to contact you.
Ed from Harrisburg, PaBut if the line is (as some report it)"if you walk without rhythm, you're never gonna learn", it may fit better into the context of Paul and his acceptance in the Freeman society. In some ways Lynch made the story more accusable then the book, but his story drew so many unspoken inferences from the book without explanation it sometimes leaves the viewer with more questions then answers. Questions that are not even raised in the novels.
Cary from Casa Grande, AzJim I'd have to agree with, except some of the things about Paul and such which not having seen the movie myself but reading all the books I don't are true. He doesn't really know a special Martial Art, he's been combed to be the Kwizatch Haderach, the religious prophet of the people of Dune, the Fremen (Free Men).

He does say the line about walking without women, but it can also explain the last line. I think it refers to when in Dune Messiah, Paul starts to break down mentally and goes off into these tangents about how the people will never learn and that is why he can't prevent the Jihad by the Fremen who follow him.
Mike from Carmel, In"if you walk without rhythym, it won't attract the worm" is from Dune, the sandworms sense the vibrations of footprints but of course it doesn't explain the lyric

"if you walk without rhythym, you're never gonna earn"

Not something most people are gonna get, but I like it.
Mary from Phoenix, AzI completely agree with Long from Houston...this is probably the best video ever made. Christopher Walken is truly an amazing dancer and performer.
Alden from Asheville, NcWhen I first heard this song, I thought of Dune, because of the "attract the worm" phrase.
Ryan from Seattle, WaOf course the girl from Venezuela would think it's about blow, that is all they do there. I don't recall in the video the scene where he does cocaine.
Vanessa from Maracaibo, South AmericaI don't know where the lyrics come from, but the video is quite obvious- executive businessmen who must work allnighters OFTEN snort coke to have the strength to do it, just like older high-rank army officials do EVERYWHERE in the world. This guy is obviously tired first, snorts, gets the short high, then comes back to sit down when the high is over. I saw it thousands of times as a child when that was my world, too. -Vanessa Di Domenico, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Muze from Australia, AustraliaThank goodness someone figured it out. Go Aussie J! Yes indeedy it is about Dune where you walk without rhythm and it wont attract the worm but more importantly it is about the weapon of choice. A device which is attatched to your vocal box which acts as the weapon with vibrations to kill the worm. Hence the electronically altered voice. Also, the lyrics should state, halfway through the gutter and the stars, which depicts the grueling journey they make. Steve from PA, good inspiration but sorry mate, you are wrong!
Jeff from Medford, OrThis is more about Christopher Walkin than Fat Boy Slim, but if you pay attention, Chris dances in every movie he is in. He puts it in his contracts that befor he signs a movie deal he must be aloud to dance "a jig" in the movie at least once. The best one by far has to be in Sleepy Hollow. Look for it and you will see.
Elliott from Toronto, CanadaChristopher Walken wasn't an evil psycho in "Pulp Fiction" either. He was, yet again, a Vietnam veteran and was in the movie for like 7 minutes (the emotionally ruined part I don't know about).
Long from Houston, TxI think this the video for this song was the best music video ever made.
Jim from Pittsburgh, PaThis song is very much based on (at least peripherally) the David Lynch movie, Dune. Much of the heady subplot involves a secret weapon that one family has over all the others; the main character is, himself, a weapon; he knows a rare and closely-guarded martial art that no other men know; a subculture of witches called the Bene Gesserit utilize an ability called "The Voice" that allows them to bypass the victim's higher brain functions and give them an irresistable command, and the weird affect on Bootsy's voice during much of the song sounds a great deal like the weird affect used in the movie when The Voice is used; the line about Walking without rhythm and not attracting worms is lifted almost directly from the film (and the book); a major theme of the book and the movie is ascension to a higher form of life, as Paul is expected to transcend normal human existence (as in the lyric, "It's gone beyond being a man"), and the final stanza reflects this.
Melissa from Green Bay, WiChristopher Walken also appeared in Madonna's video for "Bad Girl", he played a guardian angel
Kraeg Minett from London, CanadaFor some reason, I've always assumed that lyric 'Walk without rhythm, and you won't attract the worm" referred to the idea in the Bible Belt that dancing is the devils tool. No rhythm, no dancing, no devil (also known as the worm).

It provides a better reason for using Christopher Walkin as the dancer as he does tend to play characters who are move evil than good in nature.
Steve from Wallingford, PaAlicia, I think the lyrics say "if you don't walk with rythem, you won't atrrack the women", which is always why i walk with rythem at the beach
Sarah from Salem, MaWalken was not an evil psycho in "The Deer Hunter," he was an emotionally ruined Vietnam veteran.
Alicia from Oxford, OhThe lyric "walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm" is likely inspired by the classic sci-fi novel "Dune" in which there are giant worms on a desert planet which will attack you unless you walk without a rhythm, so that they can't tell you are there.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Wrecking BallMiley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus didn't write "Wrecking Ball" but could very much relate to it. She was having problems in her relationship with Liam Hemsworth, so the theme of giving your love only to have it wrecked really resonated with her.

Just A GirlNo Doubt

Gwen Stefani wrote "Just a Girl" as a message to her overprotective father.

Bitter Sweet SymphonyThe Verve

"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve samples an obscure orchestral arrangement of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time." The Verve had to sign away most of the royalties before they could release the song.

Midnight RiderThe Allman Brothers Band

A roadie for the Allman Brothers came up with the line "The road goes on forever" for "Midnight Rider," and got a songwriting credit for his contribution.

WomanizerBritney Spears

"Womanizer" was Britney Spears' comeback song, going to #1 about 10 months after she was institutionalized to get treatment for addictions and mental health issues.

Video Killed The Radio StarBuggles

"Video Killed The Radio Star" by Buggles was the first video to air on MTV when the network started broadcasting on August 1, 1981.