Songfacts®:

• The "village" is Greenwich Village, a musically fertile section of New York City. Fun Lovin' Criminals formed in New York and many of their songs call out to the city, often in tales of nightclubs or the seedy underworld. "Village Groove" paints a different picture, with the vibrant area a getaway from the politics and hate that have become all too common.
• This was the first song Fun Lovin' Criminals recorded after losing their frontman Huey Morgan, a founding member. The band has a rich history and distinct persona, so they couldn't just find another singer to replace him. The only viable solution was to have the other remaining founder, multi-instrumentalist Brian "Fast" Leiser, take on vocals. Leiser sang it quietly up close to the microphone, keeping the focus on the groove.
• In a Songfacts interview with "Fast" Leiser, he talked about the song meaning. "The song is about making ends meet, making bones," he said. "It was great to write lyrics about New York. We're talking about the experiences when we were growing up. Now we're in our 40s and 50s looking back on half our lives and the nostalgia takes us back to the '80s and '90s. What a great two decades it was for us living in New York City."
• Leiser and FLC drummer Frank Benbini wrote this song with James Maddock, a New York City resident originally from Leicester, England, who records as a solo artist.