Songfacts®:

• This song is about the hard life in the big city, the pressure and all the getaways. It explains how living in a metropolitan area is hard, and how everyone's on the move. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Hi - Campinas, Brazil
• Mattafix was a duo comprising London-born, Caribbean-raised vocalist Marlon Roudette and producer/keyboardist Preetesh Hirji. Roudette is the son of music producer Cameron McVey (Massive Attack, All Saints, Sugababes) and the stepson of singer Neneh Cherry.
• Roudette sings the chorus in Jamaican Patois.
• "Big City Life" topped the charts in Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland, buoyed by its inclusion on the 2006 FIFA World Cup soundtrack. It peaked at #15 in the UK.
• Mattafix had several more minor hits, but in 2010 Roudette and Hirji split because of their different new ideas for future projects. Roudette embarked on a successful solo career that included two #1 singles in Germany, "New Age" and "When The Beat Drops Out."
• In 2022, Australian electronic dance music producer Luude remixed "Big City Life" as a drum-and-bass track. Luude was approached for a Mattafix remix after his version of "Down Under" blew up. "I don't even know how old I was but I remember we'd walk through town with our Nokias or whatever. 'Big City Life' was one of the songs I used to always play," the Aussie producer said. "When I got the offer to do it is, I was like 'absolutely'!"'
• Luude's version took the song into the UK Top 10 for the first time, reaching #8.