• 1991-

  Tim Rowlands

  Ed Simons
• The Chemical Brothers DJ Tim Rowlands says Public Enemy's first album changed his life. He described the hip-hop collective's song "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" as "the most amazing track I've ever heard." From there, Rowlands started collecting hip-hop records and started DJing with his childhood friend, Ed Simons.
• In 1992, DJ's Tim Rowlands and Ed Simons began playing shows in the back of a Manchester club called Naked Under Leather. After awhile, the duo took on the moniker "The Dust Brothers" after the American production team famous for their work with the Beastie Boys. The duo got sick of sampling hip-hop instrumental tracks, so they began making their own beds using a hi-fi Hitachi system, a computer, a sampler, and a keyboard.
  
  In 1995, The Dust Brothers were threatened with a lawsuit by the original Dust Brothers US production team, so they decided to change their name. They chose "The Chemical Brothers" after one of their more popular songs, "Chemical Beats." The Chemical Brothers DJ Ed Simon's grandmother thought the group should be called "The Grit Brothers," but the name didn't stick.
• Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher picked a fight with The Chemical Brothers in 1995. The electronic duo was DJing for Oasis at a gig in Sheffield, but Gallagher didn't agree with the material they were playing. The enigmatic singer kicked the duo off the turntables and enlisted a friend from UK band The Verve to take over. The new DJ subsequently began playing psychedelic music much to the displeasure of the crowd.
• In 2011, The Chemical Brothers focused on creating music for two different film projects. The duo wrote most of the score for Joe Wright's 2011 movie Hanna, and also worked with composer Clint Mansell in creating three new tracks for Darren Aronofsky's 2011 film Black Swan.
• In 2008, The Chemical Brothers became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album more than once. The duo won the honor for their 2007 album We Are The Night but previously won in 2006 for their 2005 album Push the Button. Although the award was only conceived in 2005, The Chemical Brothers have either won or been nominated for every eligible album they've released since that year.
• In March 2012, it was announced that The Chemical Brothers would be composing the score for Now You See Me, an illusionist/magician heist movie directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk.) The all-star cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Common.
• Back when they were still known as The Dust Brothers, they were paid with booze instead of money when they took up residency at London's Albany pub for the Heavenly Sunday Social Club in October 1994.
  
  "Everyone who might have bought us a drink was busy jumping up and down," Ed Simons told The Guardian. "We did get paid in beer or cider but were just happy to be asked. Rather than going out on a Friday night, we would DJ, take our friends and make a night of it."

Comments

More Songfacts:

I Ran (So Far Away)A Flock of Seagulls

"I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock Of Seagulls ends with an alien abduction.

StanEminem

Thanks to Eminem's song, the word "stan" was added to the Oxford American Dictionary in 2017. It means an obsessive fan.

Sloop John BThe Beach Boys

"Sloop John B" is a traditional West Indian folk song, and it was a huge hit for The Beach Boys in 1966. They tweaked the lyric, "This is the worst trip since I've been born" to "...I've ever been on" as a wink to acid culture.

3 AMMatchbox Twenty

The Matchbox Twenty song "3 AM" is about the difficult times lead singer Rob Thomas spent caring for his mother, who had cancer.

Nothin' On YouB.o.B

When "Nothin' On You" reached #1 on the Hot 100, B.o.B became the first American act whose name is a palindrome to top the chart. The other two who did so prior to the Atlanta rapper were both Scandinavian groups - ABBA and A-Ha.

Just Give Me A ReasonPink

Pink wrote "Just Give Me A Reason" about how one partner can feel jilted over something trivial, like how her boyfriend passes her the butter.

Editor's Picks

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."