Vitamin C (song)

"Vitamin C"
German single picture sleeve (1973)
Single by Can
from the album Ege Bamyası
B-side"I'm So Green"
Released1972
StudioInner Space Studio (Weilerswist, West Germany)
GenreKrautrock
Length3:32
LabelUnited Artists
ProducerHolger Czukay
Can singles chronology
"Spoon"
(1971)
"Vitamin C"
(1972)
"Moonshake"
(1973)
Audio
"Vitamin C" on YouTube

"Vitamin C" is a song by the krautrock band Can from their 1972 album Ege Bamyası. The song is one of the band's most recognizable songs.[1]

Background

Can recorded and released "Vitamin C" in the first half of 1972 as a follow up to the success of their previous single "Spoon". The release of "Vitamin C" was paired with another single "I'm So Green".[2][3]

When Can was commissioned to perform a piece for the soundtrack for 1973 German television film Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street, the band settled on "Vitamin C" as their commission work, believing it fit the film well.[4] A version of the song appeared as "Dead Pigeon Suite" on 2012 compilation album The Lost Tapes, which features the studio out-takes recorded by Can.[5]

Legacy

British musical outfit U.N.K.L.E. created an 8-minute remix version of "Vitamin C", featured on Can's double remix album Sacrilege (1997).[6]

Soundtracks

"Vitamin C" has been prominently featured in film soundtracks, appearing in Pedro Almodóvar's 2009 film Broken Embraces,[7] in Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack for 2014 film Inherent Vice,[8] in the second season of Preacher (2016–19),[9] in the 2017 film Hot Summer Nights,[10] in the second season of the HBO Max series Euphoria (2019),[11] in Guy Ritchie's 2019 film The Gentlemen,[12] in the first episode of the 2024 Netflix miniseries Eric[13] and in the 2025 film We Bury the Dead[14].

"Vitamin C" has been incorporated into "The Get Down: Original Soundtrack" for the 2016 Netflix series of the same name, used as the theme song for Jaden Smith's character Dizzee. It features the lyric "Hey you! You're losing, you're losing..." but instead of "vitamin C" the lyrics were altered to "your mind".[1]

In the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, a character named Damo Tamaki has an ability named "Vitamin C".[15] The song was used throughout the Celine Summer 2022 fashion collection show.[16] On 27 June 2025, American rapper and producer Kanye West released the single "Losing Your Mind", which features an artificial intelligence deepfake cover of "Vitamin C".[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Renard, David (2018-06-12). "Can Was 40 Years Ahead of Its Time. A New Book Helps Us Catch Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  2. ^ Young & Schmidt 2018, p. 175.
  3. ^ Young, Rob; Schmidt, Irmin (2018). All Gates Open: The Story of Can (e-book ed.). London: Faber and Faber. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-571-31151-4.
  4. ^ Schube, Will (2017-07-02). "Talking 'Singles' with CAN's Irmin Schmidt". Vice. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  5. ^ Douglas, Wolk (June 18, 2012). "The Lost Tapes – Can".
  6. ^ Mason, Neil (January 10, 1998). "Various artists: Freestyle Files 3". Melody Maker. Vol. 75, no. 2.
  7. ^ Rose, Steve (11 March 2011). "Can: the ultimate film soundtrack band?". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. ^ Renshaw, David (18 November 2014). "Details of Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's 'Inherent Vice' soundtrack confirmed". NME. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  9. ^ "WhatSong Soundtracks - Stream Songs from the Latest Movies & TV Shows". www.what-song.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. ^ O'Malley, Sheila (July 27, 2018). "Hot Summer Nights review".
  11. ^ "All of the Music Played During 'Euphoria' Season 2". www.complex.com. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  12. ^ McCormick, Colin; Hough, Quinn (2020-01-25). "Every Song On The Gentlemen Soundtrack". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  13. ^ Mondor, Kat (Jun 3, 2024). "Eric Soundtrack Guide: Every Song In The Netflix Series & When They Play". Screen Rant.
  14. ^ "Zombie genre just won't die". Whatzup. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  15. ^ Hirohiko Araki (wa). JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: JoJolion, vol. 14, no. 8 (December 19, 2016).
  16. ^ "ICYMI: Saint Laurent chases the sun, Lanvin reopen their Paris flagship, and Hedi Slimane takes us to Nice". Hero. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  17. ^ Koe, Crystal (March 24, 2025). "Kanye West drops surprise Bully album – but did he clear the samples?". MusicTech. Retrieved March 27, 2025.