Too Young to Die (song)

"Too Young to Die" is the second single taken from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's debut studio album, "Emergency on Planet Earth". The original version of the track runs at 10:18; however, both the single and album versions were cut, running at 3:22 and 6:05, respectively. The single peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 50 in France, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. The track's stems were made available to the public in March 2013 as part of a remix competition for the song; as such, there is an abundance of bootleg remixes to the song in addition to the official remixes. The competition was won by Australian DJ and music producer Late Nite Tuff Guy.
Background.
The commercial single includes all three versions of the track. The song's lyrics are about the fear of war and death due to political machinations. A music video was shot for "Too Young to Die". It was directed by W.I.Z., and consisted mainly of Jay Kay singing in what appears to be a desert military installation. The single's cover art depicts Jay Kay in the background, looking into the camera, with a sky-blue "grill" of the Buffalo Man in the left, as hollow spots, which are slowly morphing into solid blue crosses (specifically, headstones), which are the polar opposites to the meaning of the buffalo man. This morphing happens as one moves their eyes from left to right over the cover of the single. There is also a banner near the bottom of the sleeve which has several images on it, including a picture of a baby with a caption beside it reading "Too Young to Die", an image of the mushroom cloud, and a Swastika, with the latter having a red "X" over it.
Critical reception.
"Music & Media" wrote, "An uplifting strings intro heralds Jamiroquai's follow-up to last year's massive When You Gonna Learn. Jay's "Stevie Wonder"-ful voice grabs the melody and envelopes itself in a warm overcoat of horns, funky guitar and intricate percussion accompaniment worthy of a Roy Ayers set. "Real" music for the acid jazzed amongst you." Alan Jones from "Music Week" described it as a "loose and attractive retro-funk workout that owes more to the Seventies than the Nineties." Dr Bob Jones from the magazine's "RM" Dance Update stated, "This is pure soul jazz with the funky bassline. A simple worldly message is scattered over a tight rhythm section with horn stabs Seventies-style. Pure class — one to raise some dust!" Tony Cross from "Smash Hits" gave the song 4 out of 5, commenting, "Led by the young (but still Stevie Wonder sounding) lead singer Jay, Jamiroquai have updated dark and dirty '70s funk. This is a stylish anti-war song that has really got what it takes. The obscenely talented Jamiroquai will go from strength to strength."
Track listings.
UK CD single
Japanese CD single
UK 12-inch vinyl