Cobrastyle

"Cobrastyle" is a song performed by Swedish band Teddybears, featuring Jamaican singer Mad Cobra. The song was released on their 2004 album Fresh, and reissued on their 2006 album Soft Machine. It was released as a single on 6 June 2006.

"Cobrastyle"
Single by Teddybears featuring Mad Cobra
from the album Fresh and Soft Machine
Released	2004
Genre	Reggae rock
Length	2:59
Label	Big Beat
Songwriter(s)	Klas Åhlund Joakim Åhlund Patrick Arve Ewart Brown Fabian Torsson Troy Rami Paul Rota David Parker Sylvia Robinson
Teddybears featuring Mad Cobra singles chronology
"Yours to Keep" (2004) "Cobrastyle" (2004) "Hey Boy" (2004)

Content

"Cobrastyle" samples the piano riff from Fine Young Cannibals's "Good Thing".[1]

The song's verse reuses parts of Mad Cobra's "Press Trigger",[2] and Busy Bee's "Making Cash Money".[3]

The composition also features a familiar musical line that has been described as reminiscent of The 5.6.7.8's cover of the Ikettes song, "I'm Blue".

Music video

The music video for "Cobrastyle" features a stop-motion Gorilla and Cobra robot attacking each other in front of a mountain range, while Teddybears and Mad Cobra perform the song.[4]

Track listing

CD single[5]

1. "Cobrastyle" – 2:59
2. "Cobrastyle" (Instrumental) – 2:59
3. "Cobrastyle" (A capella) – 2:41

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004–05) Peak position Greece (IFPI)[6] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[7] 10

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 57

Robyn version

"Cobrastyle"
Cover of the Australian "Konichiwa Bitches" / "Cobrastyle" single
Single by Robyn
from the album The Rakamonie EP and Robyn (international edition)
Released	September 15, 2007
Genre	Dancehall[9] electropop[10]
Length	4:12
Songwriter(s)	Klas Åhlund Joakim Åhlund Patrick Arve Ewart Brown Fabian Torsson Troy Rami Paul Rota David Parker Sylvia Robinson
Producer(s)	Teddybears
Robyn singles chronology
"With Every Heartbeat" (2007) "Cobrastyle" (2007) "Dream On" (2008)

"Cobrastyle" was covered by Swedish singer and songwriter Robyn on her 2006 EP, The Rakamonie EP. The cover was included on the international edition of her self-titled album Robyn. The song was released as a single in Australia in September 2007, as a part of the double A-side single "Konichiwa Bitches" / "Cobrastyle".

Promotion

Ahead of the October 2007 Australian release of Robyn through Modular Recordings, "Konichiwa Bitches" and "Cobrastyle" were released together as a double A-side single, a month before the album's release.[11] To promote the album and single, Robyn performed two concerts in Australia in mid-September.[11]

In May 2008, Robyn performed the song with the Teddybears on the Late Show with David Letterman and The View.[12][13]

Critical reception

Daniel Rivera of PopMatters called Robyn's version "a damn near perfect Teddy Bears cover (easily surpassing the original)",[14] while LA Music Blog thought the song was "futuristic and brilliant".[15] Robyn's cover version was listed as number 61 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008, who praised the song's "blast of freezy-cool electro that oozes sass."[9]

The New Yorker described "Cobrastyle" as a "fast, chattering electronic track that runs at a punk tempo, except for the moments when it drops in fragments of dancehall rhythms", feeling that Robyn's lyrical delivery was "a mash of language from everywhere and nowhere, and sound decidedly un-Swedish".[10] Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork felt her delivery was Robyn "playfully [turning] Mad Cobra's Jamaican patois into a dance nursery rhyme".[16] Prefix Magazine felt that the lyrics of "Cobrastyle" and Robyn in general were "wonderfully dumb throughout...Robyn clearly has a fondness for big empty pop that sounds good but says little", feeling that "it takes a hardened soul to withstand the charms of an album" with lyrics such as "Cobrastyle"'s.[17]

In a mixed review by for GayCalgary Magazine, Rob Diaz-Marino found "Cobrastyle" melodically likable, but "felt like something was being held back".[18]

Music videos

Two music videos were produced for "Cobrastyle". The first was released on 25 April 2008 as a viral video, and features Robyn and Perez Hilton (among others) playing strip poker.[19] The second was released on 10 October 2008. The video shows Robyn and other musicians dressed in white and set against a white background. As the band performs, graffiti artists cover the scene in paint.[20]

Formats and track listings

• "Konichiwa Bitches" / "Cobrastyle"[21]

1. "Konichiwa Bitches" – 2:38
2. "Cobrastyle" – 4:12
3. "Konichiwa Bitches" (Trentemøller Remix) – 6:25
4. "Cobrastyle" (Muscles Remix) – 3:52

• "Cobrastyle Remixes" (US Promo)[22]

1. "Cobrastyle" (Mason Remix) – 5:30
2. "Cobrastyle" (Adam K & Soha Remix) – 6:42
3. "Cobrastyle" (The Touch Remix) – 6:08
4. "Cobrastyle" (Samim Remix) – 6:10
5. "Cobrastyle" (The Bloody Beetroots Remix) – 4:01
6. "Cobrastyle" (Mason Dub) – 5:29
7. "Cobrastyle" (The Bloody Beetroots Instrumental) – 4:02

Charts

Chart (2007-2008)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[23] As "Konichiwa Bitches" / "Cobrastyle"	67
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24]	17
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[25]	7

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, formats released, and record label

Country	Release date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Australia	15 September 2007	Digital EP, CD single	Konichiwa Modular	[26]
United States	October 2008	Promotional single	Konichiwa Cherrytree Interscope	[22]

References

1. "Teddybears Sthlm's Cobrastyle sample of Fine Young Cannibals's Good Thing". Retrieved 9 June 2013.
2. "Teddybears Sthlm's Cobrastyle sample of Mad Cobra's Press Trigger". Retrieved 9 June 2013.
3. "Teddybears Sthlm's Cobrastyle sample of Busy Bee's Making Cash Money". Retrieved 9 June 2013.
4. teddybearssthlmVEVO (2 October 2009). "Teddybears Sthlm;Mad Cobra - Cobrastyle". YouTube. Google. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
5. "Cobrastyle - : Release Information, Reviews and Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
6. "IFPI Greece Top 50 Singles". Archived from the original on 2005-06-17. Retrieved 2005-06-17.
7. "Swedishcharts.com – Teddybears STHLM feat. Mad Cobra – Cobra Style". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
8. "Årslista Singlar – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
9. "100 Best Songs of 2008". Retrieved 9 June 2013.
10. Sasha Frere-Jones (5 July 2010). "Robyn says konichiwa Australia!". The New Yorker. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
11. "Robyn says konichiwa Australia!". Junkee. 6 September 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
12. Matt Budd (25 May 2007). "Robyn - The Pop Candy Everyone Should Want". The Huffington Post . Retrieved 30 September 2017.
13. Amrit Singh (May 15, 2008). "Robyn Brings Her "Cobrastyle" To The View". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
14. Allan Stackhouse (23 April 2008). "Robyn". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
15. Allan Stackhouse (7 September 2010). "ALBUM REVIEW: ROBYN – BODY TALK PT. 2". LA Music Blog. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
16. Stephen M. Deusner (1 December 2006). "Robyn The Rakamonie EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
17. Nick (5 June 2008). "Robyn". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
18. Rob Diaz-Marino (February 2008). "Music Review". GayCalgary® Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
19. "New Robyn!". PerezHilton.com. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
20. "New Robyn Video - "Cobrastyle"". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
21. "Konichiwa Bitches / Cobrastyle by Robyn". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
22. "Robyn – Cobrastyle Remixes". Discogs. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
23. "ARIA Report: Issue 916 - September 24, 2007" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
24. "Swedishcharts.com – Robyn – Cobrastyle". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
25. "Robyn Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
26. "KONICHIWA BITCHES / COBRASTYLE (EXPLICIT)". Chaos Entertainment Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2017.