Can You Dig It (song)


"Can You Dig It?" is a 1991 single by the English indie band The Mock Turtles and was featured on the album Turtle Soup. It was originally the B-side to the song "Lay Me Down". It was released on Siren Records in all formats except for one of the seven-inch singles released in Europe where it was released by Virgin Records.
"Can You Dig It?" reached number 18 on the UK Singles Charts and number 12 in Ireland in 1991. In 2003, after the song was used in a 2002 Vodafone advertisement, it was remixed by Fatboy Slim and Simon Thornton and released again. The remix peaked at number 19 in the United Kingdom, number 34 in Ireland, number 40 in Greece and number 96 in the Netherlands.
The single was dedicated to Alan Duffy, noting "shine on you crazy diamond" on the CD single sleeve.

Background

The name of the song came about after the Mock Turtles were asked for a name for a song for the B-side to "Lay Me Down" so that the sleeve art could be produced. Martin Coogan had been watching The Warriors which featured the rallying call, "Can you dig it?". The name came first and then the band went off to write the song.

Remix

began to use the song in UK television advertisements for Vodafone Live! in 2002, raising the song's profile. Fatboy Slim and Simon Thornton remixed the song for a single release by Virgin Records in 2003 which peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. Vodafone subsequently started using the new remixed version instead. This remix coincided with the release of Virgin's Can You Dig It?: The Best of The Mock Turtles, to which this new remix was the sole single released to promote it.

Charts

Original version

2003 remix

In popular culture

"Can You Dig It?" is the theme song of SSE Airtricity League Live on RTE. In 2012, the song was used by online casino Gala Bingo in an advertisement.