Captain Jack (Captain Jack song)

"Captain Jack" is a song by the German Eurodance group Captain Jack, consisting of singer Franky Gee, actor Sharky Durban and singer Liza da Costa. It was released in July 1995, as the lead single from their album The Mission. The song is based on an old army tune known as "Hey, Hey Captain Jack". It was a great success in many countries, particularly in the Netherlands and Hungary, where it topped the chart. It sold to platinum in Germany and gold in the Netherlands and Norway. "Captain Jack" was nominated to the 1997 Echo Awards for the most successful national dance single.

"Captain Jack"
Single by Captain Jack
from the album The Mission
B-side	"Remix"
Released	27 July 1995
Recorded	1994
Genre	Eurodance
Length	4:06
Label	Cologne Dance Label (CDL)
Songwriter(s)	Liza da Costa Udo Niebergall Volker Weber Richard Witte
Producer(s)	Udo Niebergall Eric Schnecko
Captain Jack singles chronology
"Captain Jack" (1995) "Drill Instructor" (1996)
Music video
"Captain Jack" on YouTube

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "Captain Jack is a ludicrous creation, already fearsomely popular on the continent. The first Captain Jack single to escape into the UK is a self-titled effort combining a banging techno backing track with some deep-throated singing/rapping. The good captain reels off dance instructions in a frenetic manner which recalls 'sounding off' in the style of the US military drill. A bit of a novelty, but one that shouldn't be underestimated."^[1]

Chart performance

"Captain Jack" was very successful on the charts in Europe. It peaked at number-one in Hungary and the Netherlands. In the latter, it spent 20 weeks on the Dutch Single Top 100. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium (number 2), Denmark, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. In Belgium, the single was held off reaching the top spot by 2 Fabiola's "Lift U Up". Additionally, it was a Top 20 hit in Ireland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 14 in February 1996. In the UK, it only reached number 104 on the UK Singles Chart. "Captain Jack" earned a gold record in the Netherlands and Norway, with a sale of 40,000 and 15,000 singles. In Germany, it was awarded with a platinum record, when 500,000 units were sold there.

Music video

A music video was made for the song. It was directed by Mark Glaeser and filmed in Frankfurt and Turley Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. The video was uploaded to YouTube in March 2010. As of September 2024, it had more than 11 million views.^[2]

Track listings

European CD single "Captain Jack" (Short Mix) – 4:06 "Captain Jack" (Peacecamp Mix) – 5:23 European CD maxi "Captain Jack" (Short Mix) – 4:06 "Captain Jack" (Peacecamp Mix) – 5:23 "Captain Jack" (House Mix) – 5:04 "Captain Jack" (Club Mix) – 5:19 "Captain Jack" (Analog Mix) – 3:15

European CD maxi (Remixes) "Captain Jack" (Dancefloor Syndroma Success Mix) – 6:05 "Captain Jack" (Dancefloor Syndroma Radio Remix) – 3:29 "Captain Jack" (Dancefloor Syndroma House Mix) – 6:36 "Captain Jack" (Captain Jack Is In Da House Mix) – 4:28

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 2 Denmark (IFPI)[4] 5 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[5] 14 Germany (Media Control Charts) 3 Hungary (Mahasz)[6] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[7] 14 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[3] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[3] 50 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] 6 UK Singles (OCC)[10] 104

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 20 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 40 Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 17 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 40 Certifications Country Certification Date Sales certified Germany[17] Platinum 1996 500,000 Netherlands[18] Gold 1996 40,000 Norway[19] Gold 1996 15,000