"One Pound Fish", often stylised as "£1 Fish", is a novelty song performed by British-based Pakistani fish trader and recording artist Muhammad Shahid Nazir, credited as £1 Fish Man. It was released on 7 December 2012 for download in the United Kingdom, reaching number 28 in the UK Singles Chart, number 4 in the UK Dance Chart, and number 1 in the UK Asian Chart.
Background
Following brief employment at a pound shop, Muhammad Shahid Nazir, a Pakistani immigrant to UK, originating from the town of Pattoki in Punjab, who had settled in East London, began work on a fish stall at Queen's Market, Upton Park where his employer instructed him to use a trader's call to attract customers. He soon composed the song "One Pound Fish" with the lyrics:
It became an internet smash and a viral video after passing customers uploaded videos of Nazir performing his song onto YouTube.
A music video to accompany the release of "One Pound Fish" was first released on 10 December 2012 at a total length of two minutes and thirty-six seconds. It featured Bollywood-style dancers and an appearance from former weather forecaster Michael Fish.
In 2012 it was rumoured that Nazir had been deported to Pakistan after his visa had expired, although this was not the case.
Covers and remixes
The song has since been covered by many artists including Alesha Dixon. Mindless Behavior performed it live on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast Show, and both Timbaland and Boy Better Know made remixes sampling from the song.
Chart performance
Release history
References
External links
- One Pound Fish Official Website