“Around the World” was issued on April 7, 1997, as the second single from the debut album Homework, featuring a looping bassline and a single lyric—“around the world”—repeated 144 times in the album cut . Built around a funk-infused French house groove, its minimalist structure showcased just five main instrumental parts—bass, drums, guitar, keyboard and processed vocals—each contributing to a hypnotic, dancefloor-ready rhythm.

The Michel Gondry–directed video famously personifies these elements as distinct characters—robots, athletes, synchronized swimmers, skeletons and mummies—moving in choreographed unison on a circular stage . The single topped multiple international dance charts, reached the Top 10 in several national singles charts, and helped propel Homework to critical and commercial acclaim . In later years, it has been celebrated by publications such as NME—placing it among the “150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years”—and Billboard, which included it on its 2025 list of “The 100 Best Dance S