"Little L" is the lead single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). The song was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith and was inspired by the break-up between Kay and his former girlfriend Denise van Outen, which occurred due to conflicting work commitments and which led to Kay's cocaine problem.[1][2]
"Little L" was released on 8 August 2001 in Japan and on 13 August 2001 in the United Kingdom. The song reached number one in Spain, number two in Italy, and number five in the United Kingdom, Finland, and Portugal. In the United States, the song peaked at number two on the BillboardDance Club Play chart.
Music video
Directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, the video features Jay Kay dancing in a futuristic nightclub. It features scenes depicting Kay dancing in a black background with a colorful dance floor, with special effects of holograms. During the breakdown, Kay’s outfit glows and sports black lit Native American makeup. Sofia Boutella can also be seen.
Track listings
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
↑Stanfield, Leah (21 March 2022). "'I think you're gorgeous' Denise van Outen wooed by Friends actor". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
↑Kassel, Benjamin (8 September 2021). ""Little L" sounds like a happy, groovy jam until you parse the lyrics". Unfortified Castle. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
↑Little L (UK CD single liner notes). Sony Soho Square. 2001. 671718 2.
↑Little L (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Sony Soho Square. 2001. 671718 6.
↑Little L (UK cassette single sleeve). Sony Soho Square. 2001. 671718 4.
↑Little L (Australian CD single liner notes). Sony Soho Square, Columbia Records. 2001. 671351.2.
↑Little L (Japanese CD single liner notes). Epic Records. 2001. ESCA 8357.
↑Little L (US CD single liner notes). Epic Records. 2002. 49K 79638.
↑"Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
↑"Top National Sellers"(PDF). Music & Media. Vol.19, no.38. 15 September 2001. p.13. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
↑"Official Singles Chart on 25/8/2001 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
↑"Official Dance Singles Chart on 25/8/2001 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
↑"Jamiroquai Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
↑"Jamiroquai Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
↑"ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Club Chart 2001". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
↑"Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on 26 January 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
↑"The Official UK Singles Chart 2001"(PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
↑"The Year in Music 2001: Hot Dance Club-Play Singles". Billboard. Vol.113, no.52. 29 December 2001. p.YE-48.
↑"New Zealand single certifications – Jamiroquai – Little L". Radioscope. Retrieved 23 January 2026.Type Little L in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
↑"British single certifications – Jamiroquai – Little L". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 June 2024.Select singles in the Formats field.Type Little LJamiroquai in the "Search:" field.
12Flick, Larry (25 August 2001). "Epic's Jamiroquai Steps into '2001'"(PDF). Billboard. Vol.113, no.34. p.82. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
↑"ジャミロクワイ – リトル・エル(ラジオ・エディット)"[Jamiroquai – Little L (Radio Edit)] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 28 August 2001. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
↑"New Releases – For Week Starting August 13, 2001: Singles"(PDF). Music Week. 11 August 2001. p.23. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
↑"The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 13th August 2001"(PDF). ARIA. 13 August 2001. p.24. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
↑"CHR/Pop: Going for Adds"(PDF). Radio & Records. No.1416. 24 August 2001. p.114. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
Categories:
2001 singles
2001 songs
Columbia Records singles
Jamiroquai songs
Number-one singles in Spain
S2 Records singles
Songs written by Jason Kay
Songs written by Toby Smith
Hidden categories:
Articles with short description
Short description matches Wikidata
Use British English from June 2013
All Wikipedia articles written in British English
Use dmy dates from February 2025
Articles with hAudio microformats
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from February 2025
Single chart usages for Australia
Single chart usages for Austria
Single chart usages for Flanders
Single chart usages for Wallonia
Single chart usages for Finland
Single chart usages for France
Single chart usages for Germany
Single chart usages for Ireland2
Single chart called without song
All articles with dead external links
Articles with dead external links from May 2020
Articles with permanently dead external links
Single chart usages for Italy
Single chart usages for Dutch40
Single chart called without artist
Single chart usages for Dutch100
Single chart usages for New Zealand
Single chart usages for Norway
Single chart usages for Scotland
Single chart usages for Spain
Single chart usages for Sweden
Single chart usages for Switzerland
Single chart usages for UK
Single chart usages for UKdance
Single chart usages for Billboarddanceclubplay
Single chart usages for Billboarddancesales
Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand
Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures
Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom
Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote