Photo of The Chemical Brothers
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alterna2/ · CC BY 2.0

Band

The Chemical Brothers

Active1992-present
OriginManchester, England
Albums10
Tracks106

Most frequent collaborator: Stephanie Dosen  ·  4 tracks

ElectronicBig BeatAcid HouseBreakbeatPsychedelic Electronic
92%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 98 of 106 tracks

Do The Chemical Brothers write their own music?

Yes. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons write and produce every original Chemical Brothers track together as a duo, and they are credited as producers across all their albums. Their songs often carry extra writing credits because of the samples they interpolate, and when a track has a guest singer, that vocalist usually co-writes their own part.

By the Numbers

10
Studio Albums
106
Tracks Credited
92%
Self-Written
34
Years Active
103
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 98 / 106 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 106 tracks: how many The Chemical Brothers wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

The Chemical Brothers has a writing credit92%
41%
52%
8%
Sole author43tracks41%
Co-written55tracks52%
Outside writers8tracks8%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
The Chemical Brothers's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 106 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)86%
Composer (music)92%
Producer100%
Performer62%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 106 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Tom Rowlands 1992-present
86%
92%
31%
62%
Ed Simons 1992-present
83%
92%
31%
62%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

The Chemical Brothers's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 92%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
20%
100%
1995Exit Planet Dust
1997Dig Your Own Hole
1999Surrender
2002Come with Us
2005Push the Button
2007We Are the Night
2010Further
2015Born in the Echoes
2019No Geography
2023For That Beautiful Feeling
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 62% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1990s
Exit Planet Dust, Dig Your Own Hole +1 more
100%
2000s
Come with Us, Push the Button +1 more
72%
2010s
Further, Born in the Echoes +1 more
100%
2020s
For That Beautiful Feeling

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where The Chemical Brothers sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

The Chemical Brothers
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
Backstreet Boys25%
Rihanna44%
TLC59%
Usher74%
Sting84%
Daft Punk100%
92%The Chemical Brothers
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Leave Home
Exit Planet Dust
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Blake Baxter
Co-wrote
Life Is Sweet
Exit Planet Dust
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Tim Burgess
Co-wrote
Setting Sun
Dig Your Own Hole
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Noel Gallagher
Co-wrote
Block Rockin' Beats
Dig Your Own Hole
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Schoolly D, Jesse Bond Weaver Jr.
Co-wrote
Elektrobank
Dig Your Own Hole
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons
Wrote it
Hey Boy Hey Girl
Surrender
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Gregory Wigfall, Richard Fowler, Charles Pettiford, Celite Evans, Jerry Bloodrock
Co-wrote
Let Forever Be
Surrender
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Noel Gallagher
Co-wrote
Out of Control
Surrender
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Bernard Sumner
Co-wrote
It Began in Afrika
Come with Us
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Jim Ingram
Co-wrote
Star Guitar
Come with Us
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons
Wrote it
Galvanize
Push the Button
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Q-Tip, Najat Aatabou, Kamaal Fareed
Co-wrote
Believe
Push the Button
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Rowland Okereke
Co-wrote
The Boxer
Push the Button
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Tim Burgess
Co-wrote
Do It Again
We Are the Night
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Ali Love
Co-wrote
The Salmon Dance
We Are the Night
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Fatlip, Derrick Stewart
Co-wrote
Swoon
Further
Written by Stephanie Dosen, Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons
Co-wrote
Go
Born in the Echoes
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons, Q-Tip, Kamaal Fareed
Co-wrote

Discography 10 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

The Chemical Brothers106 tracks
SD4 BO3 A3 AA3 TB2 NG2

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. SD Stephanie Dosen · BO Beth Orton · A Aurora · AA Aurora Aksnes · TB Tim Burgess · NG Noel Gallagher

The Writers & Producers Behind The Chemical Brothers 6 key collaborators

SD
Stephanie Dosen
Songwriter
Further / No Geography4 tracks
BO
Beth Orton
Performer
Exit Planet Dust / Dig Your Own Hole / Come with Us3 tracks
A
Aurora
Songwriter & Performer
No Geography3 tracks
AA
Aurora Aksnes
Songwriter
No Geography3 tracks
TB
Tim Burgess
Songwriter
Exit Planet Dust / Push the Button2 tracks
NG
Noel Gallagher
Songwriter
Dig Your Own Hole / Surrender2 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

The Chemical Brothers are the sole composers and producers of their entire catalog, Rowlands and Simons co-write every original track together and are credited as producers on all albums. A distinctive feature of their work is the heavy integration of samples: many tracks include posthumous or third-party writing credits representing interpolated or sampled material (e.g. Quincy Jones on 'Get Up on It Like This', Czesław Niemen on 'The Test', Rod McKuen on 'Got to Keep On'). For vocal-led tracks, featured artists typically co-write their own parts. The album Further (2010) is entirely instrumental with no vocal features and no outside co-writers.

Quick Facts

  • DuoTom Rowlands and Ed Simons, together since Manchester in 1992
  • GenrePioneers who brought big beat into mainstream pop culture
  • GrammysSix wins across rock and dance/electronic categories
  • UK number onesSix chart-topping albums and two number-one singles
  • CollaboratorsNoel Gallagher, Q-Tip, Beck, Beth Orton, St. Vincent and more
  • Studio albumsTen, from Exit Planet Dust (1995) to For That Beautiful Feeling (2023)

Creative Fingerprint

A self-contained production duo: Rowlands and Simons co-write and produce every track, with the extra credits coming from the samples they interpolate and from guest vocalists writing their own parts.

The Story

The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands (born 1971) and Ed Simons (born 1970), formed in Manchester in 1992. Pioneers of the big beat genre, they were among the first electronic acts to successfully cross into mainstream rock audiences through large-scale live shows and psychedelic, sample-driven production. Their debut Exit Planet Dust (1995) established their sound; the follow-up Dig Your Own Hole (1997) debuted at No. 1 in the UK and earned a Mercury Prize nomination. Across ten studio albums spanning three decades, they have collaborated with Noel Gallagher, Bobby Gillespie, Q-Tip, Beck, Beth Orton, Richard Ashcroft, St. Vincent, and Aurora, among others. They have won six Grammy Awards including Best Dance Recording for 'Galvanize' (2005).

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, 'Block Rockin' Beats' (1998)
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, 'Galvanize' (2006)
Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronic Album for Push the Button (2006), We Are the Night (2008), and No Geography (2020)

Frequently Asked Questions The Chemical Brothers

Do The Chemical Brothers write their own music?
Yes. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons write and produce every original Chemical Brothers track together as a duo, and they are credited as producers across all their albums. Their songs often carry extra writing credits because of the samples they interpolate, and when a track has a guest singer, that vocalist usually co-writes their own part.
Who wrote 'Setting Sun'?
'Setting Sun' was written and produced by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons with [Noel Gallagher](/artist/oasis/) of Oasis, who sings lead. Released on 1997's Dig Your Own Hole, it reached number one on the UK singles chart.
How many Grammys have The Chemical Brothers won?
The Chemical Brothers have won six Grammy Awards. These include Best Rock Instrumental Performance for 'Block Rockin' Beats,' Best Dance Recording for 'Galvanize,' and Best Dance/Electronic Album for Push the Button, We Are the Night, and No Geography.
What is big beat and how are The Chemical Brothers connected to it?
Big beat is a genre built on heavy breakbeats, distorted samples, and rock energy that peaked in the late 1990s. The Chemical Brothers, along with acts like The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim, were the pioneers who pushed the sound into mainstream pop culture.
Who sings on Chemical Brothers songs?
The duo builds instrumental tracks and brings in guest vocalists for their vocal songs. Over the years these have included Noel Gallagher on 'Setting Sun' and 'Let Forever Be,' Q-Tip on 'Galvanize,' Beth Orton, Beck, Richard Ashcroft, and St. Vincent.
How many albums have The Chemical Brothers released?
The Chemical Brothers have released ten studio albums, from Exit Planet Dust in 1995 to For That Beautiful Feeling in 2023. Six of them reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Who wrote 'Galvanize'?
'Galvanize' was written and produced by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, features a rap from Q-Tip, and interpolates a string sample from the Moroccan singer Najat Aatabou. Released on 2005's Push the Button, it won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
Why do Chemical Brothers songs list so many writers?
Their production leans heavily on sampling and interpolation, and every sampled work must be credited, so tracks can list writers like Quincy Jones or the original artists they sampled. The core composition remains the work of Rowlands and Simons.

Sources

The Chemical Brothers - Wikipedia Dig Your Own Hole - Wikipedia