Virtual Insanity is a 1996 single by the English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 19 August 1996 as the second single from their third album Travelling Without Moving. The song blends funk, acid jazz with elements of alternative rock and trip hop, anchored by a piano-driven groove with buoyant keyboards and soaring strings. The lyrics, inspired by a walk through an underground city in Sendai, Japan, touch on overpopulation, genetic enhancement and ecological collapse, with the title playing on virtual reality. The music video, directed by Jonathan Glazer, features Jay Kay in a room whose walls seem to move around him and won four MTV Video Music Awards in 1997, including Video of the Year; it has become an enduring internet meme. It was a chart success worldwide - reaching number one in Iceland and top five in several European countries, and peaking at number 38 on the US Modern Rock Tracks; the track also contributed to Jamiroquai earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
