When You Gonna Learn

The demo was recorded without didgeridoo player Wallis Buchanan. While the most commonly known version of the song lasts for 3:50, and can be found on the band's album, another, longer version exists. Known as the "J.K. mix", it lasts for 6:28 and appears on the vinyl version of the Emergency on Planet Earth album as well as on the "When You Gonna Learn" and "Blow Your Mind" singles.

"When You Gonna Learn" was not the first single written and issued by Jay Kay, though it is the first single as Jamiroquai. Kay's first single was actually a white label acetate called "Natural Energy", which was pressed only in three copies. Kiss 100 FM was the first radio station to play the single. The chord progressions of the song bear a striking resemblance to the chord progressions of a Johnny "Hammond" Smith's track called "Los Conquistadores Chocolatés", taken from his 1975 album Gears. The booklet of the Acid Jazz Records release of the single bears a "special thanks" note to Smith, who gave permission to Kay to use the composition's structure. It is unknown whether Hammond received any royalties.

The chord progressions of the Cantè Hondo Mix of the song bear even more resemblance to "Los Conquistadores Chocolatés". The Cantè Hondo Mixes also uses the wind sound effect from Hammond's song. The cover used by Acid Jazz Records is completely different from the cover on Sony's release, although a Spanish promo issued by Sony bears the Acid Jazz Records cover. There have been legal disputes between Acid Jazz Records and Epic Records because Epic re-released the single without Acid Jazz Records' consent.

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "U.K. nouveau-soul artist kicks a hearty vocal performance, amid a stack of brassy horns and jiggly funk guitars. Comparisons to Simply Red are in the offing, even though J's composition has a more jazz-injected tone." He added it as a "wonderfully creative and accessible shoulder-shaker".[1] Music & Media commented, "Hats off for J.K.'s original idea to introduce a digeridoo to '70s soul. Even better are the intelligent anti-war lyrics. Perhaps Arafat and Rabin have received a copy."[2]

A music video was shot for "When You Gonna Learn". It was directed by Morgan Lawley and interspersed artistic shots of lead singer Jay Kay, footage of the band playing and graphic stock footage of animals being experimented on and whaling operations. The original version was banned from MTV because of this imagery, and was replaced with a "cleaner" edit. The uncut video can be viewed on YouTube.[3] When Kay talked about the video in an interview[4] he stated that it had been his intention to make an intense 'shock video', depicting various experiments done on animals, whaling operations, and the Nazis, all in the most negative light: "I remember I did the video in America, and I remember the video got banned - you know the video got banned. Well, because I just went to Greenpeace and just took loads of footage of stuff... Stuff I just didn't think was right. So they said to me "We can't play that, it's got the Nazi party in there -- we can't play that".[5]

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics