“Virtual Insanity” is primarily about a dystopian future in which humanity is so dependent on technology that the world barely functions. They’re living in a kind of morbid virtual reality – hence the track’s title.
In retrospect, this song was a huge changing point for the band. Up until this point, Jamiroquai were known for being reviving the “acid/fusion” jazz genre alongside The Brand New Heavies, popularized in the mid 1970’s by such artists as Roy Ayers Ubiquity and Idris Mohammad. But as the band started to grow in popularity, things began to change. People went from knowing Jamiroquai was a band; to thinking Jamiroquai was just Jay’s stage name. And eventually Jay overshadowed them completely.
The song was a huge hit for Jamiroquai in 1997, also notable for its music video in which Jay appears alone in a barely furnished room, and the floor seems to be moving as if it were a treadmill. It was nominated for 10 MTV Music Awards, winning 4.
The band members at the time, Stuart Zender, Toby Smith, Derrick McKenzie, Sola Akinbola, and Wallis Buchanan, all appear right at the first occurrence of the chorus, all being blown away as Jay walks ahead, signifying the change the band expected after the success of this song.
Zender, Toby Smith, and the original drummer van Gelder were the true heart of the band (though Derrick is also cool) before it became the Jay Kay show.