"Fresh" | ||||
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Single by Kool & the Gang | ||||
from the album Emergency | ||||
B-side | "In the Heart" | |||
Released | November 24, 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:27 | |||
Label | De-Lite, Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Kool & the Gang singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Kool & the Gang – Fresh" on YouTube |
"Fresh" is a song by the American group Kool & the Gang. Released as a single in 1984 from the album Emergency , the song peaked at #9 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, and #11 on the UK chart. It also reached number one on both the U.S. R&B chart and U.S. Dance chart. [1] [2]
The action in the music video references the fairy tale Cinderella with the band performing the song at the ball. The two overweight women, the Ugly Sisters, are seen eating sandwiches, and a girl, Cinderella, cleaning the floor. Then suddenly Marilyn-lookalike Fairy appears and saves the day.
Weekly singles charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [19] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The song was played on the 5733rd episode of the American television soap General Hospital on August 14, 1985, when Terri (Robyn Bernard) was going wild at the bar.
Kool & the Gang themselves were featured in a 1986 television advertisement for the fast-food hamburger chain Wendy's, in which they were in a recording studio singing and dancing to the song, with lyrics slightly altered to fit the tagline, "Choose Fresh. Choose Wendy's."
In Edward Yang's 1986 film Terrorizers , the song was played in a dance club when the young woman wants to attract a man so she and a criminal gang can steal his money.
In 2021, the supermarket chain Kroger started using the song in its television commercials.
"Fresh" | ||||
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Single by Beat System | ||||
from the album Refreshinator | ||||
Released | April 21, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1995 | |||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | Intercord | |||
Songwriter(s) | JT Taylor, Sandy Linzer | |||
Producer(s) | Black Nero | |||
Beat System singles chronology | ||||
|
In 1996, Beat System released their version of "Fresh", which samples the original with added vocals and rapping.
Maxi-CD
Maxi-CD
Chart (1996) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [21] | 29 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [22] | 37 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [23] | 18 |
France (SNEP) [24] | 15 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [25] | 32 |
"Fresh" | ||||
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Single by Kool & the Gang featuring Liberty X | ||||
from the album Being Somebody and The Hits: Reloaded | ||||
Released | April 14, 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:14 | |||
Label | Edel, V2 | |||
Songwriter(s) | JT Taylor, Sandy Linzer | |||
Producer(s) | Tony Lundon | |||
Liberty X singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
Fresh (feat. Liberty X) on YouTube |
"Fresh" was re-recorded with English-Irish pop group Liberty X in 2004, to feature on Kool & the Gang's re-recorded greatest hits compilation, The Hits: Reloaded . The new version of the song features Liberty X on vocals, with Kool & the Gang merely playing the instruments. Thus, due to the popularity of this version, it was released as a single in certain European countries on April 14, 2004. Despite its success across Europe, the single was never released in Liberty X's home country, the United Kingdom.
Subsequently, "Fresh" appeared as a bonus track on the Liberty X album Being Somebody in Japan, as well as appearing on certain European editions. At the time of the single's release, the band were in a dispute with their British record label, V2 Records, and thus, it was decided that the single would not be released in the band's home country. The band's version of "Fresh" was produced by band member Tony Lundon, who also went on to produce the band's follow-up hit single, "Song 4 Lovers". Despite this, "Fresh" was regarded as one of the band's best cover versions. The track peaked at number three in Germany, number 12 in France and number 55 in Spain.
The music video for the single was recorded in late 2003, and features Liberty X playing to an audience in a club, all supported by mics and surrounded by a crowd of the group's fans. Although the video does not feature a vocal appearance from Kool & the Gang, they appear as guests inside the club, charming a woman who has arrived in search of a man. The video received a small amount of airplay on British music channels, but was often, as is with its upload to the band's official YouTube channel, credited to Liberty X featuring Kool & the Gang, whereas the official release credits the two artists the other way around.
German CD single
German maxi CD single
French CD single
Spanish CD single
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