"Ghetto Day" / "What I Need" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Crystal Waters | ||||
from the album Storyteller | ||||
Released |
| |||
Studio | Basement Boys (Baltimore) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | The Basement Boys | |||
Crystal Waters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Ghetto Day" and "What I Need" are two songs by American singer-songwriter Crystal Waters, issued as a double A-side in June 1994 as the second single from her second studio album, Storyteller (1994). It was produced by the Basement Boys and released by Mercury Records, A&M Records and A&M's division AM PM. [1] Waters and Sean Spencer wrote "Ghetto Day", which is a funk song that contains samples from The 5th Dimension's song "Stoned Soul Picnic" and Flavor Unit's "Flavor Unit Assassination Squad". According to Spin , the track's lyrics talk about "those balmy, front-stoop, 40-swinging summer afternoons." [2] The single's second A-side, "What I Need", is a house track written by Waters, Doug Smith and Richard Payton.
Contemporary critics complimented both songs and noted them as the album's highlights. Commercially, the joint release entered the top forty in the United Kingdom. "What I Need" was released separately in October 1994 and later became Waters' fourth single to top the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart. [3] [4] It also reached the top spot of the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and No. 82 of the Billboard Hot 100. In other media, "What I Need" was featured in the film Double Dragon (1994) and an episode of television series So You Think You Can Dance Canada .
Like the majority of songs on Storyteller (1994), both "Ghetto Day" and "What I Need" were produced, arranged and mixed by the Basement Boys, with Waters credited as their main writer. Additionally, Sean Spencer co-wrote the former track, and Doug Smith and Richard Payton co-wrote the latter. [5]
Musically, "Ghetto Day" is a mid-tempo [6] funk, [6] hip hop [7] and doo-wop [8] track that has an "easy flow" [9] and a "gently funky conversation" where Waters "opens up." [10] Larry Flick of Billboard described the song as a "splash of cool retro-funk that is laced with licks" from its sampling of The 5th Dimension's "Stoned Soul Picnic". [6] It also contains portions of Flavor Unit's 1991 track "Flavor Unit Assassination Squad". [5] According to Jonathan Bernstein from Spin , the lyrical content of "Ghetto Day" "rhapsodizes about those balmy, front-stoop, 40-swinging summer afternoons." [2] Charles Aaron from the same publication wrote of the lyrics: "Going home, she listens to Grandma talk to the Lord, babies scream, old men go tra-la-la, and her brother sing the praises of a 40-ounce on a sunny day." [10]
On the other hand, "What I Need" was described as a house [11] piece and one of the album's "jovial, upbeat" moments, [12] where Waters performed her vocal in a "sick, tired, and simmering" manner. [10]
Peter Galvin of The Advocate stated that "Ghetto Day" was "more listener-friendly" than the other songs on the album, with lyrics that offered "a paradisaical view of life and love in the slums, made convincing by the use of a sample from Fifth Dimension's summery 'Stoned Soul Picnic'." [7] A reviewer from Billboard called it "a languid, liquid sketch of a lazy city afternoon", and noted that "it gets the nod as [the album's] likeliest knockout contender." [13] M.R. Martinez from Cash Box noted that she "goes for the "La Dee Da" with the optimistic “Ghetto Day”, with its “tra-la-la-la” refrain." [14] Also Fred DeUar of High Fidelity News and Record Review praised the sampling of 'Stoned Soul Picnic', stating that it was done "in the cause of better-class '90s pop." [15] Ernest Hardy from the Los Angeles Times called "Ghetto Day" a "sugary, hip hop, doo-wop inner-city fantasy". [8]
Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "a breezy and funky mid-tempo song, purpose-made for radio play on a Summer afternoon." [16] Dele Fadele from NME wrote, "The Basement Boys cook up a summery, fluffy yet dance-directed soundscape and you've got the most beguiling pop record since Shanice's "I Love Your Smile"." [17] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update deemed it a "radio aimed gorgeous gentle 90bpm summery hip hop soul" track. [18] Michael Wilson from Rolling Stone viewed it as a "driving throwback" to '70s soul, where "Waters croons over a backbeat of choppy rhythm guitar and drums to evoke hot days on the streets." [19] Spin 's Charles Aaron thought it was "a more sublime sound than any arm-twisting remix", [10] while Jonathan Bernstein described it as "languid" and one of the "noteworthy" Storyteller tracks. [2]
Ron Wynn from AllMusic declared "What I Need" one of the album's best. [20] Billboard's Larry Flick labelled it a "floor-filler" [21] and an "upbeat rouser." [22] Another reviewer from the same publication thought "What I Need" was one of the hits to be had from Storyteller. [13] Vibe magazine stated "What I Need" and "100% Pure Love", the album's first single, "ooze with giddy abandon—not to mention juicy grooves that seep deeper into the brain and body upon repeated spins." [12] "What I Need" was claimed by Spin's Bernstein to have "xeroxed" Clivillés and Cole's 1991 single "A Deeper Love". However, he predicted that it could have been a potential successor to her previous signature hits, "Gypsy Woman" and "Makin' Happy". [2]
"Ghetto Day" and "What I Need" were released as a double A-side single on June 20, 1994. [23] The joint release peaked at No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 94 on the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart. [24] [25] In October 1994, Mercury Records released "What I Need" separately, and later sent the track to contemporary hit radios in January 1995. [3] [21] It eventually gained Waters her fourth No. 1 single on the Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart of November 5, 1994. [26] On the chart's year-end edition of 1994, it peaked at No. 42. [27] The song also topped the Bubbling Under Hot 100 before reaching No. 82 of the Billboard Hot 100. [28] [29] However, the latter entry was the singer's lowest peak on the chart. [29] "What I Need" also climbed to No. 7 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales and No. 32 on the Top 40 Airplay Rhythm-Crossover. [30] [31]
The music video for "Ghetto Day" marked Waters' second work with German director Marcus Nispel, following "100% Pure Love". [32] It shows the singer performing around an African-American neighborhood, with scenes tinted in a yellow-orange tone. Pam Thomas directed the video for "What I Need", which consists of scenes of Waters shot primarily in a bathroom. [32] BET added the clips to the channel's playlist in late August 1994 and early March 1995, respectively. [33] [34]
Waters performed "Ghetto Day" on the June 30, 1994, episode of British music-chart television programme Top of the Pops . [35] "100% Pure Love" and "What I Need" were subsequently featured in the 1994 action film Double Dragon , but only the latter was included on its soundtrack album. [36] [37] During the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada , two contestants—JP Dubé and Geisha Chin—performed "What I Need" on its twelfth episode which aired on August 1, 2011. [11]
"Ghetto Day" / "What I Need"
"What I Need"
|
|
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Storyteller. [5]
Recording and management
Personnel for "Ghetto Day"
| Personnel for "What I Need"
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
BlackGirl is an American pop/dance vocal trio consisting of Pam Copeland, Nycolia "Tye-V" Turman, and Rochelle Stuart from Atlanta, that formed in 1992 on the Kaper/RCA/BMG label.
Crystal Waters is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. All three of her studio albums produced a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as one of the most successful dance artists of all time. Her accolades include six ASCAP Songwriter awards, three American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod, four Billboard Music Awards and twelve No. 1 Billboard Dance Chart hits. Her hit song "Gypsy Woman” has been sampled hundreds of times. Though her music sales have yet to be re-certified, Waters has sold over 7 million records worldwide.
"Angel" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on April 10, 1985, by Sire Records as the album's third single. Written by Madonna and Steve Bray, it was one of the first songs developed for the project and, according to Madonna, was inspired by a girl who is saved by an angel, and she falls in love with him. "Angel" was released as a 12-inch single with "Into the Groove" in some countries and charted likewise. A music video was not filmed for "Angel", and instead, a promotional clip comprising segments of her previous videos was released in the United Kingdom.
"Irresistible" is a song by American recording artist Jessica Simpson that Sony Music released in 2001, as the lead single from her second studio album of the same name. Its title and concept were proposed by singer-songwriter Pamela Sheyne, while Arnthor Birgisson, an acquaintance of Sony chief executive officer Tommy Mottola, and his partner Anders Bagge developed the melody and co-wrote the verses with Sheyne. It is more sexually suggestive than Simpson's previous songs.
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on February 20, 1993 as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster.
"You Give Good Love" is the debut solo single by American singer Whitney Houston for her 1985 eponymous debut studio album. It was written by La Forrest 'La La' Cope and produced by Kashif. When La La sent Kashif a copy of the song, originally offered to Roberta Flack, she thought it would be a better fit for Houston and told Arista Records he would be interested in recording with her.
"Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her remix album J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002). The song was marketed as a remix of "Ain't It Funny", but is actually an entirely different song with the same title. It features guest vocals from Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) and Caddillac Tah (Tiheem Crocker). It was written by Lopez, Atkins, Tah, Cory Rooney, Irving Lorenzo, and Ashanti. Over a reworking of the beat to Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear" (produced by Easy Mo Bee), Lopez sings about "dropping a boyfriend who keeps messing up".
"Soldier" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child, featuring American rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne, for the group's final studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The artists wrote the song with Sean Garrett and Rich Harrison who produced it with the latter co-produced it with Beyoncé. A Southern hip hop mid-tempo song, it lyrically describes each member's favorite type of male love interest. The song was released as the second single from Destiny Fulfilled on November 9, 2004, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music.
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). Written by Twain and her longtime collaborator and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced the track, the song was released first to North American country radio stations in March 1999 as the eighth single from the album, and it was released worldwide later the same year. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a country pop song with lyrics about female empowerment and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.
"Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, Fush Yu Mang (1997). Released as their debut single in June 1997, the song was Smash Mouth's first major single, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It was also a success abroad, peaking at No. 3 in Canada and Iceland, No. 5 in Italy and Spain, and No. 7 in Australia, where it is certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000.
"Just Kickin' It" is a song by American R&B group Xscape. Written by Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, the song was released as Xscape's first single from the group's 1993 debut album, Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha. The single became the group's most commercially successful hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending four weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Shake Me, Wake Me " is a song recorded by the American quartet Four Tops for their third studio album, On Top (1966). It was released in February 1966 as a 7" vinyl single through Motown records. It was written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. A gospel rock track, its lyrics detail a relationship that has ended. It has since been regarded as one of Four Tops' most successful singles ever. It charted moderately well in both the United States and Canada, and became the group's fifth consecutive entry to chart within the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Four Tops has performed "Shake Me, Wake Me " on various occasions throughout their careers and have included it on several greatest hits albums, including on The Four Tops Greatest Hits (1967) and The Ultimate Collection (1997).
Storyteller is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Crystal Waters, released on May 17, 1994, by Mercury Records. The album peaked at number 199 on the US Billboard 200, number 73 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 8 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Four singles were released from the album: "What I Need", "Relax", "Ghetto Day", and the hit, "100% Pure Love". "Ghetto Day" samples The 5th Dimension's 1968 hit "Stoned Soul Picnic".
Babble was a British-New Zealand electronic dance music group active in the 1990s. It was formed by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, with Keith Fernley.
"Remember Me" is a 1997 song by British DJ Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore under his pseudonym Blue Boy, released as a single only. Built around samples performed by American singer Marlena Shaw, the song peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1997 and No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a top-10 hit in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the track reached No. 13.
"Here We Go Again" is a country music standard written by Don Lanier and Red Steagall that first became notable as a rhythm and blues single by Ray Charles from his 1967 album Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. It was produced by Joe Adams for ABC Records/Tangerine Records. To date, this version of the song has been the biggest commercial success, spending twelve consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 15.
"Control" is a song recorded by American actress and singer Traci Lords, from her debut studio album, 1000 Fires (1995). It was released as the lead single from the album by Radioactive Records on December 20, 1994. The song was written by Lords, Wonder Schneider and Ben Watkins. Produced by Juno Reactor, "Control" is a techno song with ambiguous lyrics about a dominant female who nurses a broken heart of her lover. Lords later stated she initially wrote the song about a drug addiction.
"Digging Your Scene" is a song recorded by English band the Blow Monkeys for their second studio album, Animal Magic (1986). The single was released in February 1986 as the second one from the parent record. It was written by lead singer Dr. Robert, while Howard, Peter Wilson, and Adam Moesley produced it. Musically a pop, soul, and jazz song, "Digging Your Scene" discusses the hatred and disgust that is associated with individuals who have HIV and AIDS. Several media professionals felt the song's subject matter would be the subject of criticism.
Carol Lloyd is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is known for the release of her two solo albums: Score in 1979 and Love Carol in 1983.
Score is the debut album by American recording artist Carol Lloyd, released on December 31, 1979, through Casablanca Records and Earmarc Records. Following Lloyd's signing with Earmarc, a new label division of Casablanca, she began recording material for the record throughout the latter half of 1979. A disco album, Score was one of the first projects to be released from the label, which specialized solely in disco music. All six of the tracks on the record were produced by Michael Forte and Bruce Weeden, with the former individual also contributing lyrics to four of the aforementioned songs.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)