"Heartbeat" | |
---|---|
Single by Taana Gardner | |
Released | 1981 |
Genre | Post-disco [1] [2] |
Length | 9:34 (Club Version) |
Label | West End WES-22132 (US) |
Songwriter(s) | Kenton Nix |
Producer(s) | Kenton Nix |
"Heartbeat" is a 1981 R&B single by Taana Gardner. It was arranged by Dennis Weeden and Kenton Nix, and released by West End Records, with the more famous club mix created by Larry Levan. It reached the US Billboard R&B Singles at No. 10 and the No. 6 on the US Billboard Dance. [3] It has sold over 800,000 copies. [4]
"Heartbeat" is a post-disco song, which runs for 9 minutes and 34 seconds [5] for the 12-inch "Club version" mixed by Levan. It is set in common time and has a tempo of 100 beats per minute. [6] Despite praise for its "hip-shaking, booty-bumpin' beats and rhythms" and hook-laden lyrics, it was considered peculiar at the time due to its slow tempo, "dizzy" vocal delivery and dissonant accompaniment. Danny Krivit recalls "When [Levan] put ["Heartbeat"] on, a full club of people left the room to get food. There was not one person left on the floor." [7] Levan, known for his musical idiosyncrasies, kept playing the record at the Paradise Garage even several times in an evening until weeks later "no one [was] off the floor when they played ["Heartbeat"]." [7] Because of its atypical "dance music-hostile" tempo numerous DJs find it unsuitable for dancefloors even today. [6]
In his consumer guide for The Village Voice , Robert Christgau reviewed the song's 12-inch release in 1981 and gave it an A rating, [8] indicating "a great record both of whose sides offer enduring pleasure and surprise." [9] He dubbed it a "classic one-shot" and "the hottest r&b record in the city right now for two self-evident reasons", stating:
First is the beat, which is like what it says only deeper and more deliberate (in the drums and handclaps) with palpitations (provided by a slow-humping bass). Second is Taana, who'd combine the melodic dislocations of Esther Phillips and the girlish screech of Diana Ross if she had the technical control of either. Because she doesn't, she also recalls another timbre-sister, Shirley Goodman (of & Lee and 'Shame, Shame, Shame'). First I played the 6:30-minute 'party' version; now I prefer the 9:34-minute 'club' version. One-shot, eh? [8]
— Robert Christgau
Allmusic editor Andy Kellman found the song's rhythm "instantly memorable" and recognized its widespread sampling by hip hop producers, stating "Though hip hop fans are just as familiar with that bass line – often put to great use after its original recording — as rock fans are familiar with the guitar riffs of 'Purple Haze,' no song that has referenced 'Heartbeat' comes close to matching it." [10] Kellman also writes that the song's "greatness comes down to Gardner's vocals just as much as that rhythm", stating:
Her typically sweet delivery knows when to coo and when to growl at all the right moments, riding atop the wave of bass, drums, handclaps, and unobtrusive synth lines that twinkle and zap. Few vocal turns have conveyed the butterflies of love better than this one; in fact, the repeated refrain of 'Heartbeat, it makes me feel so weak' sticks in the head just as much as any other element of the song. Without a doubt – and with or without its status as a constant sampling source – 'Heartbeat' is one of the best pop singles of the ‘80s. [10]
— Andy Kellman
No. | Title | Version | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heartbeat" | Club Version | 9:34 |
No. | Title | Version | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heartbeat" | Party Version | 6:30 |
"Heartbeat" has been extensively sampled in Hip hop music, pop music and dance music:
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard R&B Singles [3] | 10 |
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play [3] | 6 |
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA Charts) [14] | 169 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] [13] | 13 |
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play [12] [13] | 2 |
US Billboard R&B Singles [12] [13] | 21 |
A remix is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The only characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.
Black Mafia Life is the second studio album by American hip hop group Above the Law. This album is what would be considered the blueprint of the G-Funk sound similar to Dr Dre's The Chronic. The album was recorded in 1991 into 1992 but was held back due to legal issues with Epic And Dr. Dre's Departure from Ruthless Records. It was released on February 2, 1993, via Ruthless Records. The album peaked at number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 37 on the US Billboard 200. Rolling Stone gave the album 4.5 stars of 5.
D Train was an American duo that had hits on the Billboard magazine Dance and R&B charts during the first half of the 1980s. Three of their singles also reached the top 30 in the UK Singles Chart.
We Are Family is the third studio album by the American R&B vocal group Sister Sledge, released on January 22, 1979, in the United States and on April 30, 1979, in the United Kingdom by Cotillion Records. The album was written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, and includes four hit singles: the title track, "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in Music" and "Thinking of You", all of which have been sampled, remixed, and reissued in the decades after the album's release. The album reached number one on the Top R&B Albums chart and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most commercially successful album. In 2013, NME named it among the 500 greatest albums of all time.
"Here Comes the Hotstepper" is a song co-written and recorded by Jamaican dancehall artist Ini Kamoze. It was released on 18 August 1994 by Columbia Records as the lead single from his 1995 album of the same name as well as the soundtrack to the film Prêt-à-Porter. It is known for its "naaaa na na na naaaa..." chorus inspired by the Cannibal and the Headhunters version of "Land of 1000 Dances".
Exit 13 is the twelfth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was released on September 9, 2008, on the record label Def Jam Recordings. This would be his last album release with the label.
The Boss is the tenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on May 23, 1979, by Motown Records.
Luvanmusiq is the fourth release by the singer-songwriter Musiq Soulchild, the first under his contract with Atlantic Records. The lead single, "B.U.D.D.Y.", was released to US radio in late November 2006; it reached number two on the R&B chart, and number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following its release, it entered the US Billboard 200 at number 1, with 149,774 copies sold. During the same week, the second single, "Teachme", entered the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 54, and rose to number five in its thirteenth week. "Teachme" also entered the Hot 100 at number 92 on the issue date, May 26, 2007.
"B.U.D.D.Y." is the first single from Musiq Soulchild's fourth album Luvanmusiq. It was released on January 30, 2007 after being given to radio stations in the US in late November 2006. It contains samples from De La Soul's "Buddy ", Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat" and interpolations from the composition "Heartbeat ". The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards but lost to "Future Baby Mama" by Prince. The lyrics are a man's attempts to persuade a girl he can be her "buddy".
"Shame" is a 1977 single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King, written by John H. Fitch Jr. and Reuben Cross, and released by RCA Records. It was released by RCA Records as part of King's debut album, Smooth Talk. The extended remix was produced for the twelve-inch vinyl single and would later replace the album version of the song in late-1970s reprints of the album. "Shame" was successful on Billboard music charts and would become one of King's signature songs, though it varied on international music charts. The song was covered by Zhané for the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame and Kim Wilde in 1996.
West End Records is an American music record label based in New York City. Led by co-founder Mel Cheren, West End was one of the most prominent labels in dance music's history, along with Prelude Records, Salsoul Records, and Casablanca Records. West End Records helped introduce the twelve-inch single, the vinyl format popularized by disco music in the 1970s and promoted the nascent garage house music pioneered by DJ Larry Levan in Paradise Garage. West End Records was acquired by Verse music group in 2010. On June 29, 2015, Verse Music was acquired by BMG Rights Management.
Unlimited Touch was an American, New York–based post-disco group, most active in the early 1980s. The group's most famous song in its short lifespan was "I Hear Music in the Streets", which made number 6 on US Dance chart in 1981.
Taana Gardner is an American disco and post-disco singer who found her success through West End Records since 1979. She is also a former member of the Aural Exciters.
"Rump Shaker" is a song by American hip-hop group Wreckx-N-Effect. It was released in August 1992 as the lead single from their second album, Hard or Smooth (1992). It features production and guest vocals from Teddy Riley, brother of former Wreckx member Markell Riley.
The Treacherous Three is the first studio album by American hip hop group Treacherous Three. It was released in 1984 via Sugar Hill Records with distribution of MCA Records and produced by Sylvia Robinson. Complex (magazine) puts the album at number 37 on their 50 Greatest Rap Albums 1980s.
"It's a Shame (My Sister)" is a 1990 hip hop song recorded by British rapper Monie Love, featuring True Image. It was the second single from her debut album, Down to Earth, and was released in late 1990 in Germany and the UK and in early 1991 in other European countries. The song sampled the Spinners' 1970 single "It's a Shame", written for the band by Stevie Wonder. The "Cool as..." remix of the track sampled the guitar riff from the Sister Sledge hit "He's the Greatest Dancer". The song had some success, particularly in Switzerland, where it peaked at number 6 and charted for 21 weeks. In the United States, it was Monie Love's sole hit single, reaching number 26. "It's a Shame (My Sister)" also peaked at number 2 on the American dance chart.
"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a song by jazz trumpeter Tom Browne. The single—a memoir of the Jamaica neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised—is from his second solo album, Love Approach. Browne got the idea for the song while he was at his parents' home. The vocals for the single were performed by Toni Smith, who also helped compose the song. The song hit number one on the US Billboard R&B chart for a month. "Funkin' for Jamaica" peaked at number nine on the dance chart and made the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, but it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Funky Sensation" is a song released in 1981 by American singer Gwen McCrae.
Playlist: the Very Best of Ciara is the first compilation album by American recording artist, Ciara, released on May 29, 2012 through Legacy Recordings as part of the Playlist music series. The album includes singles, remixes, and album cuts from Ciara's time with LaFace Records, in which she released her first four studio albums.
"Flicker" is a song recorded by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson. It was released on July 28, 2014 as the fourth single from his debut studio album Worlds (2014). Robinson wrote, produced, and performed the track. Musically, the song contains elements of disco and hip-hop, as well as sampling of soul music. Vocally, the song contains a text-to-speech voice incorrectly translating "never seen" Japanese song titles that have been chopped and screwed in a rap-like style.
the stripped-down post-disco of club records like Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat"
Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat" (one of the sexiest, sweetest, slowest post-disco singles)