Hi-NRG is uptempo disco or electronic dance music usually featuring synthetic bassline octaves. This list contains some examples of hi-NRG artists and songs. Hi-NRG songs by non-hi NRG artists are also included.
Contents |
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Artists • Songs (1970s • Early 1980s • Mid- to late 1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2000s) • Albums • References |
Year | Artist | Song | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Donna Summer | "I Feel Love" [1] [2] [3] | Casablanca / GTO |
1978 | Peter Jacques band | "Fly With the Wind" [4] | Ariola |
1978 | Sylvester | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" [1] [5] [6] [7] [8] | Fantasy |
Year | Artist | Song | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Agents Aren't Aeroplanes | "The Upstroke" [47] | Proto (UK) |
1984 | Bronski Beat | "Smalltown Boy" [48] | London |
1984 | Bronski Beat | "Why?" [48] [49] [50] | London |
1984 | Dead or Alive | "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" [51] [52] [53] [54] | Epic |
1984 | Hazell Dean | "Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)" [47] | Proto (UK) |
1984 | Divine | "You Think You're a Man" [21] [31] [41] [47] [55] | Proto |
1984 | Fancy | "Get Lost Tonight" [56] | Metronome |
1984 | Fancy | "Slice Me Nice" [57] | Metronome |
1984 | The Flirts | "Helpless (You Took My Love)" [58] | Telefon |
1984 | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | "Two Tribes" [59] | ZTT |
1984 | Fun Fun | "Colour My Love" [19] | X-Energy |
1984 | Fun Fun | "Give Me Your Love" [60] | X-Energy |
1984 | Sylvester | "Rock the Box" [14] | Megatone |
1984 | Evelyn Thomas | "High Energy" [16] [31] [36] [37] [38] [61] | Record Shack (UK) |
1984 | Kim Wilde | "The Second Time" [62] | MCA |
1985 | Bronski Beat | "Hit That Perfect Beat" [63] [64] [65] | London |
1985 | Alaska y Dinarama | "Un hombre de verdad" [66] | Hispavox |
1985 | Bronski Beat | "Run from Love" / "Hard Rain" [67] | London |
1985 | Bronski Beat and Marc Almond | "I Feel Love" [7] | London |
1985 | Divine | "Walk Like a Man" [68] | Proto |
1985 | Madleen Kane | "I'm No Angel" [69] | TSR |
1985 | New Order | "Sub-culture" [70] | Factory Records |
1985 | Madleen Kane | "On Fire" [69] | TSR |
1985 | Lime | "Unexpected Lovers" [71] | Mantra |
1985 | Barbara Pennington | "Vertigo" [72] | Record Shack |
1985 | People Like Us | "Reincarnation (Coming Back For Love)" [73] | Passion (UK) |
1985 | Sinitta | "So Macho" [74] | Fanfare (UK) |
1985 | Suzy Q | "Computer Music" [16] | J.C. |
1985 | Taffy | "I Love My Radio" [75] | Ibiza (Italy) / Transglobal (UK) |
1985 | Village People | "Sex Over the Phone" [76] [77] | Casablanca |
1985 | Betty Wright | "Sinderella" [78] | Jamaica |
1986 | Bananarama | "Venus" [47] [79] [80] | London |
1986 | Claudja Barry | "Down and Counting" [81] | Epic |
1986 | The Communards | "Don't Leave Me This Way" [63] [82] [83] | London |
1986 | Alaska y Dinarama | "¿A quien le importa?" [84] [85] [86] | Hispavox |
1986 | Dead or Alive | "Something in My House" [87] | Epic |
1986 | Man 2 Man and Man Parrish | "Male Stripper" [88] | Bolts |
1986 | Stacey Q | "Two of Hearts" [89] [90] | Atlantic |
1986 | Evelyn Thomas | "How Many Hearts" [91] | Record Shack |
1986 | Kim Wilde | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" [92] [93] [94] | MCA |
1987 | Bona-Riah | "House of the Rising Sun" [51] | Rise |
1987 | The Communards | "Never Can Say Goodbye" [95] | London |
1987 | Paul Lekakis | "Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room)" [96] [97] | ZYX / Polydor |
1987 | New Baccara | "Call Me Up" [98] | Bellaphon |
1987 | Pet Shop Boys | "Always on My Mind" [99] | Parlophone |
1987 | Taffy | "Step by Step" [100] | Transglobal |
1987 | Kylie Minogue | "I Should Be So Lucky" [101] | PWL |
1988 | Erasure | "Knocking on Your Door" [102] [103] | Mute / Sire |
1988 | Erasure | "Stop!" [102] [103] | Mute / Sire |
1988 | Kylie Minogue | "The Loco-Motion" [104] | PWL |
1988 | New Baccara | "Fantasy Boy" [98] | Bellaphon |
1988 | Quantize | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" [51] | Passion |
1989 | Boy | "Broken Wings" [51] | Flea |
1989 | Eartha Kitt and Bronski Beat | "Cha Cha Heels" [105] | Arista |
1989 | New Baccara | "Touch Me" [98] | Bellaphon |
1989 | Quantize | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" [51] | Passion |
1989 | Donna Summer | "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" [106] | Warner Bros. |
1989 | Donna Summer | "This Time I Know It's for Real" [106] [107] [108] | Warner Bros. |
1989 | Donna Summer | "Whatever Your Heart Desires" [106] | Atlantic / PWL |
Year | Artist | Song | Label |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | A Touch of Class (ATC) | "Around the World (La La La La La)" [135] | King Size |
2003 | The Knife | "Listen Now" [136] [137] | Rabid |
2004 | Jimmy Somerville | "Come On" [138] | Sony BMG |
2005 | Scissor Sisters | "Filthy/Gorgeous" [139] | Universal (US) Polydor (worldwide) |
2006 | Moby feat. Debbie Harry | "New York, New York" [140] | Mute |
2007 | Bloc Party | "Flux" [141] | Wichita |
2007 | Sophie Ellis-Bextor | "China Heart" [142] [143] | Fascination |
2007 | Róisín Murphy | "Cry Baby" [144] | EMI |
2007 | Britney Spears | "Heaven on Earth" [145] [146] | Jive / Zomba |
2008 | Anastacia | "Heavy Rotation" [147] [148] | Mercury |
2008 | Donna Summer | "I'm a Fire" [149] | Burgundy |
2009 | Bananarama | "Dum Dum Boy" [150] | Fascination |
2009 | Bananarama | "Love Comes" [151] [152] | Fascination |
2009 | Shakira | "She Wolf" [153] | Epic |
2009 | Silver Columns | "Brow Beaten" [154] | Silver Columns |
Hi-NRG is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown group the Supremes, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Venus" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries.
Cruel Summer is a 1998 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's third album in North America on 14 July 1998 and in Japan on 25 August 1998 by Arista Records. Flowers was the group's third album worldwide, but Arista Records decided to release a different version of the album in North America, Japan, and Latin America, retitled Cruel Summer. This version of the album featured the new track "Everytime It Rains" and many new versions of songs that were first featured on Flowers. As executive producer, Clive Davis enlisted collaborators including production team Cutfather & Joe and songwriter Billy Steinberg. While primarily a pop album, Cruel Summer explores the genres of euro disco, Motown, and dance.
"It's No Good" a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 31 March 1997 as the second single from their ninth studio album, Ultra (1997). It was commercially successful, reaching number one in Denmark, Spain, Sweden and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It entered the top 10 in Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number five.
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US, and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single by the British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984. It was included on their debut album, The Age of Consent. The lyrics describe a young man who is forced to leave home. "Smalltown Boy" is a gay anthem and is associated with the rise of British gay culture in the 1980s. In 2022, Rolling Stone named it the 163rd-greatest dance song.
"Chorus" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in June 1991 as the first single from their fifth studio album of the same name (1991). Produced by Martyn Phillips and written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the song features Clarke's electronic soundscapes and Phillips' computerised production. The single was released by Mute Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States. It peaked at number three in both Denmark and the UK while reaching number four in Ireland. In the US, it peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Love to Hate You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track inspired by disco music. The synthesizer melody in the chorus is an interpolation of the string break from American singer Gloria Gaynor's disco-era classic "I Will Survive". The duo also recorded a Spanish version of the song, called "Amor y Odio", and one in Italian called "Amo Odiarti". The single was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by David Mallet.
"Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the second single from their eighth studio album, Cowboy (1997). It is an uptempo dance music song written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records issued the single in the UK. For the song's release in the United States, Maverick Records requested a remix for radio. The US single version of "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is different from what is on the Cowboy album; the song's intro was changed, as well as the middle eight section. An entire verse, edited out of the album version, is restored on the American single release.
"Every Shade of Blue" is a 1995 song by English musical duo Bananarama, from their seventh album, Ultra Violet. After appearing as a B-side in the promotional single "I Found Love", the song was officially released as lead single on 21 August 1995 only in Australia, Japan and dance radio station in US. Bananarama did not have a major-label contract at the time.
"Two of Hearts" is a song by American singer Stacey Q, first issued as an independent 12-inch dance club single by On the Spot Records, then picked up by Atlantic after achieving regional sales. It was written by John Mitchell and produced by Jon St. James, William Walker and Jeff Fishman. The song was Stacey Q's biggest hit; its global sales success fueled the recording of her debut album Better Than Heaven (1986), which included the song. The song was released as the album's lead single on June 13, 1986.
"Long Train Runnin'" is a song recorded by American rock band the Doobie Brothers and written by band member Tom Johnston. It was included on the band's third album, The Captain and Me (1973), and was released as a single by Warner Bros., becoming a hit and peaking at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"'Movin' On" is a song written and performed by English girl group Bananarama. Released on 17 August 1992, it was the first single from their sixth album, Please Yourself (1993). It was produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, two-thirds of the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio who had produced a number of Bananarama's past hits.
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was subsequently covered by American singer Thelma Houston in 1976 and British duo the Communards in 1986, with both versions achieving commercial success.
Post-disco is a term to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1986, imprecisely beginning with the backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to civil unrest and a riot in Chicago known as the Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979, and indistinctly ending with the mainstream appearance of new wave in 1980. During its dying stage, disco displayed an increasingly electronic character that soon served as a stepping stone to new wave, old-school hip hop, Euro disco, and was succeeded by an underground club music called hi-NRG, which was its direct continuation.
"Drunk on Love" is a 1994 song by Polish-born singer Basia from her third album, The Sweetest Illusion (1994). The track was a no. 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and remains one of Basia's biggest hits.
"To Deserve You" is a song recorded by American singer Bette Midler for her eighth studio album Bette of Roses (1996). The song was written by Maria McKee and produced by Arif Mardin.
Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', a vocal topline ad-libbed over a simple chord-shifted sequence, inaugurated Hi-NRG, anticipating the galloping bass line of much post-House software-sequenced music
Divine's "Native Love," a rowdy hi-NRG anthem previously pillaged by Nitzer Ebb, the Prodigy, even New Order.
'Relax' tapped into Hi-NRG's remorseless, metronomic precision and orgiastic vibe – the spasming drum roll at the end of the single feels like an amyl nitrite rush.
As Bronski Beat's falsetto leader, Somerville made gay politics a hot pop topic with such hi-NRG dance floor staples as "Why?" and "Smalltown Boy"
This band originally hails from Africa so it's a bit of a surprise to find them performing a commercial slice of Hi-NRG which, compared to other tracks of this ilk, currently doing the rounds, lacks the necessary sparkle.
It was in 1986 that Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced Bananarama's smash Hi-NRG remake of Shocking Blue's "Venus."
The Communards' hi-NRG version makes it clear that the song is as concerned with sexual satisfaction as it is with romance; perhaps more so.
a version of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" that infuses the soul that Abigail's 1992 Hi-NRG version lacked.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)'Heaven on Earth', crafted by 'Gimme More' producer Danja, is a hi-NRG Moroder-esque dance track whose lyrics veer more into the territory of generic love song fluff
"I Wanna Go" is all hi-NRG booty calling, with a possible reference to New Order's "Blue Monday" thrown in.
"Stop Taking My Time" is a Hi-NRG disco romp à la Nordic neighbour Annie Strand and features, amusingly, a rapping infant.
Overpowered (EMI) was funky in all senses – skittering from glacial electro to hi-NRG disco
Viva's 11 infectious hi-NRG tracks
[Tina Charles]'s Indian-British producer, Biddu, hired both men as session musicians, and his work in the fields of Hi-NRG and electronic disco had a profound influence on [Trevor Horn]'s own production aspirations.
HI-NRG was the club sound that boosted both Evelyn Thomas and the trash dementis of Divine but it also propelled both the Bronski and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Many of Erasure's songs exemplify the post-disco style called hi-N.R.G. -fast and openly artificial, with synthesized riffs bouncing and ticking in every register.
[Klaus Nomi] worked with Man Parrish, the New York electro and hi-NRG producer, on his self-titled debut album.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe use electronic instruments and work within and across dance-floor genres such as house, Hi-NRG, techno, and many other subgenres.
Another contender is hi-N.R.G., a fast, cheerful style, first heard in gay San Francisco clubs in the early 1980s and now on the pop Top 40 in hits by Corona and the Real McCoy.
Eventually, the group worked its way toward Hi-NRG dance music, while also pursuing an adult contemporary ballad direction.
Owen's debut single Child showcased a more acoustic, psychedelic sound than his Hi-NRG Take That hits.