"Real People" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Chic | ||||
from the album Real People | ||||
Released | 1980 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Disco, soul, rock | |||
Length | 5:20 (album version) 3:45 (single version) | |||
Label | Atlantic 3768 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers | |||
Producer(s) | Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers | |||
Chic singles chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Billboard | (unrated) [1] |
"Real People" is a song from American band Chic's fourth album Real People . It was the second single from this album and like its predecessor, featured a solo lead vocal by Luci Martin.
Exploring new directions in the post-Disco era, Chic continued incorporating harder rock elements into their sound as evident by Nile Rodgers' blaring guitar solos which kick-off and end the song. Audiences were caught off guard by the new Chic sound. Prompting some radio programmers to flip the single and play the more upbeat/dancable B-side "Chip Off The Old Block" instead of the A-side. This, combined with other factors, resulted in the single not making much impact on the charts.
Record World said it has "impeccable" taste, "stylish production," "topical lyrics," "a sweltering guitar solo" and "vocal perfection." [2]
"Real People" only peaked at number 51 on Billboard's "Hot Soul/Black Singles" chart and number 79 on Billboard's "Hot 100" chart. [3] It failed to chart in the UK, as the song "26" was released as a single, in lieu of "Real People".
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III ", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music. The track interpolates Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatening to sue Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. The track was recorded in a single take. There are five mixes of the song.
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game (1980). It was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, from 4 October to 18 October. The song spent 15 weeks in the Billboard top 10, including 13 weeks in the top five, and 31 weeks total on the chart. It reached number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart and the Disco Top 100 chart, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is credited as Queen's best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All-Time Top Songs.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club for their album English Garden and by British new wave/synth-pop group the Buggles, which consisted of Horn and Downes.
"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic from their third album Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and has become one of the most sampled tunes in music history, most notably in hip hop music. Originally released with "A Warm Summer Night" on the B-side, it was reissued in 2004 with "I Want Your Love" on the B-side, a version which was certified Silver in the UK.
"Le Freak" is a 1978 funk / disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first Billboard Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks "I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number one on the disco charts for seven weeks. The single achieved sales of 7 million and also scored number seven in the UK Singles Chart.
Diana is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980, by Motown Records. The album is the best-selling studio album of Ross's career, spawning three international hit singles, including the number-one hit "Upside Down".
"Coming Up" is a song written and performed by English musician Paul McCartney, released as the opening track on his 1980 solo album McCartney II. Like other songs on the album, the song has a synthesised sound, featuring sped-up vocals created by using a vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all instruments.
"You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album Children of the World, released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in September the same year, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart. It was this song that first launched the Bee Gees into disco. It was also the only track from the group to top the dance chart.
"Waterfalls" is a Paul McCartney ballad from his first solo album after Wings, McCartney II. The song has a minimalist sound, with McCartney only playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano and a synthesizer and singing, and a short solo performed on acoustic guitar.
"Urgent" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, and the first single from their album 4 in 1981.
"Picture" is a duet written by American music artists Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, released on November 12, 2002, as the fourth single and ninth track from Kid Rock's 2001 album Cocky. The original recording on the album is performed by the song's writers. Rock re-recorded the song for radio with alternative country singer Allison Moorer because Atlantic was initially unable to get the rights from Crow's label to release the album version as a single. When the Moorer version was released, some radio stations began playing the Crow version instead, leading Billboard to credit the song variously to Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow or Allison Moorer. The song was a commercial and critical success and was nominated for Vocal Event of The Year at the 2003 Country Music Association awards.
"I Want Your Love" is a song by American band Chic from their second studio album C'est Chic (1978). Featuring a solo lead vocal by Alfa Anderson, the song became a very successful follow-up to their hit single "Le Freak".
Real People is the fourth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1980. It includes the singles "Rebels Are We", "Real People", and "26".
King of the World is the final album by French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion, released on June 27, 1980. The album which was both written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of American R&B band Chic includes the hit "Spacer" which reached No. 18 on the UK charts in early 1980 and was a Top 10 hit in most of Europe, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide. The album displays some elements unusual in Chic productions, such as prominent guitar solos in place of the breakdowns that were normally a staple part of the Chic sound, and some unusual lyrical subject matter, such as the sci-fi themed "Spacer" and a humorous song about credit cards.
Soup for One is the soundtrack album to the movie Soup for One by American R&B band Chic et al., released by Mirage Records in 1982. The album reached number 168 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number 42 on the R&B chart. Besides three previously released tracks, Chic's "I Want Your Love" from 1978 album C'est Chic, Sister Sledge's "Let's Go On Vacation" from 1980s Love Somebody Today and "Jump, Jump" from Debbie Harry's KooKoo, the album contains five songs specifically written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for the movie.
Take It Off is the fifth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in November 16, 1981. It includes the single "Stage Fright", which reached number 35 on the US R&B chart, but was the first Chic single failing to enter the US Pop charts, and this album only proved to be moderately successful as well, stalling at number 124 on the US albums chart and number 36 on the R&B chart.
"Everybody Dance" is a song by American band Chic. The disco song, which features Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals and Luther Vandross, Diva Gray, Robin Clark and David Lasley on background vocals, was released as the second single from the band's self-titled debut album Chic (1977). According to guitarist Nile Rodgers, it was the first song specifically written for Chic, and, due to its historical status and popularity, is usually played as the opening song of the band's live set. It was later heavily sampled by British group Steps on their song "Stomp" and echoed by the Manic Street Preachers on their single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love".
"My Feet Keep Dancing" is the third single from Chic's third studio album Risqué. It features a co-lead vocal by Luci Martin and Bernard Edwards and a tap dance solo by Fayard Nicholas, Eugene Jackson, and Sammy Warren.
"Rebels Are We" is a song by American R&B band Chic. It was the first single from their fourth studio album, 1980's Real People. The song, featuring a solo lead vocal by Luci Martin, marked a change of direction for the band; incorporating harder rock/new wave elements into their trademark funk sound. The song peaked at number 8 on Billboard's "Hot Soul/Black Singles" chart and number 61 on Billboard's "Hot 100" chart). The song has been included in many compilation albums such as The Best of Chic, Volume 2 and The Very Best of Chic.
"Don't Mean Nothing" is the debut single by singer/songwriter/producer Richard Marx from his triple platinum 1987 eponymous album. It hit No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100. With the chart success of "Don't Mean Nothing" and subsequent singles from his debut album, Marx became the first male artist to reach the top three of the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with four singles from a debut album.