| "Space Jam" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Quad City DJ's | ||||
| from the album Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture | ||||
| Released | December 3, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Electro [1] | |||
| Length | 5:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | McGowan | |||
| Quad City DJ's singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Space Jam" is a song by American music group Quad City DJ's from the soundtrack of the 1996 film of the same name, serving as the theme song. It was successful in the United States, peaking at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A&R and then-Senior Vice President of Atlantic Records Craig Kallman wanted Quad City DJ's to create a song for the film, believing they would be the most suitable group for it. The group began developing the song upon his request. In regard to the process, C.C. Lemonhead stated:
Most of it was me by myself working on the track, which I probably spent two weeks on give or take. Vocals we spent like three hours tops. [Jay Ski's] yelling so much we pretty much had to get it on the first or second take before he's too hoarse. Then we'd come back and clean it up later. But I'd say three hours tops, because he knows what he wants when he gets in there.
We were trying to figure out what speed we wanted to go with, and experimented with a couple of backtracks. We tried beats with a slower tempo, and one with a lot more rock n’ roll feel—there's a song that they played at the basketball games. We did experiment because we were on a bigger playing field now—I mean, a Michael Jordan movie—but we just wanted to explore every option. The song actually turned out way better than I expected at the beginning. [1]
Billboard gave a positive review of the song: "Didn't get enough of 'C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)'? Here ya go ... a fitting sequel to that hit. The act hits a lot of the same marks, rattling a booty-bass beat and contagious chants. The added glow of its connection to the successful film 'Space Jam' only adds to the single's programming allure. No sophomore slump here." [2] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly called the song "shameless Xerox" of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)". [3] Shawn M. Haney of AllMusic commented "Quad City DJ's create more electricity with an anthem perfect for game play with the song entitled 'Space Jam.'" [4]
In 2021, the song was remixed for early trailers of the sequel film Space Jam: A New Legacy . [5] Since its release, the song has also been heavily used in internet memes and mashups. [6]
In 2023, Watson Music Group, which bought the rights to 'Space Jam' in 2019 from its original songwriters, began suing companies for copyright infringement by using the song without permission. [6]
| Chart (1996–1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [7] | 97 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) [8] | 71 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] | 67 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] | 24 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [11] | 57 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 37 |
| US Hot R&B Songs ( Billboard ) [13] | 49 |
| US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [14] | 11 |
Quad City DJ's is an American music group originally consisting of Jay Ski, C.C. Lemonhead, and JeLana LaFleur who recorded the 1996 hit "C'mon N' Ride It ", a rap-remix of Barry White's 1974 "Theme from Together Brothers". They are also known for writing and performing the theme song to the 1996 live-action/animated basketball film Space Jam.
"Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second studio album Nellyville (2002). It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Neptunes. It features additional vocals by former labelmate Dani Stevenson and incorporates Chuck Brown's 1979 single "Bustin' Loose".
"C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" is a song by American Florida-based musical group Quad City DJ's, released in February 1996 as a single from their debut album, Get On Up and Dance (1996). It is based on a sample of Barry White's 1974 main theme from soundtrack to the film Together Brothers. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand. It was ranked the number-one song of 1996 by Village Voice magazine, and in 2010, Pitchfork Media included the song as one of their "Ten Actually Good 90s Jock Jams". In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 86 in their list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". The song is also used in a wide variety of sports events.
"I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album R. In early 1997, "I Believe I Can Fly" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the number-one spot of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and remained there for six non-consecutive weeks. Internationally, "I Believe I Can Fly" topped the charts in eight countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
"Boom! Shake the Room" is a song by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The track samples the 1973 song "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players. Released on July 16, 1993 by Jive, as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Code Red (1993), the single peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts of Australia, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed by Scott Kalvert.
"Heaven" is a song by the Canadian singer and songwriter Bryan Adams recorded in 1983, written by Adams and Jim Vallance. It first appeared on the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album the same year and was later included on Adams' album Reckless in 1984. It was released as the third single from Reckless and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in June 1985, over a year and a half after the song first appeared on record. The single was certified Gold in Canada in 1985.
"This Is How We Do It" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Montell Jordan. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 6, 1995, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name (1995). The single was Def Jam's first R&B release, and is Jordan's signature song.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of seventeen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. Nas has sold over 20 million records in the United States alone, and 35 million albums worldwide.
"God Is a DJ" is a song by American singer Pink from her third album, Try This. The song was written by Pink, Jonnie Davis, and Billy Mann and produced by the later two. It was released as the album's second single on November 17, 2003. Lyrically, the song is about letting go, loving life and living it to the fullest.
"For You I Will" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, and recorded for the soundtrack of the live-action/animated sports comedy film Space Jam (1996), directed by Joe Pytka and starring basketball player Michael Jordan. One out of several songs from the album to be released as a single, it was issued in February 25, 1997 by Atlantic Records and Rowdy Records. A downtempo pop and R&B ballad, the song's lyrics involve the singer pledging love and devotion and promising to help an unnamed "you" overcome any difficulty, regardless of the magnitude.
"Fly Like an Eagle" is a song written by American musician Steve Miller for the album of the same name. The song was released in the United Kingdom in August 1976 and in the United States in December 1976. It went to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of March 12, 1977. The single edit can be found on Greatest Hits (1974–1978). It is often played in tandem with "Space Intro". On the album, the song segues into "Wild Mountain Honey".
"Pony" is a song by American singer Ginuwine, released as the debut single from his first album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996). Ginuwine co-wrote the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland; the latter made his breakthrough as a producer with the song. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Insomnia" is a song by British musical group Faithless. Released as the band's second single, it became one of their most successful. It was originally released in 1995 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, topping the UK Dance Chart in the process. When re-released in October 1996, the song achieved a new peak of number three in the United Kingdom and topped the charts of Finland, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the American and Canadian dance charts. It also featured on Faithless's 1996 debut album, Reverence.
This is the discography of American rapper LL Cool J.
"Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige, with a guest rap from Nas. It was written by Blige, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, and Nasir Jones for Blige's third studio album, Share My World (1997), while production was helmed by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song contains a sample of the song "Moonchild" (1985) by American singer Rick James. With its more buoyant tone, "Love Is All We Need" stood in conspicuous contrast to much of the more dark-rooted material featured on Blige's earlier albums.
"Pump It Up" is a song by American rapper Joe Budden. It was released on March 24, 2003, as the lead single from his first album, Joe Budden (2003). The song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 13 in the United Kingdom.
The discography of American disc jockey DJ Khaled consists of thirteen studio albums which contain 54 singles ; his videography consists of at least 58 music videos. Khaled's value proposition is his extensive network of artists of whom he enlists to perform on studio recordings. While first accumulating such connections from his work as a live DJ and radio personality, he's since become known himself for numerous quips and phrases uttered on these records—many of which became Internet memes. Furthermore, his interviews, quotes, or other presentative qualities have often been described as "motivational" or "inspirational". Despite commercial success, the albums in Khaled's discography have often garnered largely mixed receptions from music critics.
"This D.J." is the title of a song by American hip hop artist Warren G. It was released in July 1994 by Def Jam as the second single from his debut album, Regulate...G Funk Era (1994). Released as the follow-up to his smash hit, "Regulate", "This D.J." was another success for Warren G, becoming his second consecutive top 10 single in the US, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 600,000 copies.
"C'Mon" is a song by American singer Kesha from her second studio album, Warrior (2012). It was released as the album's second single on November 16, 2012. The song was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, Cirkut, and fellow pop singer and longtime collaborator Bonnie McKee, while production was handled by Dr. Luke, Blanco, and Cirkut. Containing elements of pop rap, "C'Mon" is a techno-pop, bubblegum pop, and dance song with brash lyrics that center on partying and falling in love. Stylistically, the song follows a verse-chorus pattern typical in pop music, with Kesha adding traditional singing in the latter and the discordant enunciation and stresses of vowels to force assonance and rhyme that epitomize her rap technique in the former.
"Get Low" is a song by German DJ and record producer Zedd and English singer and songwriter Liam Payne. The song was written by Charles Hinshaw, Zedd, Tristan Landymore and Fabienne Holloway, with production handled by Zedd. It was released on 6 July 2017, through Interscope Records. It is also included on Payne's debut studio album LP1. As of September 2017, "Get Low" has moved around 61,800 digital copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.