"Strings of Life" | ||||
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Single by Rhythim Is Rhythim | ||||
Released | 1987 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 7:23 (Piano Mix) | |||
Label | Transmat | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Rhythim Is Rhythim singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Strings of Life" on YouTube |
"Strings of Life" is a 1987 song by American electronic musician Derrick May, in collaboration with Michael James, and released under the name Rhythim Is Rhythim. It is his most well-known song and considered a classic in both the house music and techno genres. May is credited with developing the futuristic variation that would be dubbed "techno". [4] LA Weekly ranked it number-one in its list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015. [5]
Born in Detroit, May began exploring electronic music at early age. His high school friends were Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. [6] They were commonly known as the Belleville Three. [6]
In 1987, May started his production career with the release of "Nude Photo", a single co-written by Thomas Barnett. The single helped kickstart the Detroit techno music scene. A year later he followed it with the release of "Strings of Life," which was named by Frankie Knuckles. [7] It "hit Britain in an especially big way during the country's 1987-1988 house explosion." [8]
"Strings of Life" is based on a piano sequence by May's friend Michael James. He dropped in for a visit at May's house and sat down to play a piano ballad he had been working on called, "Lightning Strikes Twice". This piece went into May's sequencer and was kept there until May decided to listen to it all the way through. He found some portions which interested him, and he started to work with it. The song was originally at 80 BPM before May increased the tempo, chopped it up into loops, and added percussion and string samples.
According to Frankie Knuckles, the track "just exploded. It was like something you can't imagine, the kind of power and energy people got off that record when it was first heard. Mike Dunn says he has no idea how people can accept a record that doesn't have a bassline." [7]
In 1989, the song was remixed by Juan Atkins and released as,s "Strings of Life '89". It peaked at number 74 in the United Kingdom. [9]
"I remember playing this when it first came out in 1986/87 – long before the summer of love explosion in '88. I played it at Pyramid at Heaven and was probably the first person to play this in England. The crowd went crazy. A couple of days later I played at a straight club and it cleared the floor."
—Mark Moore talking to Music Week about the song. [10]
Through the years, many DJs have picked "Strings of Life" as one of their favourite songs. American DJ Pierre said to Music Week "This is the ultimate strings song. The arrangement is brilliant and has a piano string breakdown which established the breakdown that many people use today. It was one of the first songs to put percussion to the forefront." [11] American DJ Carl Craig commented, "I got this when it came out in 1988. It's a great party record. Spiritually, I don't know whether it would have anything for me at home but, when I hear it at a club, I trip out." [12] English house music DJ, DJ Paulette told, "I love this because of the moment when the piano comes in — it's like watching the sun rising. I play both mixes, but for playing clubs I like this one [the Ashley Beedle Mix] because of the beat." [13]
"This is special because it's a seminal dance track. It reminds me of when I first DJed at Sunrise. Another DJ was doing the last set and it wasn't going down too well, people were getting agitated and throwing things at him; he refused to play and I went back on and this was the first track — it got the best response I've ever had as a DJ. I play it when I do Back To '89 and if I'm in the mood I'll play it at Speed — you have to create a vibe and it takes everyone by surprise.
—Fabio talking to Music Week about the song. [14]
In 1996, clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked the song number 17 on its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list. [15]
In 1997, American songwriter, record producer, DJ and singer Robert Owens featured "Strings of Life" in his all-time top 10 list. He explained, "Derrick May takes me back to the Music Box days and the type of people that went ouf during that period. It's good to remember your roots and nice to pull something out to remind you. This is an all-time classic. I play it anywhere. The remixes came out and kinda killed it, so l put it away for six months. But it will always resurface." [16]
In 1998, DJ Magazine ranked it number 25 on its list of "Top 100 Club Tunes". [17]
BBC Radio's 2008 listeners & DJs poll, "The Greatest Ever Dance Record", ranked "Strings of Life" number four, after Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", James Brown's "Sex Machine" and Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". [18]
In 2011, The Guardian featured the song on its "A History of Modern Music: Dance". [19]
In 2013, Mixmag ranked it number 28 on its list of "50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time". [20]
In 2014, Complex included it on its list of "Songs Every Dance Music Fan Should Know, Vol. 1", noting, "It's amazing that a record that encapsulates piano and orchestral samples but has no bassline (or need for one) can still resonate today." [21]
In 2015, LA Weekly ranked it number one on its "The 20 Best EDM and Dance Music Tracks in History", [22] while Time Out's 2015 list of "The 20 Best House Tracks Ever" included it at number 12. [23]
In 2022, Rolling Stone placed "Strings of Life" number 33 in its list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". [24]
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
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UK Singles (OCC) [9] | 74 |
"Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own)" | ||||
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Single by Soul Central featuring Kathy Brown | ||||
Released | January 10, 2005 [25] | |||
Genre | House [26] | |||
Length |
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Label | Defected | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Paul Timothy | |||
Soul Central singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own)" on YouTube |
British house music duo Soul Central covered the song and released it in January 2005 with the subtitle "Stronger on My Own". Vocals were written for this version by Paul Timothy and Jaquie Williams that were provided by American house singer Kathy Brown. The cover reached number six on the UK Singles Chart the week after its release and became a club hit, peaking atop the UK Dance Chart. It additionally reached the top 50 in Australia, Flanders, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
UK and Australian CD single [27] [28]
UK 12-inch single [29]
German maxi-CD single [30]
US digital download EP [31]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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British electronic artist Kieran Hebden and American jazz drummer Steve Reid covered the song during their improvisational performances in the late 2000s, a live version being released after Reid's passing to raise funds for a foundation started in his name. [46]
Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Drexciya, Mike Banks, James Pennington and Robert Hood. Artists like Terrence Parker and his lead vocalist, Nicole Gregory, set the tone for Detroit's piano techno house sound.
"Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Get Ready! (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orchestral Mix". It became a hit and conscious of their popularity, Wilde & De Coster wanted a more accessible, formatted formula for their project to grow. Ray was then asked to write lyrics and add a rap to the track. On Ray Slijngaard's suggestion, Anita Doth joined as the female vocalist.
"Lola's Theme" is the debut single of British house duo the Shapeshifters, featuring soul singer Cookie on vocals. It was released on 12 July 2004 as the lead single from the Shapeshifters' debut album, Sound Advice (2004). The song became the duo's biggest hit, peaking atop the UK Singles Chart and charting highly in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In Australia, it was the most successful club hit of 2004.
Soul Central are a British music production duo originally founded by Andy Ward and Paul Timothy but now consisting of Matt Mckillop and Paul Timothy.
"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team the Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number one on the UK Club Chart.
"French Kiss" is a song by American DJ and record producer Lil Louis that became a European and American hit in 1989, despite being banned by the BBC. The song also was a hit in clubs around the world and it spent two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in October 1989. It became a crossover pop hit, peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a mainstream pop hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number two in August 1989.
"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".
"Be Happy" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Arlene DeValle, and Jean-Claude Olivier from duo Poke & Tone for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Olivier. "Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.
"Can You Feel It" is a 1986 song by Mr. Fingers and one of the first deep house records. Its seminal impact on deep house has been compared to that of Derrick May's "Strings of Life" on Detroit techno.
"Plastic Dreams" is the debut single by producers Jaydee, initially released on R&S Records in 1992. It was successful in European countries and also achieved success in the US, where it topped the Billboard charts in two different categories. American music critic Robert Christgau named it the best single of 1993 in his year-end list for the Pazz & Jop critics poll.
"Playing with Knives" is a song by British electronic dance music group Bizarre Inc. It was their second single released through Vinyl Solution, as well as their second single to be written and produced as a trio. It is also the first single from their debut full-length album, Energique (1992). The song originally reached number 43 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1991. It was re-released later the same year and peaked at number four in the UK charts. In 1999, the song was released for a third time, charting at a peak of number 30.
"Free" is a song by American recording artist Ultra Naté, released on March 31, 1997, through record label Strictly Rhythm. It was co-written by Naté, Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone, while production was held by both Springsteen and Ciafone. "Free" was served as the lead single from her third studio album, Situation: Critical (1997). Musically, the song is a house-influenced song that incorporates strong 1990s soul, dance-pop, garage and disco.
"How Can I Love You More" is a song by British band M People, released as the first single from their debut album, Northern Soul (1991). The song was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by M People. It was first released in October 1991 by Deconstruction Records, peaking at number 29 and then re-released on 25 January 1993 by same label with several new remixes. The song was a bigger hit and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
"Colour My Life" is a song by British band M People, released as the second single from their first album, Northern Soul (1991). It was written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The single was originally released in May 1991 and was given a full release on 24 February 1992. It peaked at number thirty five on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
"Where Love Lives (Come On In)" is a song by British singer and former dancer Alison Limerick, released first time in November 1990. It was her solo-debut and received favorable reviews from music critics, becoming a massive club hit in the early 1990s in both the United Kingdom and United States. In 1991, the single peaked at number 27 in the UK and number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. It was also voted Dance Track of 1991 by Billboard magazine. In 1992, it was included on Limerick's debut album, And Still I Rise. In 1996, it was released in a new remix by Dancing Divaz, peaking at number nine in the UK and number four on the dance chart in the US. The song is famous for the funked-up piano intro and remains the singer's most successful release. It is now widely regarded as one of the biggest club anthems of all time, and has been remixed and re-released several times.
"Take Me Back to Love Again" is a 1992 song by American singer-songwriter Kathy Sledge. It was written by Kenny Harris and Mark Holden, and was the first single from Sledge's first solo album, Heart (1992). The producers were Charles Farrar and Troy Taylor. The single went to number-one on the US Billboard dance chart for one week. It did not make the Billboard Hot 100 but went to number 24 on the Billboard soul singles chart. In Europe, it peaked at number 62 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
Olivier J. L. Heldens is a Dutch DJ and electronic music producer from Rotterdam. He is regarded as a pioneer of the future house genre, propelling it to international attention and scoring numerous chart successes, including "Gecko (Overdrive)", "Last All Night (Koala)", "The Right Song", "Fire in My Soul", and "Turn Me On". He also produces techno songs under the alias HI-LO, which comes from "Oli H" in reversed form, and runs the label Heldeep Records. Through February 2021, he is the 460th-most-streamed artist on Spotify, with over a billion cumulative streams.
"Promised Land" is a 1987 single by American producer and DJ Joe Smooth, featuring Anthony Thomas and is one of the most widely acclaimed house classics.
"Inner City Life" is a song by British electronic musician Goldie featuring vocals by British singer Diane Charlemagne, released in November 1994 by FFRR as the first single from his acclaimed debut album, Timeless (1995). The song was written by Goldie with Rob Playford, and is widely considered one of the most iconic drum and bass works of its era. Accompanied by a music video directed by Mike Lipscombe, it peaked at No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 on the UK Dance Chart. NME ranked "Inner City Life" No. 11 in their list of the "50 Best Songs of 1994". In 2013, it was ranked No. 30 in Mixmag's list of "50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time".
"We Got Love" is a song by English DJ Sigala, featuring vocals from British singer and songwriter Ella Henderson and uncredited backing vocals from English singer and songwriter Anne-Marie. The song was released as a digital download on 1 November 2019. The song peaked at number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.
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