"The Rhythm of the Night" | ||||
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Single by Corona | ||||
from the album The Rhythm of the Night | ||||
Released | 5 November 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Francesco Bontempi | |||
Corona singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Rhythm of the Night" on YouTube |
"The Rhythm of the Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Corona. It was released as their debut single in 1993 in Italy, then elsewhere the following year. The song is the title track of the group's debut studio album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995), and was written by Francesco Bontempi, Annerley Emma Gordon, Giorgio Spagna, Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey. It was produced by Bontempi, and the vocals were performed by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola, who is not credited on the single and does not appear in the music video. [6] The woman who appears in the video is the group's frontwoman Olga Souza. [7] The video was A-listed on Music TV-channels, such as Germany's VIVA. [8] The song was a worldwide hit in 1994, peaking at number-one in Italy, and within the top five in most of Europe, while in the US, it fell short of the top ten, reaching number eleven on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.
The song was credited to Francesco Bontempi, Annerley Emma Gordon, Giorgio Spagna, Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey. In 1987 the Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey written song "Save Me" performed by German pop duo Say When! was released. [9] The Rhythm of the Night borrows heavily from this track, namely the music and specifically the lyrics "Round and round we go, each time I hear you say", along with other similar lyrics shared by the two songs. As a result, the two received writing credits on The Rhythm of the Night.
At the time she got the gig, Italian singer Giovanna Bersola suffered from stage fright, and would only be doing studio work. Brazilian singer Olga Souza would be fronting the song on stage and tour instead of Bersola, as well as in its accompanying music video. Bersola told in a 2021 interview, “The studio was safe for me, it was no windows, just me and the music. It was a time when dance and euro house music was very prolific in Europe and I was living in Italy at the time, so I was singing three or four songs a day as a session voice.” [10] Regarding Souza fronting the group instead of her and the fact that they didn’t use Bersola's image on the single cover, she felt that it suited her, “That gave me the freedom to be absolutely no one.” [10] Bersola is no longer suffering from stage fright and now lives in New Zealand. [10] "The Rhythm of the Night" was released in 1993 in Italy, and the following year, it was released internationally.
"The Rhythm of the Night" achieved huge success worldwide. It reached number one in Italy and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. [11] In Europe the single entered the Eurochart Hot 100 on 12 February at number 63, and made a slow climb up to peak at five on 17 September. In the end of 1994, it was the longest-charting single on the Eurochart Hot 100. It peaked within the top ten in several countries, including Australia (8), Austria (6), Denmark (4), France (3), Germany (8), Iceland (4), Ireland (3), the Netherlands (5), New Zealand (7), Scotland (2), Spain (3), Switzerland (3) and the United Kingdom (2). Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Belgium (13) and a 30 hit in Sweden (28). In the United States, "The Rhythm of the Night" reached number eleven on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.
"The Rhythm of the Night" entered the European Border Breakers airplay chart at 21 on 9 April due to crossover airplay in West, Central, North and South-West Europe (also after topping the Italian charts for 8 weeks). It peaked at number four on 5 November. [12] In the US, the song was a top ten hit on radio as well, peaking at number nine in the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart and at number seven in the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart.
The song was an even bigger hit on the dance charts. It peaked at number one on the French dance chart, [13] number two on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and the European Dance Radio chart, [14] number three on the UK Dance Chart, and number seven on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States.
Scottish Aberdeen Evening Express complimented "The Rhythm of the Night" as "a great Euro pop record" that "has been a top 10 hit in every European country." [3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Recent No. 1 U.K./European hit is finally issued domestically, and it already appears to be on the road to meeting with similar success here." He explained, "Thumping Italo disco beats support glossy faux-rave synths and a diva vocal that is forceful without being overly aggressive. A wildly catchy and repetitive chorus already has begun to woo radio programmers in several major markets on import." [15] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report reported, "Key programmers are catching on to this one and fast – for one very good reason: It's hot! Coming off a number one run in the U.K., Corona is set up to blowout Stateside." [16] In his UK chart commentary, James Masterton felt it's "more conventional dance though just has the edge for the moment". [17]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media said, "Nocturnal dance party animals and daytime radio programmers sweat to the pulsating Euro beat. When the mistress of seduction hits the mike, only a glass of Corona can cool you down." [18] Alan Jones from Music Week viewed it as an "extremely commercial pop hit from the Continent." He also found that the more concise Rapino edit is also assailing ears on radio, and its concise form will win it many admirers." [19] John Kilgo from The Network Forty described it as a "uptempo high-energy dance number" that is "set to explode." [20] Stephen Dalton from NME wrote, "Anal snobs who dismiss all Europop out of hand are clearly deaf to sensual, rollicking beauties like Corona's 'Rhythm of the Night' or The Real McCoy's 'Run Away'". [21] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update called it a "Olga De Souza cooed Euro smash". [22] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin complimented it as "magnificent", [23] while Paul Sexton from The Times declared it as an "hedonistic anthem". [24]
In 2019, the chorus of the song was sampled in the Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin's "Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)", which appeared on the soundtrack of the 2020 film Bad Boys for Life . [25]
“It’s a beautiful thing, I’m happy to be in so many people’s hearts and beautiful memories about those years when they were going out and dancing. It’s a happy place for me.”
—Giovanna Bersola talking to RNZ about the song. [10]
"The Rhythm of the Night" was awarded one of BMI's Pop Awards in 1996, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song. [26]
The song was featured prominently in the closing scene of the 1999 film Beau Travail, with the film's protagonist engaging in a frenzied solo dance performance to the song on an empty nightclub stage. The song was also featured in Grand Theft Auto 5 on the fictional Non-Stop Pop FM radio station .
In 2013, Vibe ranked it number nine in their list of "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks from the '90s That Changed the Game". [27] In 2014, Idolator ranked it number 25 on their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994". [4] Bradley Stern described it as a "spacey synth-pop jam" and "true staple of early '90s club anthems". He concluded, "As soon as that almighty call to arms rings out ("This is the rhythm of the night!"), 20 years later, there's still no choice but to become a slave to the rhythm all over again." [4]
In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked it number two in "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" list. Stopera and Galindo wrote, "'The Rhythm of the Night' is not only a song, it's a lifestyle. It's a triumph. A feeling. Pure joy. This song will take you places!!" [28] Same year, Redbull.com ranked it number nine in their list of 9 one-hit-wonders from the 90s that still stand up today. [29]
In 2022, "The Rhythm of the Night" was ranked number 68 in Rolling Stone 's list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". [30] Same year, The Guardian ranked it number 50 in their "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!". Alexis Petridis wrote, "Nineties Euro pop-house was seldom a finely wrought artistic enterprise, but just occasionally, it hit on something incredible. The work of shadowy Italian producers and British songwriters for hire, promoted by a “singer” who didn’t appear on the song itself, "The Rhythm of the Night" perfectly captures the anticipatory excitement of night out about to happen." [31]
Year | Publisher | Country | Accolade | Rank |
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1996 | BMI | United States | "BMI Pop Awards" [26] | * |
2011 | MTV Dance | United Kingdom | "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" [32] | 98 |
2013 | Vibe | United States | "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks from the '90s That Changed the Game" [27] | 9 |
2014 | Idolator | United States | "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994" [4] | 25 |
2017 | BuzzFeed | United States | "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" [33] | 2 |
2017 | Redbull.com | United States | "9 of the Most Enduring One-Hit Wonders of the '90s" [29] | 9 |
2021 | Time Out | United Kingdom | "The 50 Best Uses of Songs in Movies" [34] | 12 |
2022 | The Guardian | United Kingdom | "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!" [31] | 50 |
2022 | Rolling Stone | United States | "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" [30] | 68 |
2023 | The Observer | United Kingdom | "Women in Music: '90s Dance Music" [35] | * |
2024 | MTV 90s | United Kingdom | "Top 50 Rhythms of Eurodance" [36] [37] | 5 |
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [75] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [76] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [77] | Gold | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [78] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [79] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [80] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [81] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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Italy | 1993 | 12-inch vinyl | DWA | |
United Kingdom | 29 August 1994 |
| WEA | [82] |
"The Rhythm of the Night" | ||||
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Single by Cascada | ||||
from the album The Best of Cascada | ||||
Released | 22 June 2012 | |||
Length | 3:20 | |||
Label | Zooland | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
Cascada singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Rhythm of the Night" on YouTube |
On 2 June 2012, dance group Cascada performed "The Rhythm of the Night" in a bar opening, leading to speculation that the song would be the group's new single. The single was released on 22 June. [83] It was a top ten hit in Austria, but only reached the top 30 in the group's native Germany. It was included on their compilation album, The Best of Cascada (2013).
The music video for the song was directed by Iulian Moga, the Romanian film director noted for making music videos. It was released on 22 June, first to those who had 'liked' Cascada's official page on Facebook, then on general release. The video shows Dutch rapper Nicci, singing his part of the song, and Horler in a yellow jacket, rocking a rich old woman's mansion. The party in the house also comes with police officers, that turn out to be strippers.
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
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Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [84] | 9 |
Germany (GfK) [85] | 26 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [86] | 22 |
In 2008, the song was covered by Dutch pop group Hermes House Band, and reached number 16 in France and number 55 in Germany. [87]
In 2013, British band Bastille recorded "Of the Night", a medley of "The Rhythm of the Night" and "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by Snap!. [1]
Hattie Webb of the Webb Sisters covered the song; her version was used in the McDonald's advert campaign "We Are Awake" [88] and her EP Mouth of the Sea, released on 11 November 2016. [89]
Jenny B, who sang on the original track, sang the cover used on the 2018 video game Just Dance 2019 . [90]
In 2018, the song was covered in bigroom version by Dutch djs Maurice West & SaberZ. [91]
Corona is an Italian Eurodance project. Initially as a group formed by Brazilian-Italian singer and model Olga Maria de Souza and producer Francesco "Checco" Bontempi, they found commercial success with the worldwide hits "The Rhythm of the Night" (1993) and "Baby Baby" (1995). After the second album, Bontempi left the group and was replaced by Francesco Conte and Paolo Dughero.
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited, released in January 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, the song became one of their most commercially successful singles, especially in Europe, reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases, the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard, leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept, the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song, turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music)" is a song by German electronic music duo Jam & Spoon, released by JAM! and Dance Pool as the second single from the duo's second album, Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 (1993). It is a Eurodance song with elements from progressive and vocal trance. It is based on "Leyenda" by the classical composer Isaac Albéniz and features vocals by American vocalist Plavka, with lyrics by Nosie Katzmann. The flamenco-styled riff in the song is played by duo member Jam El Mar, who was trained as a classical guitarist.
"Be My Lover" is a song recorded by German Eurodance group La Bouche and released in March 1995 by Arista and RCA Records as the second single from their debut album, Sweet Dreams (1995). The song was written by group members Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray with Uli Brenner and Gerd Amir Saraf, who co-produced it with Frank Farian. It remains their most successful song, alongside "Sweet Dreams", and was a worldwide hit. In Europe, it was a number-one hit in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the US, the single reached numbers five and six on the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks in December 1995. To date, it has sold six million copies worldwide. Two different music videos were produced to promote the single. "Be My Lover" earned La Bouche the 1996 Echo Music Prize in Germany in the category for Best Dance Single as well as the ASCAP Award in the US for the Most Played Song in America. It was dubbed into many megamix tracks and has had several remix versions.
"Bump n' Grind" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer-songwriter R. Kelly. It was released on January 28, 1994 by Jive Records, as the second single from his debut solo studio album, 12 Play (1993). The track became a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it also spent twelve weeks at number one on the US Hot R&B Songs chart as Kelly's third number-one R&B hit, becoming the longest-running number-one of 1994 in the US, and the longest-running R&B single at that time. The song also reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, following the massive success of his previous single, "She's Got That Vibe".
"Missing" is a song by English musical duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by Watt and John Coxon. It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It initially did not achieve much success until it was remixed by Todd Terry and re-released in 1995, resulting in worldwide success, peaking at or near the top of the charts in many countries. The release of the remixed version of "Missing" gave an indication of the band's future experimentation with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums. Its music video was directed by Mark Szaszy.
"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in March 1992 by Arista and Logic as the second single from their second studio album, The Madman's Return (1992). It features vocals by American singer Thea Austin. The song is written by Benito Benites, John "Virgo" Garrett III and Austin, and produced by Benites and Garrett III. It was an international success, topping the charts in France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The single also reached the top-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It spent six weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming the second biggest-selling single of 1992. Its music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and filmed in Florida, the US.
"Mr. Vain" is a song by German musical group Culture Beat, released in April 1993 by Dance Pool as the lead single from the group's second studio album, Serenity (1993). The song was written by Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann and Jay Supreme, and produced by Torsten Fenslau. Tania Evans is the lead vocalist and Supreme is the rapper. The female part of the lyrics describes the narcissist title character Mr. Vain, while the rap embodies his selfish desires.
Marta Simlat is a Polish model best known for fronting the eurodance project J.K., who enjoyed moderate success in the mid- to late-1990s with the Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva.
The Rapino Brothers are record producers Charlie Mallozzi and Marco Sabiu, known for their work during the 1990s with artists such as Take That, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Paola e Chiara, Valerio Scanu, Lydia Canaan and Primal Scream. Italian Eurodance group Corona's 1993 song "The Rhythm of the Night", was also worked on by The Rapino Brothers before being released as a single in the UK the following year.
"Come and Get Your Love" is a song by the American rock band Redbone. The song was originally released as a promo track under the name "Hail" and was later featured on their fifth album, Wovoka (1973), under its current name. The song was released as the album's first single the following year. Written and produced by band members Pat and Lolly Vegas, it is one of the band's most successful singles. It made them the first Native American band to reach the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number five. The song later appeared on many "greatest hits" albums released by the band, as well as on numerous compilation albums of the 1970s. A cutout style-animated music video was released in 2020.
"Baby, Come Back" is a song by English band the Equals from their 1967 album Unequalled Equals. Written by Eddy Grant, the song was originally released as a B-side in 1966 and was later released as a single in continental Europe before being released as a single in the UK in 1968. "Baby, Come Back" charted in multiple countries, including number 1 on the Belgian, Rhodesian and UK charts in 1967 and 1968.
"Push the Feeling On" is a house song by the Scottish music group Nightcrawlers and American DJ Marc Kinchen (MK). The original version released in 1992 was also partially disco and acid jazz-influenced and was a minor chart hit in the United Kingdom. The song was later remixed extensively by Kinchen, creating a series of additional remixes for the song. One remix known as "Push the Feeling On (MK Dub Revisited Edit)" became an international chart hit in 1995, reaching the top 10 in various European countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number three.
"Baby Baby" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in February 1995 by ZYX Music as the second single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song, written by Francesco Bontempi and Antonia Bottari, was originally a hit in 1991 for Italian project Joy & Joyce as "Babe Babe". Both tracks were produced by Bontempi under his Lee Marrow guise. It was very successful on the singles charts around the world, peaking at number-one in Italy, and on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. In the UK, it peaked at number five for two weeks. Two different music videos were produced for the song.
"Try Me Out" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Corona, released in July 1995 by ZYX as the third single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song was written by Francesco Bontempi, Giorgio Spagna and Annerley Gordon, and contains samples from the 1987 song "Toy" by Teen Dream. Going for a harder, more underground house music sound, it peaked within the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the UK, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. Outside Europe, the song was a top-10 hit also in Australia and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, while peaking at number 43 in New Zealand.
"I Don't Wanna Be a Star" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in November 1995 as the fourth and final single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). It was a club hit in many European countries, but unlike the previous Corona singles, it has disco sonorities. The song peaked at number one in both Italy and Spain, number five in Hungary and number six in Finland. In the UK and on the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked within the top 30. It was Corona's last major hit.
"Right Here" is the debut single of American R&B girl group SWV, released on August 20, 1992 by RCA Records, as the lead single from their debut album, It's About Time (1992). The song was written by Brian Alexander Morgan, who also produced it. A remixed version, referred to as "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" and based around a feature of Michael Jackson's 1982 song "Human Nature", was released in July 1993, and charted on the US Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". This version, produced by Teddy Riley, became a number-one R&B single, selling 1,000,000 copies and earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also a number-one hit in Zimbabwe. The music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin, featuring SWV riding horses and fishing.
"The Summer Is Magic" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Playahitty, released in July 1994 by Conte Max Music as their debut single. The lead vocals are performed by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola, as she did for the 1993 hit "The Rhythm of the Night" by Corona. This led to the mistaken belief that "The Summer Is Magic" was another hit song by Corona. The song hit the charts in the summer and autumn of 1994 in several countries of Continental Europe, such as Italy, where it reached number two on the Top 40 singles chart. It reached the top 40 also in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. A partly black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single, but it didn't feature Bersola.
"This Is Your Night" is a song recorded by Dutch singer-songwriter Amber, released on 21 May 1996 by Tommy Boy Records as the lead single from her debut album of the same name (1996). It is written by Amber, and produced by German producers Berman Brothers and other programmers. In January 1996, a promotional version of this track was released to select Rhythmic Top 40/dance radio stations in New York and Chicago. This version, received minimal airplay before being replaced entirely with the now known "Original Edit", and was never released on any album or single. The music video for the song was directed by Jeff Kennedy and filmed in New York City.
"Of the Night" is a song by British band Bastille, released on 11 October 2013 as the lead single from All This Bad Blood (2013), a reissue of their debut studio album Bad Blood (2013). The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and has also charted in several other countries.
Of the Night awkwardly combined two early 90s Eurodance hits with similar titles: Corona's Rhythm of the Night and Snap's Rhythm is a Dancer.
The leading lady of the night then took on her triple j Like A Version recreation of Corona's classic '90s euro-dance hit, Rhythm of the Night