Centerfold (song)
| "Centerfold" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The J. Geils Band | ||||
| from the album Freeze Frame | ||||
| B-side | "Rage in the Cage" | |||
| Released | September 13, 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:36 5:01 (12") | |||
| Label | EMI America | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Seth Justman | |||
| Producer(s) | Seth Justman | |||
| The J. Geils Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Centerfold" is a 1981 single released by the J. Geils Band from their album Freeze Frame. The most successful single of the group's career, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1982 and held that spot for six weeks.
Overview
The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his high school crush appeared in a centerfold spread for an unspecified men's magazine.[2] The song's narrator is torn between conflicting feelings: his disappointment due to her loss of innocence, and his lust until the end of the song.[2]
The song was the band's biggest hit and the only one in the top of the US charts. It was released in autumn 1981, and eventually went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks. It was the first single released from the album Freeze Frame and the music video for the song was an early staple on recently launched MTV. It also peaked at number one in Australia and Canada.
In February 1982, after the song hit No. 1 in the US, "Centerfold" peaked at No. 3 in the UK Top 40, earning the J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up "Freeze-Frame" would also peak within the top 40 at No. 27. The song is one of the on-disc songs on the 2010 music video game Rock Band 3.
In 2018, the song was ranked at No. 66 on Billboard's All Time Top Songs.[3] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it to be the band's all-time greatest song.[4]
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[16] | Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1982
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982 (U.S.)
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
References
- ^ Heller, Jason (14 November 2012). "Penetration in the centerfold: 20 songs about pornography". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-Cyclopedia. Algora. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-87586-207-1.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ Gallucci, Michael (February 20, 2016). "Top 10 J. Geils Band Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Singles - January 30, 1982" (PDF).
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Centerfold". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982". Top40.nl. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
- ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1982 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
- ^ Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Jones, Alan (1983). "The Top 100 UK Singles". Chart File Volume 2. London, England: Virgin Books. pp. 80–81. ISBN 0-907080-73-1.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1978". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Greatest Of All Time Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Platinum and Gold Singles 1982". Kent Music Report. 28 February 1983. Retrieved 10 November 2021 – via Imgur.
