Rescue Me (Fontella Bass song)
| "Rescue Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Fontella Bass | ||||
| from the album The New Look | ||||
| B-side | "Soul of the Man" | |||
| Released | September 25, 1965 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Genre | Soul, pop | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Writer(s) | Fontella Bass, Raynard Miner, Carl Smith | |||
| Fontella Bass singles chronology | ||||
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"Rescue Me" is a song written by Fontella Bass, Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith. In 1965, it was released as a single by Fontella Bass. It would prove the biggest hit of Bass' career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] "Rescue Me" also peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart.
Bass recorded the song in three takes at Chess Studios in Chicago; Minnie Riperton provided background vocals. This most popular of version is often miscredited to Aretha Franklin; in fact, Bass delivered her fiery vocal on "Rescue Me" three years prior to Franklin's revelatory artistic and commercial breakthrough with "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)."
The soundtrack appearances for the original version of "Rescue Me" include those for the films A Cinderella Story, Air America, Best, I, Robot, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Sister Act.
Contents |
[edit] Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to Rescue Me is adapted from acclaimedmusic.net.[2]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 | 2005 | * |
| Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein | U.S. | The 40 Best of the Top 40 Singles by Year | 1981 | 31 |
| Dave Marsh | U.S. | The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made | 1989 | 305 |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
[edit] Other versions
- In 1971, Linda Ronstadt's album Linda Ronstadt featured a live performance of "Rescue Me" as a track.
- In 1974, Cher released it as a single, that was recorded for the album Dark Lady.
- In 1976, Melissa Manchester remade the song for her Better Days and Happy Endings album; released as a single the track reached #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 the only Hot 100 showing for "Rescue Me" since the original version.
- Australian blues rock band Stars recorded "Rescue Me" on their final live album 1157 in 1979.
- Other artists to record this song include Elkie Brooks, Shirley Eikhard, Bryan Ferry, Guys 'n' Dolls, Tom Jones, Gayle McCormick, Ann Peebles, and Diana Ross.
- Sass Jordan recorded the song for the soundtrack of the 1989 film American Boyfriends; her version reached #44 on the Canadian singles chart.
- Pat Benatar recorded the song in 1994 for the soundtrack to the film Speed.
- John Lennon included the Fontella Bass version in his jukebox whilst on tour. The version was included in the compilation album of tracks from the jukebox.
- The song was covered by The Doc Thomas Group, the precursor to Mott the Hoople.
- "Rescue Me" was also remixed as a dance track by Nu Generation, titled "In Your Arms (Rescue Me)". It was released in January 2000 in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.[citation needed]
- A remix of "Rescue Me" was made by Electro-House Sensation Grum and is titled "Turn It Up" off his debut album "Heartbeats"
[edit] Commercial use
The original version of "Rescue Me" was utilized in a TV advertising campaign by American Express: Fontella Bass has stated that she was at a low point in her life when on New Year's Day 1990 she was astonished to hear her own voice singing "Rescue Me" on the American Express television ad. The experience gave Bass the inspiration to set her life in order: it also motivated her to make queries over the commercial use of her recording of "Rescue Me" with the ultimate result a 1993 settlement with American Express and its advertising agency awarding Bass $50,000 plus punitive damages.[3]
"Rescue Me" was also adapted as the jingle for a 1991 TV ad campaign for Pizza Hut, with Aretha Franklin rendering the song as "Deliver me". In 2009 "Rescue Me" was utilized in a TV ad campaign by TENA.
"Rescue Me" has most recently been used in an advertising campaign by L'Oréal's "Root Rescue" product line, sung in the background of their commercial.
Song was also used in the 1994 movie In the Army Now.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 48.
- ^ Rescue Me on acclaimedmusic.net
- ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W8odAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VaYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3435,4619789&dq=fontella-bass&hl=en
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