The Power (Snap! song)

"The Power"
Single by Snap!
from the album World Power
B-side	Remix
Released	January 3, 1990 (original version) June 17, 1996 (remix version)
Format	CD maxi, 7" single, 12" maxi
Genre	Hip house, rapcore
Length	3:47 (7" single version) 8:14 (12" single version) 6:01 (12" jungle fever remix '90) 5:42 (Album version)
Label	Ariola Records
Writer(s)	Benito Benites/John "Virgo" Garrett III/Toni C.
Producer	Snap!
Certification	see certifications
Snap! singles chronology
"The Power" (1990) "Ooops Up" (1990)
Music sample "The Power"

"The Power" is an electronic pop hit song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in January 1990 and reached number-one in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. It is particularly known for its hook "I've got the power!".

Background

Written by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) and produced by Snap!, it was the group's third single. Featuring a rap by Turbo B and vocals by Jackie Harris, the single became a massive international hit.

The song opens with the somewhat enigmatic line in Russian: “Американская фирма Transceptor Technologies приступила к производству компьютеров «Персональный спутник»” (meaning “The American company Transceptor Technologies has started production of the ‘Personal Companion’ computer”). “Personal Companion” was a computer-like device for the blind and visually impaired. Released in 1990, it was controlled by voice and could, among other functions, automatically download articles from USA Today by a built-in modem. It was made by Transceptor Technologies of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Benites and Garrett III first released the song in 1990 on the Wild Pitch Records label in the United States calling themselves "Power Jam (featuring Chill Rob G)". However, they failed to legally clear samples in the song. The song contained samples from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G, "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown, and "King Of The Beats" by Mantronix. The song was re-recorded in the U.S. in response to the unlicensed samples with Durron Butler, aka Turbo B, replacing the a cappella vocal of Chill Rob G, and for this new version they adopted the name Snap!.

Covers and remixes

In 1990 the American act Deff Boyz sampled the track for their single "Swing."

The song was covered in 2002 by the German crossover band, H-Blockx. Turbo B featured in the song taking turns to rap lyrics with H-Blockx's then frontman Dave Gappa. Of note, Turbo B replaces the word 'Snap!' with 'H-blockx' in the line "If they are Snap! don't need the police to try to save them". The single charted at No. 48 in Germany and No. 34 in Australia.

In 2003, the song was remixed by Motivo, with added Indian vocals from Joshilay and released as Snap! Vs. Motivo - The Power (of Bhangra).

In 2010, Swizz Beatz sampled the song on the second half of Kanye West's official remix to his single Power featuring Jay-Z.

Media appearances

The song has made many appearances in film, television and other media. It is also popular as a sporting event anthem. For example, it is played at times at hockey games throughout North America as home teams go on a power-play.^{[citation needed]} It is also used as a theme song by Jet in UK Gladiators^{[citation needed]}, darts player Phil Taylor and Terri Powers in the Ladies Professional Wrestling Association.^{[citation needed]}

In Germany, there is a radio show with misheard lyrics entitled "Agathe Bauer" (a German name); the name is a play on the hook from "The Power" (I've got the Power!).

The song appears in the following films: The Perfect Weapon, Coyote Ugly, Dr. Dolittle, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Bruce Almighty, The Pacifier, The Fisher King ^{[citation needed]}, The Perfect Weapon^{[citation needed]}, Hangin' with the Homeboys^{[citation needed]}, Three Kings^{[citation needed]}, Marock^{[citation needed]} and Under siege^{[citation needed]}. The songs lyrics are sung in the film Hudson Hawk^{[citation needed]} and the H-Blockx cover appears in the film Fat Slags.^{[citation needed]}

The song was used extensively in the 1991 Amiga game The Power. The music of the game was produced by Peter Thierolf and excludes any lyrics, and the title card mimics the cover of the single.

The song also appears in the following video games: Psychonauts^{[citation needed]}, NHL 11^{[citation needed]}, NBA Live 07^{[citation needed]} and Just Dance 2 (video game).^{[citation needed]}

Tremors at Techno-Mart

On July 5, 2011, a 39-story shopping mall called the "Techno-Mart" in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, shook violently for 10 minutes and was evacuated for two days. After study, it was determined that about 20 people performing Tae Bo exercises to "The Power" caused the building to vibrate by creating a mechanical resonance. The tentative conclusion was the consensus among the six professors from an architectural institute and vibration measurement experts who participated in a recreation of the event. The Architectural Institute of Korea was scheduled to release the final results of the safety inspection later in 2011.

Track listings

1990 version

12" maxi

1. "The Power" (ful mix) (6:00)
2. "The Power" (switch mix) (6:21)
3. "The Power" (potential mix) (5:42)

7" single

1. "The Power" (3:47)
2. "The Power" (dub) (5:35)

1996 version

1. "The Power '96" (silk 7") (3:53)
2. "The Power '96" (E=mc2 12") (6:44)
3. "The Power '96" (original dub 12") (4:57)
4. "Ex-Terminator" (from the class 'X) (5:21)

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	13
Austrian Singles Chart	3
Dutch Top 40	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	16
Canadian RPM Dance Chart	1
Eurochart Hot 100	1
French SNEP Singles Chart	15
German Singles Chart	2
Irish Singles Chart	5
Italian Singles Chart	4
New Zealand Singles Chart	6
Norwegian Singles Chart	3
Swedish Singles Chart	3
Swiss Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	4
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1
Chart (1996)1	Peak position
Finnish Singles Chart	12
Swedish Singles Chart	40

¹ "The Power '96"

Year-end charts

Chart (1990)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart	13
Dutch Top 40	7
Swiss Singles Chart	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	26

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
Germany	Gold	1990	250,000
Netherlands	Gold	1990	40,000
Sweden	Gold	August 1, 1990	10,000
UK	Silver	April 1, 1990	200,000
U.S.	Platinum	July 17, 1990	1,000,000

Chart successions

Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor	Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single 4 March 1990 - 1 April 1990 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "Vogue" by Madonna
	Dutch Top 40 number-one single 14 April 1990 – 5 May 1990	Succeeded by "Kingston Town" by UB40
	UK number-one single 31 March 1990 – 7 April 1990	Succeeded by "Vogue" by Madonna
Preceded by "Dub Be Good to Me" by Beats International	Swiss number-one single 6 May 1990 – 27 May 1990	Succeeded by "Vogue" by Madonna
Preceded by "Vogue" by Madonna	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single 2 June 1990	Succeeded by "Dub Be Good to Me" by Beats International

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)