Express Yourself (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band song)
| "Express Yourself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band | ||||
| from the album Express Yourself | ||||
| B-side | "Living on Borrowed Time" | |||
| Released | August 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Funk, soul | |||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Charles Wright | |||
| Producer(s) | Charles Wright | |||
| Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Express Yourself" is a song written by Charles Wright and performed by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. It was released in 1970 as the title song of their 1970 album, Express Yourself,[1] and is their signature song. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also their biggest hit on the U.S. R&B chart, reaching #3.[2][3]
The song was produced by Wright.[4]
The single was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1971, losing to The Delfonics song "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" and ranked #57 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970.[5]
Chart performance
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| U.S. R&B | 3 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 17 |
Covers and samples
- Idris Muhammad released a version of the song on his 1971 album, Black Rhythm Revolution![6]
- N.W.A sampled this song in their 1989 song also titled "Express Yourself". The song reached #40 on the U.S. R&B chart and #50 on the UK Singles Chart.[7] It was featured on their 1988 album, Straight Outta Compton.[8]
- Saccharine Trust released a version of the song on their 1989 album, Past Lives.[9]
- Roger and Fu-Schnickens covered the song on the 1993 soundtrack album Addams Family Values: Music from the Motion Picture.
- The House Jacks recorded a version for Tommy Boy Records that appears on their 1997 album, Funkwich.[10]
- Francis Rocco Prestia recorded a version that appears on his 1999 album, ...Everybody on the Bus with vocals by Tamara Champlin.[11]
- Snooks Eaglin covered the song on his 2002 album The Way It Is with Jon Cleary.[12]
- Tinchy Stryder sampled the song on his 2009 album, Catch 22 on the song "Express Urself".[13]
- Labrinth sampled the song on the track "Express Yourself" from his 2012 album Electronic Earth.[14] The song reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart.[15]
In popular culture
- A version of the song by Fu-Schnickens is featured over the end credits of the 1993 film Addams Family Values.[16]
- The song appears in the 2000 film Remember the Titans.[17]
- The Mocean Worker Remix of the song was featured during the end credits of the 2005 film Guess Who.[18]
- The song appears during the fight scene in the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith.[19]
- A cover version by Jason Mraz is featured in the 2005 film Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
- Labrinth's version of the song was featured in a 2012 commercial for Windows 8.[20]
- The song appears in the teaser trailer for the 2017 film The Emoji Movie.[21]
- The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on radio station Master Sounds 98.3.
- The song is also featured in the video game Driver: Parallel Lines where it plays in the 1978 era.
- The song appears in a 2020 commercial for online store Etsy.com.
References
- ^ Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Express Yourself Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Weiss, Jeff (2014-12-17). "Watts Soul Legend Charles Wright's "Mistake" Turned Into "Express Yourself"". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ^ Hudak, Joseph. "Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, 'You're So Beautiful' - 20 R&B Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s You Never Heard". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ^ Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Express Yourself" single release Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1970". Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Idris Muhammad, Black Rhythm Revolution! Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ N.W.A., "Express Yourself" chart positions Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Saccharine Trust, Past Lives Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ The House Jacks, Funkwich Archived 2015-05-29 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Francis Rocco Prestia, ...Everybody on the Bus Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Snooks Eaglin, The Way It Is Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Tinchy Stryder, Catch 22 Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Labrinth, Electronic Earth Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Labrinth, "Express Yourself" chart position Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Addams Family Values soundtrack Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Remember the Titans soundtrack Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Guess Who soundtrack Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Mr. & Mrs. Smith soundtrack Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ Retrieved April 17, 2018
- ^ "The Emoji Movie" soundtrack Retrieved March 5, 2017.