Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life)

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"Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life)"
Single by T. S. Monk
from the album House of Music
B-side"Stay Free of His Love"
ReleasedAugust 1980
Recorded1979
GenreFunk, jazz, post-disco, New-wave
Length3:35
LabelMirage
Songwriter(s)Lawrence Russell Brown, Sandy Linzer
Producer(s)Sandy Linzer
T. S. Monk singles chronology
"Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life)"
(1980) 		"Candidate for Love"
(1980)

"Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life)" is a single by American band T. S. Monk, released in August 1980 on Mirage Records. It was arranged by band leader Thelonious Monk, Jr. and written by songwriter Lawrence Russell Brown and producer Sandy Linzer. The song has a rhythmic style and lyrics about aspiring to a rich lifestyle.

The song was released in promotion of the band's 1980 debut album House of Music.[1] It was T. S. Monk's best-selling song and only charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 63. "Bon Bon Vie", particularly its horn intro, has been sampled by several hip hop artists.

Music and lyrics[edit]

"Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life)"
30-second sample of the song
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to Barry Lederer from Billboard, "Bon Bon Vie" is a midtempo funk/jazz song with a brassy beat.[2] It has also been defined as a record of post-disco.[3] T. S. Monk's bandleader Thelonious Monk, Jr., served as arranger, drummer, and lead vocalist for the song.[4] It was co-written by Sandy Linzer, who produced its album House of Music.[5] The song's lyrics are about aspiring to a rich lifestyle.[1] Its chorus chants, "Give us the bon / give us the bon bon bon bon vie / give us the good life."[6]

The song opens with a notable horn intro.[7] The song's rough rhythmic style counterpoints its smooth harmonies.[2] It also features lighthearted vocals, haunting scat riffs, and a backbeat constituted by brass, bongo, and hand-clapping.[2]

Release and reception[edit]

After "Bon Bon Vie" was released, it charted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 28, 1981.[8] It also reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles.[9] On the Hot Dance/Disco Songs, the song peaked at number 13.[10] It proved to be T. S. Monk's only entry on both the pop and dance charts,[9] as well as their best-selling song.[11] In the United Kingdom, "Bon Bon Vie" reached number 63 and spent two weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[12] It also charted at number 21 in the Netherlands.[13]

In a review of House of Music, Stereo Review magazine's Irv Cohn said "Bon Bon Vie" is an "interesting" song that proves "real musicians are at work in dance music in the post-disco era."[4] The Black Music & Jazz Review was not impressed by the album, but enjoyed the single and its B-side "a lot", as well as T. S. Monk's subsequent single "Candidate for Love".[14] Stephen Holden from The New York Times wrote that producer Sandy Linzer "has found for T.S. Monk a flexible, melodic style that is halfway between Chic's disco and Dr. Buzzard's swing."[5] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau praised "Bon Bon Vie" as "a rich song about aspiring to the rich life" and wrote, "I love not only the subtle Sandy Linzer lyric but also Thelonious Monk Jr.'s rough, high-humored vocal and incisive drumming, and its arrangement keeps giving up new pleasures."[1] He also took note of its musical aesthetic, calling it "ebullient on top and this far from desperation underneath".[15] Christgau named it the second-best song of the 1980s in a decade-end list for The Village Voice.[16]

Legacy[edit]

According to Thelonious Monk biographist Robin Kelley, with the song's success, band members Thelonious Jr. and Boo Boo Monk "had finally fulfilled their father's elusive dream—to get a 'hit'".[17] "Bon Bon Vie" was sampled by rapper Jaz-O for his 1989 song "Pumpin'", featuring Jay-Z.[18] The song's horn intro was sampled by hip hop group Public Enemy for the song "Welcome to the Terrordome" from their album Fear of a Black Planet.[18] The horn intro was also sampled by Above the Law on their 1993 song "G's & Macoronies",[19] by R&B group Blackstreet on their 1994 song "Good Life", and by rapper Raekwon on his 2009 song "Stick Up Music".[18] "Bon Bon Vie" was remixed by Paul Simpson in 2010.[20]

Track listing[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from House of Music liner notes.[28]

  • Cliff Anderson – horns
  • Russell Blake – bass
  • Lawrence Russell Brown – composer
  • Floyd Fisher – keyboards, synthesiser
  • Yvonne Fletcher – vocals
  • Sandy Linzer – composer, producer
  • Boo Boo Monk – vocals
  • Thelonious Monk, Jr. – arrangements, drums, horns, vocals
  • Jeff Sigman – guitar
  • Ronnie Taylor – horns
  • Courtney Wynter – horns
  • Victor See Yuen – percussion

Charts[edit]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Netherlands (Nationale Hitparade)[13] 21
UK Singles (BMRB)[12] 63
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 63
US Hot Dance/Disco Songs (Billboard)[10] 11
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[9] 11

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Christgau, Robert (March 30, 1981). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Lederer, Barry (December 13, 1980). "Disco Mix". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 50. p. 55. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "Just Don't Call it House". Medium. 8 May 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Cohn, Irv (1981). "T.S. Monk "House of Music"". Stereo Review. 46. Ziff Davis: 116.
  5. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (April 9, 1981). "POP - T.S. MONK IN SHOWCASE LED BY THELONIUS MONK JR". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  6. ^ Bradway, Becky (2003). In the Middle of the Middle West: Literary Nonfiction from the Heartland. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253343755.
  7. ^ "FAT COLLECTION OF GREAT HITS FROM THE '70S HITS RIGHT TRACK". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. January 26, 1995. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "T.S. Monk Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 410. ISBN 0898201608.
  10. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 180. ISBN 089820156X.
  11. ^ Pollack, Bruce; Shapiro, Nat (1986). Popular Music: 1980-1984. Adrian Press. ISBN 0810308487.
  12. ^ a b "TS MONK". Official Charts Company. Singles. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "T.S. Monk - Bon bon vie (Gimme The Good Life)". Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  14. ^ "TS MONK: Candidate For Love/The Last Of The Wicked Romancers (Mirage K11648)". Black Music & Jazz Review. 4: 43. 1981.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (1980). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 2, 1990). "Decade Personal Best: '80s". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  17. ^ Kelley, Robin D. G. (6 October 2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 446. ISBN 978-0684831909.
  18. ^ a b c "T.S. Monk Music Sampled by Others". WhoSampled. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  19. ^ "The Vault: Above The Law's Parliamentary Procedure". Idolator. Buzz Media. February 2, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  20. ^ "Soul & Funk Collection, Vol.2: Various Artists: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  21. ^ Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life) (7" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. United States: Mirage Records. 1980. WTG 3780.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life) (12" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. United States: Mirage Records. 1980. DMD 252.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Bon Bon Vie / Stay Free of His Love (12" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. United Kingdom: Mirage Records. 1980. K 11653.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Bon Bon Vie / Stay Free of His Love (7" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. France: Mirage Records. 1980. 11653.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Bon Bon Vie (7" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. Italy: Mirage Records. 1981. W 11653.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life) (7" single sleeve). T. S. Monk. Netherlands: Mirage Records. 1980. ATL 11.653.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life) (12" maxi-single sleeve). T. S. Monk. Netherlands: Mirage Records. 1980. ATL 20.247.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ^ House of Music (CD liner). T. S. Monk. United Kingdom: Funky Town Grooves. 2010. FTG-218.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links[edit]

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