Boogie Wonderland
| "Boogie Wonderland" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Boogie Wonderland (Instrumental)" |
"Boogie Wonderland" is a 1979 Disco/R&B song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions. Released as a single on March 20, 1979 by American Record Company and Columbia Records, The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 29, 1979. Boogie Wonderland was written by Allee Willis and Jon Lind, and recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire. It was included on the album I Am. It is regarded as a classic of the disco age, peaking at number 14 on the US disco chart. [1] On other US charts, "Boogie Wonderland" peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. [2]
Reception
Boogie Wonderland was written for The Emotions - cousins of Earth, Wind, & Fire's lead singer - and was commercially successful, selling over a million copies and being certified gold in the US (until the RIAA lowered sales levels required for certified singles in 1989, a gold certification was awarded for sales of one million units) and gold by the British Phonographic Industry for selling over 400,000 copies in the U.K.[3][4][5]
Covers
"Boogie Wonderland" was the basis for the dance song "I'm Alive" by Stretch & Vern Present "Maddog"; the song reached number 6 in the U.K. in September 1996.[6]
The song was also covered by uk jazz funk band Shakatak in their 1999 album "Jazz in the Night (Shakatak + Friends)". Maurice White leading vocals is replaced by Bill Sharp groovy keyboard, while Roger Odell gives a techno-house drum beat to the tune. The Emotions'vocal parts as well as Philip Bailey's falsetto is rendered by Jill Saward.
The rock band Girls Against Boys covered the song for the 1999 movie 200 Cigarettes.
A rendition of the song was featured on the reality television competition series American Idol, during the closing minutes of the April 2, 2003 episode. It was performed by the Top 8 finalists from Season 2: Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Josh Gracin, Trenyce, Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberly Caldwell and Rickey Smith.[7][8]
It was covered by Brittany Murphy for the soundtrack to the 2006 movie Happy Feet.
Appearances in other media
"Boogie Wonderland" has been featured in the American films Roller Boogie, Madagascar, Happy Feet, Don't Look Under the Bed, Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Caddyshack , and Kronk's New Groove, as well as the French film The Intouchables. It was also in the 23rd episode of Season 9 of "The Office (U.S. TV series)".
A remix of the song was also used in the arcade game Dance Dance Revolution 3rdMIX, and the original version appeared later in Hottest Party 3. "Boogie Wonderland" has also been made into different variations by The Ohio State University Marching Band, the Southern University Marching Band, Tennessee State University's Aristocrat of Bands, and the Marching 100. The song is also used in the Australian play, Priscilla: the Musical.
The song is used as the theme for "The Steve Czaban Show" on Yahoo Sports Radio.
Remixes
- "Boogie Wonderland" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) - 3:08
- "Boogie Wonderland" (Bimbo Jones 12 inch Version) - 7:57
- "Boogie Wonderland" (Dagger Dub) - 7:44
Chart positions
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Disco Top 80 | 14 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
| France[9] | 39 |
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to "Boogie Wonderland" is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.[10]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Mulholland | U.K. | This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock | 2002 | * |
| Dave Marsh | U.S. | The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made | 1989 | 737 |
| Bruce Pollock | U.S. | The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 | 2005 | * |
| Panorama | Norway | The 30 Best Singles of the Year 1970-98 | 1999 | 13 |
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 86.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 179.
- ^ RIAA Certification for After the Love Has Gone
- ^ "Rock Music, etc., Terms". spider.georgetowncollege.edu. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ^ RIAA Certification for After the Love Has Gone
- ^ "Chart Stats Stretch 'N' Vern Presents 'Maddog' - I'm Alive".
- ^ "American Idol: Not The Final Coundown!". TV.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ American Idol. Season 2. Episode 23. April 2, 2003. FOX.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ lescharts.com
- ^ Acclaimed Music - Boogie Wonderland
