Maniac (Michael Sembello song)
"Maniac" | ||||
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File:Maniac by Michael Sembello U.S. vinyl Side-A 7-inch.jpg Side-A label of U.S. 7-inch vinyl single | ||||
Single by Michael Sembello | ||||
from the album Bossa Nova Hotel and Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | ||||
Released | 1983 | |||
Genre | Synth-pop[1] | |||
Length | 4:21 (album version) 4:12 (single version) 5:57 (12" version) | |||
Label | EMI, Casablanca | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dennis Matkosky and Michael Sembello | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Ramone | |||
Michael Sembello singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Maniac" is a song performed by Michael Sembello. The song was used in the 1983 film Flashdance.
"Maniac" appears during an early scene in Flashdance and is used as the backing track of a montage sequence showing Alex (Jennifer Beals) training strenuously in her converted warehouse.
Sembello had originally written the song as a horror theme after watching a slasher film (possibly 1980's Maniac) with lyrics such as "He's a maniac, maniac, that's for sure / He will kill your cat and nail it to the door." Producer Phil Ramone convinced Sembello to write new lyrics to reflect the film's subject matter.[2]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album Bossa Nova Hotel.[3]
- Michael Sembello – vocals, guitar, synthesizer bass
- Dennis Matkosky – keyboards, synthesizer
- Carlos Vega – Simmons drums
- Dennis Karmazyn – cello
Charts and awards
"Maniac" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks beginning on September 10, 1983 and is one of the highest-grossing songs ever written for a film. In addition to producing "Maniac", Phil Ramone produced the song that would dethrone it from the top spot, Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It". The Original Soundtrack of Flashdance won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special.
The song was nominated for an Academy Award. Another song from the film, "Flashdance... What a Feeling" performed by Irene Cara, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983.
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Cover versions
Dance act 4 Rhythm covered "Maniac" in 1995;[28] their version reached No. 28 in the Irish Singles Chart, the same position as the original track.[9] "Maniac 2000", a performance of Mark McCabe rapping over the 4 Rhythm version,[28] reached No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart and remained in the charts for 21 weeks, re-entering for a further five weeks in 2007 and another in 2015.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "'Flashdance The Musical' Shakes Up Seattle, Portland, Tempe And Costa Mesa (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. April 17, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ Pemberton, Pat (October 30, 2013). "17 Fear-Filled Songs Inspired by Scary Movies". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ Bossa Nova Hotel (liner notes). Michael Sembello. Warner Bros. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Countdown Chart – Week Ending 4th September, 1983". Imgur (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Sembello – Maniac" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4331." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4332." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Michael Sembello" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Michael Sembello". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b "I singoli più venduti del 1983" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Michael Sembello - Maniac" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Sembello – Maniac" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Sembello – Maniac". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Michael Sembello – Maniac". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Michael Sembello – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending SEPTEMBER 3, 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
- ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "The Top Singles of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39, no. 17. 24 December 1983. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "TOP – 1983" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Jahrescharts – 1983" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1983". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
- ^ "British single certifications – Michael Sembello – Maniac". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 31, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Maniac in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ a b Kavanagh, Mark (January 26, 2018). "There's a huge story behind Maniac 2000 that you don't know". Buzz.ie. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- Single chart usages for Germany2
- 1983 debut singles
- 1983 songs
- Michael Sembello songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Casablanca Records singles
- EMI Records singles
- RPM Adult Contemporary number-one singles
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone
- Songs written by Dennis Matkosky
- Songs written by Michael Sembello