The Power (Snap! song)

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"The Power"
Song
B-side"Remix"

"The Power" is a song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in 1990 and reached number one in the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, "The Power" managed to reach number two for one week, behind "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey.[2] 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 Penny Ford (lip-synced in the music video by Jackie Harris), the single became a massive international hit.

The song opens with the somewhat enigmatic line in Russian: "Американская фирма Transceptor Technology приступила к производству компьютеров«Персональный спутник»" (meaning "The American company Transceptor Technology 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.[3]

The song contains samples from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G, "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown,[4] and "King Of The Beats" by Mantronix.

Power Jam was the first name under which German producers Michael Münzing (Benito Benites) and Luca Anzilotti (John Virgo Garrett III) were noticed for their 1990 Hit "The Power".

The first version of "The Power" was an amalgam of many samples. The beats were taken from Mantronix's "King Of The Beats Lesson #1" (from their 1990 album "This Should Move Ya"), the vocals were taken from "Let The Words Flow" by rapper Chill Rob G and from "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown. The record became instantly popular in both Europe and North America. However, all of the samples used were unauthorized. In Germany, Arista Records had a deal with Stu Fine, former owner of Wild Pitch Records, but Arista did not have the same type of deal for a legal US release. Chill Rob G consented to a US release (which he thought could be lucrative) and consequently Arista Records was pressured to prepare the song for release in the US. Because it was not legally possible for Arista to simply reissue the European single, it was decided to re-record the entire track with new lyrics by rapper Durron Butler AKA Turbo B. and additional vocals by Penny Ford. The samples were then all legally cleared and the song was finally re-released under the new name Snap!, despite the fact that Jocelyn Brown had commenced legal action because of the unauthorized sampling of her vocals.[4]

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Order of precedence
Preceded by Canadian RPM Dance number-one single
7 July 1990 – 28 July 1990 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
31 March 1990 – 7 April 1990 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
31 March 1990 – 14 April 1990 (3 weeks)
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
14 April 1990 – 5 May 1990 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Single Top 100 number-one single
14 April 1990 – 12 May 1990 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Swiss number-one single
6 May 1990 – 27 May 1990 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Spanish number-one single
16 June 1990 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Amerikkka's Most Wanted" by Ice Cube
 US Billboard Hot Rap Singles number-one single
30 June 1990 – 14 July 1990 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"We're All in the Same Gang"
by The West Coast Rap All-Stars
Preceded by US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
2 June 1990 (1 week) 		Succeeded by

Covers, samples and remixes

  • The song was covered in 2002 by German 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 number 48 in Germany, number 51 in Austria and number 34 in Australia.[44]
  • In 2003, the song was remixed by Motivo, with added Indian vocals from Joshilay and released as Snap! Vs. Motivo – The Power (of Bhangra). This version was a minor hit, reaching Number 34 in the UK and Number 36 in Ireland.
  • In 2010, Swizz Beatz sampled the song on the second half of Kanye West's official remix to his single Power featuring Jay-Z.
  • In 2013, Lena Philipsson covered the song during the 70th birthday celebration of Queen Silvia of Sweden.

See also

References

  1. ^ Amter, Charlie (9 November 2010). "'Euro-hop' music invades America". CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2014. Eurodance ruled the airwaves in the 1980s and early 1990s, when acts like Germany's Snap! stormed the upper echelons of U.S. pop charts with hits such as "The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer."
  2. ^ "August 11, 1990 – The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. ^ Feinsilber, Mike (20 June 1989). "For the Blind, a Device That Obeys Spoken Commands and Speaks Back" (Press release). Associated Press. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Jocelyn Brown discusses her voice behind SNAP's record "The Power" on BBC1 TV Interview". YouTube. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Snap! – The Power". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Snap! – The Power" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Snap! – The Power" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Radio2 top 30: 12 mei 1990" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7978." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1321." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  11. ^ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info.
  12. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. ^ "Snap! – The Power" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Snap!". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  15. ^ a b "I singoli più venduti del 1990" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Snap - The Power" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  17. ^ "Snap! – The Power" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Snap! – The Power". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Snap! – The Power". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  20. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^ "Snap! – The Power". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  22. ^ "Snap! – The Power". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  24. ^ a b c d e "Snap! – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  25. ^ CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending AUGUST 18, 1990 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 October 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  26. ^ "Snap: The Power 96" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  27. ^ "Snap! feat. Einstein – The Power '96". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  28. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  29. ^ "Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  31. ^ "Dance/Urban – Volume 53, No. 6, December 22 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  32. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  33. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  34. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1990". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  36. ^ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1990 at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  37. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap; 'The Power')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  38. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Snap – The Power" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Power in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  39. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  40. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  41. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Power')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – Snap – The Power". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The Power in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. ^ "American single certifications – Snap – The Power". Recording Industry Association of America.
  44. ^ "australian-charts.com – H Blockx feat. Turbo B – The Power". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
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