Very Special (song)
| "Very Special" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "All the Things I Love" |
"Very Special" is a song by Debra Laws from 1981. It is the title track of her first album, and features her brother Ronnie with call-and-response backing vocals. The song reached #90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of the year.[1] It peaked at number 11 on the R&B chart.[2] On that chart, it ranks as the 64th biggest hit of 1981.
"Very Special" has been most notably covered and/or sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Jennifer Lopez, and has been the subject of lawsuits in this regard.
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 90 |
| US Billboard R&B[4] | 11 |
Big Daddy Kane cover
| "Very Special" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Stop Shammin'" |
"Very Special" was covered by Big Daddy Kane in 1993. It was the second single released from his fifth studio album, Looks Like a Job For.... Produced by Kane himself, the song is based on—and thus musically incorporates "Very Special". It is a duet with Salt-n-Pepa member DJ Spinderella. The chorus was performed by vocalists Karen Anderson and Laree Williams.
The song became a crossover hit, becoming Big Daddy Kane's first and only single to reach the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31.
Track listing
A-side
- "Very Special" (Album Version) – 5:05
- "Very Special" (Underground Mix) – 3:03
- "Very Special" (Edit Without Female Rap) – 3:53
B-side
- "Stop Shammin'" (Album Version) – 3:57
- "Stop Shammin'" (Instrumental Version) – 3:57
Chart history
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
| Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 23 |
| Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 9 |
| Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 24 |
| Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 6 |
Other cover versions and sampling
- In early 2003, Jennifer Lopez sampled "Very Special" in her international hit song, "All I Have", which reached number one in the US. This usage became the subject of a lawsuit by Laws as a result of Elektra Records giving their unilateral consent to the sampling.
- In 2013, K. Michelle sampled the song in "V.S.O.P.", which charted almost identically to Laws' original on both the pop (#89) and R&B charts (#13).
References
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ 1981: The Top 100 Soul/Funk/Disco Singles
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ 1981: The Top 100 Soul/Funk/Disco Singles