"Rapper's Delight" is the title of a song recorded by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping,
it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip
hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop" is world-renowned. The song is ranked #251 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #2 on both About.com's and VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs. The 15-minute song was recorded in a single take.[1] There are three versions of the song: 14:37 (12" long version), 6:30 (12" short version), and 4:55 (shortened single version).
"Love's Theme"
An instrumental piece recorded by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra and released in 1973. It is one of the few instrumental and purely orchestral singles to reach number one on the BillboardHot 100 chart in the United States, in early 1974. The piece was included on the albums Under the Influence of Love Unlimited (by the vocal group Love Unlimited) and Rhapsody in White.
The recording, with a large string orchestra and wah-wah guitar, is considered to be an influence to the disco sound, which would explode in popularity the following year. The song was also popular on the BillboardAdult Contemporary chart in the U.S., where the song spent two weeks at #1. It was also used by ABC Sports for many years as the opening theme music for its golf coverage. In Canada, the single saw similar success, reaching #1 on the RPM 100 National Singles Chart on March 2, 1974.[1]
The Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines used the song for their TV advertisements.
In addition, "Love's Theme" has been recorded with lyrics (penned by White's publisher, Aaron Schroeder), with vocal versions by such artists as Love Unlimited (on their 1974 album In Heat), Julio Iglesias, and Andy Williams. Enoch Light recorded an electro-disco instrumental version of the song on his 1977 album, Disco Disque. The song is also part of Meco's instrumental medley "Hooked On Instrumentals Part I" (from the 1985 album Hooked On Instrumentals). In May 1993, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released their single "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)" (from their album Liberator, released the same year) on which they sang their own lyrics over a sample of this Barry White composition. This single reached #24 on the UK Singles Chart, and writing credits were given to Barry White.
This song was covered by an American smooth jazz trumpeter Rick Braun and by American guitarist Chuck Loeb.
"I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"
The song is written, produced and recorded by Barry White. Considering how successful it would end up being, it would probably come as a surprise that, for many years, White had little to no interest in a recording career.[1] During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he built up a good resume as an arranger/producer and songwriter for singers Felice Taylor and Viola Wills and in 1972, White found great commercial success on the U.S. Pop and R&B charts with "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)", a song he wrote, arranged and made a brief, non-singing cameo on that was recorded by the female vocal trio Love Unlimited and released by the MCA-owned label, Uni Records.
White's relationship with Uni would soon sour due to the departure of label-head Russ Regan. With Love Unlimited still contract-bound to Uni, White decided to work with another artist, specifically a male one. He recorded three song demos of himself singing and playing the piano. White had a feeling that one of the songs, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", would be a good song to record himself. Initially hesitant to tell his business partner, Larry Nunes, about the song, White eventually changed his mind and told Nunes about "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", as well as the other two songs. Nunes was greatly impressed and urged White to re-record and release them as a recording artist. It would take two months but eventually Nunes convinced White to do it and White secured a recording deal with 20th Century Records through Russ Regan. White was still hesitating up to the time the label copy was made and even considered releasing the record under the name "White Heat", but he was talked out of that, as well. Appearing with White on the recording session for the song were guitarists Ray Parker Jr., Wah Wah Watson, Dean Parks, and David T. Walker; drummer Ed Greene; bassists Wilton Felder of the Crusaders and Nathan East; and vibes player Gary Coleman.[2] Released in the spring of 1973 as the first single from his 1973 debut albumI've Got So Much to Give, the song was a #1 hit on the U.S. R&B chart for two weeks, peaked at number three on the Billboard Pop Singles chart[3] and reached #23 on the UK singles chart. The single was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
Samples of the song have been used in numerous hip hop recordings over the years by artists such as Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Eric B & Rakim, Ghostface Killah, L.L. Cool J, N.W.A., Nas, Mos Def, and Too Short.[4] The track is featured in Liam Howlett's Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1 DJ-mix album. It has appeared in the films, "Love Serenade", "High Fidelity", "Kissing Jessica Stein" and "Bringing Down the House". It was used in the season seven "Friends" episode, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" and in the season one "Cold Case" episode, "The Runner". It was spoofed by Sesame Street in a musical skit with Cookie Monster (backed up by the Crumbs Unlimited Orchestra) as "Me going to Munch You Munch You Munch You".
"I Wanna Be Your Lover"
The second is from album Prince. Released in 1979.
It was his first successful single, gaining radio airplay and chart success: the song scored two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart during December 1979, and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
In the U.S. the B-side of the track was "My Love Is Forever", from his previous album, For You. In the UK, the B-side was "Just as Long as We're Together", also from For You. This was Prince's debut single in the UK. It charted together with "Sexy Dancer" on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it reached number two.[2]
Prince included a sample of this song in the opening of his 1992 song "My Name Is Prince".
...a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It is one of their signature songs.
Upon release, "Stayin' Alive" climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 4 February 1978, remaining there for four weeks. In the process, it became one of the band's most recognisable tunes, in part because of its place at the beginning of Saturday Night Fever.
"Night Fever"
...a disco song, written and performed by The Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was wary of marketing a movie with that name. He combined the two suggestions and the idea for Saturday Night Fever as a motion picture was born.[citation needed]
"Night Fever" remained the number one Billboard Hot 100 single for over two months in 1978. It also replaced Andy Gibb's "Love Is Thicker Than Water" at number one, and was in turn replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" - all of which were written and produced by the Gibb brothers.
After the success of "Night Fever," the Governor of Florida, Reubin O'Donovan Askew, made the three men "honorary citizens" of the state, due to the amount of time they spent each year recording singles in Miami.[citation needed]
In addition to Saturday Night Fever, the song has also appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack for Mystery Men.
The song lists at #33 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[3]
