HOT CHOCOLATE - YOU SEXY THING

Publicació: 24 d’octubre de 1975

Llistes:  Regne Unit: núm. 2 · Estats Units: núm. 3

Poques cançons han ballat a través de les dècades amb la persistència i l’encant de “You Sexy Thing” de Hot Chocolate. El que va començar com una cara B el 1975 va acabar convertint-se en un dels senzills més populars de l’era disco-soul, un tema que ha estat reintroduït, remesclat i redescobert per noves generacions als anys vuitanta, noranta i més enllà.

El productor Mickie Most, que havia guiat Hot Chocolate en els seus primers èxits amb el segell RAK, inicialment no va veure gaire potencial en la cançó. Va quedar amagada a la cara B de “Blue Night”. Però els DJs de ràdio i el públic van captar de seguida el seu groove infecciós i la seva lletra celebratòria. Veient-hi possibilitats, Most va fer que la banda regravés el tema per publicar-lo com a cara A. A finals de 1975, “You Sexy Thing” pujava a les llistes britàniques, aturant-se només darrere del monumental “Bohemian Rhapsody” de Queen. A principis de 1976, ja havia entrat al Top 3 dels Estats Units.

De manera poc habitual per a Hot Chocolate —que fins llavors s’havien fet un nom amb cançons impregnades de malenconia i desamor— aquest era un himne de joia. El cantant principal Errol Brown, jamaicà establert a Londres, la va escriure dedicada a la seva esposa Ginette, fent-ne la seva primera lletra plenament dedicada a la felicitat. Sobre la línia de baix constant de Tony Wilson i l’arranjament amb tocs de funk de la banda, la veu suau i profunda de Brown lliurava versos que combinaven sinceritat i desimboltura. La tornada —repetida amb fervor gairebé gospel— convertia una devoció personal en un himne universal de desig.

El que fa “You Sexy Thing” especialment remarcable no és només el seu èxit inicial a les llistes, sinó la seva increïble capacitat per ressorgir. Una remescla de Ben Liebrand el 1987 va tornar a situar-la al Top 10 britànic, ajudant el recopilatori “The Very Best of Hot Chocolate” a assolir el número u. Després, el 1997, la cançó va viure un altre moment d’or gràcies a la seva aparició a la pel·lícula britànica “The Full Monty”, on el personatge de Robert Carlyle, a l’atur, assaja un striptease al seu ritme. Aquest nou context va donar a la peça un encant irreverent i obrer, fent-la tant còmica com triomfant.

I la història no va acabar aquí. A finals dels noranta, “You Sexy Thing” sonava en anuncis de Burger King als Estats Units i encara omplia les pistes de ball. Avui dia, manté una distinció molt peculiar: és una de les dues úniques cançons (juntament amb “Imagine” de John Lennon) que ha entrat al Top 10 del Regne Unit en tres dècades consecutives —els setanta, els vuitanta i els noranta.

HOT CHOCOLATE - YOU SEXY THING

Released : October 24, 1975

Charts:  UK: #2   US: #3 

Few songs have danced across decades with the persistence and charm of Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing.” What began as a B-side filler in 1975 went on to become one of the most enduring singles of the disco-soul era, a track that has been reintroduced, remixed, and rediscovered by new generations in the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond.

Producer Mickie Most, who had steered Hot Chocolate through their early hits on his RAK label, didn’t initially think much of the song. It was tucked away on the flip side of “Blue Night”. But radio DJs and audiences quickly latched onto its infectious groove and celebratory lyric. Sensing its potential, Most had the band re-record the track for release as an A-side. By late 1975, “You Sexy Thing” was climbing the UK charts, stalling only behind Queen’s monumental “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In early 1976, it cracked the US Top 3.

Unusually for Hot Chocolate—who had previously built their reputation on songs tinged with melancholy and heartbreak—this was a joyous declaration. Lead singer Errol Brown, a Jamaican-born Londoner, wrote the song about his wife Ginette, making it his first unabashedly happy lyric. Over Tony Wilson’s steady bass line and the band’s funk-infused arrangement, Brown’s smooth baritone delivered lines that mixed sincerity with swagger. The chorus—repeated with gospel-like fervor—turned personal devotion into a universal anthem of desire.

What makes “You Sexy Thing” remarkable isn’t just its initial chart success—it’s its uncanny ability to resurface. A 1987 remix by Ben Liebrand climbed back into the UK Top 10, helping the compilation “The Very Best of Hot Chocolate” reach number one. Then in 1997, the song’s fortunes soared again thanks to its cheeky use in the British film “The Full Monty”, where Robert Carlyle’s down-on-his-luck character rehearses a striptease to its beat. This new context gave the song a bawdy, working-class charm, making it both comic and triumphant.

And it didn’t stop there. By the late ’90s, “You Sexy Thing” was soundtracking Burger King ads in the US and still filling dancefloors. To this day, it holds the rare distinction of being one of only two songs (alongside John Lennon’s “Imagine”) to chart in the UK Top 10 in three consecutive decades—the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

 

THE CRUSADERS - STREET LIFE

Publicació: juliol de 1979

Llistes:  Regne Unit: núm. 5 · Estats Units: núm. 36

L’any 1979, The Crusaders ja portaven gairebé dues dècades en el seu viatge des de les arrels del hard bop fins a convertir-se en innovadors del jazz-fusió. “Street Life” es va convertir alhora en el punt àlgid de la seva carrera i, irònicament, en una mena de cant del cigne: va ser el seu últim gran èxit transoceànic. 

L’origen de la cançó és tan inesperat com poètic. El pianista Joe Sample era en una pista d’esquí per a principiants a Mammoth Mountain, observant com els novells queien i xocaven entre ells. A ell li va semblar un “bulevard de bogeria”, una metàfora perfecta de la vida nocturna urbana, amb els seus enganys, perills i plaers fugaços. En col·laboració amb el lletrista Will Jennings, va transformar aquesta visió en un retrat de la vida a la ciutat: superfícies lluents que amaguen perill al darrere. Jennings, que havia estat absorbint l’ambient del Hollywood Boulevard, va aportar la seva mirada incisiva: “Street life, you can run away from time” (Vida al carrer, pots fugir del temps)—convertint el caos en quelcom tan seductor com ineludible.

La força de la cançó va emergir amb la veu de Randy Crawford. En aquell moment, era pràcticament desconeguda fora dels cercles de jazz, tot i que havia impressionat Sample amb el seu debut “Everything Must Change” (1976), sense aconseguir èxit comercial. La seva vulnerable interpretació a “Street Life” transmetent tant l’atracció com el perill del bulevard. Aquella actuació no només va donar als Crusaders el seu gran èxit, sinó que també va llançar Crawford a una carrera internacional. El grup produiria després el seu àlbum de 1980, “Now We May Begin”, que la convertiria en estrella, sobretot a Europa.

Musicalment, “Street Life” és una autèntica lliçó de jazz-funk de finals dels setanta. L’arranjament dels Crusaders combinava sofisticació polida amb un fons de funk cru: el vamp de piano de Sample guiava el groove, el saxo de Wilton Felder hi afegia musculatura, i la bateria de Stix Hooper mantenia el pols àgil i ferm. La versió de gairebé 12 minuts de l’àlbum era com una jam session il·luminada amb neons, mentre que l’edició radiofònica la destil·lava en una forma compacta i preparada per a les llistes.

Publicada per MCA Records, “Street Life” va arribar al núm. 36 del Billboard Hot 100 als EUA i va triomfar a Europa, assolint el núm. 5 al Regne Unit. Va ser l’últim gran èxit comercial dels Crusaders, però la seva influència es va estendre molt més enllà de 1979. Anys després, artistes de hip-hop van samplejar el cor icònic de Crawford, reintegrant-lo en les narratives urbanes del rap.

La cançó també va trobar el seu lloc al cinema, apareixent al film Sharky’s Machine (1981) amb Burt Reynolds i a Jackie Brown (1997) de Quentin Tarantino, on el seu aire de jazz-noir encaixava perfectament amb la sensibilitat retro del director.

Per als Crusaders, “Street Life” va ser l’últim gran èxit d’una llarga trajectòria. Per a Randy Crawford, va ser el començament de la seva. I per als oients, encara avui és un himne que et fa sentir la lluentor del neó i les ombres que s’hi amaguen al darrere.

THE CRUSADERS - STREET LIFE

Released: July 1979

Charts:  UK: #5   US: #36 

By 1979, The Crusaders were nearly two decades into their journey from hard bop roots to jazz-fusion innovators. “Street Life” became both a career pinnacle and, ironically, something of a swan song—it was their last major crossover hit.

The genesis of the song is as unlikely as it is poetic. Pianist Joe Sample was on a beginner’s ski slope at Mammoth Mountain, watching novices tumble and collide. To him, it looked like a “boulevard of madness,” a perfect metaphor for urban nightlife and its hustles, dangers, and fleeting thrills. Teaming up with lyricist Will Jennings, he reshaped the vision into a portrait of city living: glittering surfaces masking peril underneath. Jennings, who had been soaking up the atmosphere of Hollywood Boulevard, brought a lyricist’s sharpness to Sample’s concept—“Street life, you can run away from time”—making the chaos sound both seductive and inescapable.

The song’s power came alive through Randy Crawford’s voice. At the time, she was little-known outside jazz circles, having impressed Sample on her 1976 debut “Everything Must Change” without finding commercial success. Her vocal on “Street Life” was smoky yet vulnerable, conveying both the allure and the danger of the boulevard. That performance didn’t just give the Crusaders their hit; it launched Crawford into an international career. The Crusaders would go on to produce her 1980 album “Now We May Begin”, which turned her into a star, especially in Europe.

Musically, “Street Life” was a masterclass in late-’70s jazz-funk fusion. The Crusaders’ arrangement balanced slick sophistication with raw funk undercurrents: Sample’s piano vamp drove the groove, Wilton Felder’s saxophone added muscle, and Stix Hooper’s drumming kept the beat sharp but supple. The track’s nearly 12-minute album version stretched like a neon-lit jam session, while the radio edit distilled it to a tight, chart-ready form.

Released on MCA Records, “Street Life” reached #36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke big in Europe, peaking at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. It became The Crusaders’ last major commercial success, but its influence stretched far beyond 1979. Hip-hop artists later sampled Crawford’s iconic chorus, folding it back into the streetwise narratives of rap.

The song also found its way into cinema, appearing in the 1981 Burt Reynolds film Sharky’s Machine and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997), where its noir-jazz cool perfectly matched the director’s retro sensibilities.

For The Crusaders, “Street Life” was the last great hit of their long career. For Randy Crawford, it was the beginning of hers. And for listeners, it remains an anthem that makes you feel the shimmer of neon and the shadows lurking just behind it.

YVONNE ELLIMAN - I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM

Released: May 13, 1971

Charts:  UK: #47   US: #28 

“I Don’t Know How to Love Him” emerged in 1970 as one of the emotional high points of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Originally conceived as a reworking of an earlier melody titled “Kansas Morning”, the song was reimagined as a torch ballad for Mary Magdalene, who confesses her conflicted, unrequited love for Jesus. With its blend of vulnerability and soaring melody, it became one of the most popular pieces from the rock opera.

Yvonne Elliman, a Hawaiian-born singer discovered by Webber and Rice at a Chelsea folk club, was cast as Mary Magdalene and first recorded the track in 1970. Though initially puzzled by the romantic lyrics—mistakenly believing she was meant to portray the Virgin Mary—Elliman would go on to make the song her signature, performing it in the original Broadway production, on the cast album, and in Norman Jewison’s 1973 film adaptation. Her rendition also became a modest chart hit, especially in Europe.

At nearly the same time, Australian singer Helen Reddy released her own version, and in a rare post-1950s occurrence, both interpretations climbed into the U.S. Top 40 simultaneously. The exposure helped propel “Jesus Christ Superstar” from a concept album into a full-fledged Broadway phenomenon.

Elliman’s association with the song launched a career that would later take her into collaborations with Eric Clapton—she sang backing vocals on “I Shot the Sheriff”—and to disco superstardom with her No. 1 hit “If I Can’t Have You” from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. Still, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” remains her most emblematic performance, a song that captured the intersection of sacred and romantic longing and became a cultural milestone of the early 1970s.

FLOATERS - FLOAT ON

Released: June 1977

Charts:  UK: #1 (1 week)  US: #2 

In the summer of 1977, a silky slice of astrology, romance, and R&B floated its way to the top of the charts. “Float On” by the Floaters became a phenomenon, blending the era’s fascination with star signs and the intimacy of phone-dating culture into a slow groove that captivated listeners on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Floaters, a Detroit-based group formed by former members of The Detroit Emeralds, crafted their debut single as both a love song and a playful roll call. Each member introduced himself with his astrological sign and a few lines about his ideal woman — a concept that was part pickup line, part personal ad, and entirely of its time. Delivered over a lush arrangement of strings, bass, and understated rhythm guitar, the spoken verses gave the track a conversational charm that set it apart from other soul ballads of the era.

The song’s origin story is just as dreamy as its vibe. James Mitchell, co-writer and former Emerald, recalled that the melody came to him in a dream — so vivid that he leapt out of bed and recorded it on tape to preserve the idea. Producer-arranger Dennis Coffey (famous for his own hit “Scorpio” and for shaping the sound of countless Detroit records) also had a hand in its magic, lending the group his Echoplex unit to create the watery, atmospheric guitar tones that give “Float On” its signature feel.

When released as the centerpiece of their self-titled debut album, “Float On” quickly became a blockbuster. It topped the US Hot Soul Singles chart for six weeks, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also soared to No. 1 in the UK — an unusual feat for a relatively unknown Detroit group. Despite the massive success of this single the Floaters never landed another Hot 100 hit, forever marking them as one-hit wonders.

DESTINY’S CHILD - INDEPENDENT WOMEN PART 1

Released: September 14, 2000

Charts:  UK: #1 (1 week) US: #1 (11 weeks)

Destiny’s Child released “Independent Women Part I” on September 14, 2000. Commissioned for the soundtrack of the “Charlie’s Angels” film reboot, the single married blockbuster marketing with an irresistible message of female empowerment. It also marked the first Destiny’s Child release to feature Michelle Williams and the only one to include Farrah Franklin, though Franklin had left the group before the song’s release.

At the time, Destiny’s Child were quickly emerging as one of the defining acts of late-’90s/early-2000s R&B. Following their breakthrough “The Writing’s on the Wall” (1999), the group leaned into themes of strength, independence, and financial autonomy. “Independent Women” extended that vision, with lyrics directly celebrating self-sufficiency: women buying their own cars, paying their own bills, and living without reliance on men.

The song’s origins were rooted in personal experience. Beyoncé Knowles had an argument with her boyfriend and began sketching lyrics about independence. That early draft became “Independent Women Part II,” a version that would later appear on the group’s “Survivor” album (2001). Columbia Records, however, saw the opportunity to tie Destiny’s Child to the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot, whose stars—Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu—were even name-checked in the lyrics.

To give the track a polished, radio-ready sound, Columbia turned to hitmaking production duo Poke & Tone (Samuel Barnes and Jean-Claude Olivier), best known for crafting Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami.” With additional contributions from Cory Rooney, the team reworked the original version entirely, creating the harder-hitting “Part I” that became the global smash.

Released just weeks before the film premiered, the single was a juggernaut. On November 18, 2000, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 11 consecutive weeks—a record run for an all-female group. It also topped charts worldwide and became the biggest hit of 2000 in the US. 

THE PERSUADERS - THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE

Released: August 1971

Charts:  US: #15 

In 1971, New York vocal group The Persuaders delivered their signature hit “Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” a cautionary tale that became an instant R&B classic. Written and produced by brothers Robert and Richard Poindexter, along with Robert’s wife Jackie Members, the track spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and climbed to No. 15 on the Hot 100.

The song explores the fragile balance between devotion and resentment in a relationship. In its verses, the narrator describes a woman who dutifully tends to her man, even when he stumbles home at 5 a.m. without explanation. But the chorus delivers the lesson: a woman’s patience has limits, and repeated heartbreak can turn love into something dangerous. By the second verse, the man finds himself in a hospital bed, bandaged from head to toe—a chilling reminder not to take unconditional love for granted. Part of the song’s power lies in its ambiguity. While it alludes to violence, it never spells out exactly how the man ends up injured, leaving listeners to fill in the blanks.

The Persuaders themselves had a turbulent history. Originally performing as The Internationals, they were once duped into impersonating another group in the UK before reinventing themselves under their new name and signing with Atlantic Records. “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” was their first single and the title track of their debut album.

The Pretenders reimagined it in 1984, with Chrissie Hynde flipping the perspective to the woman scorned; their version charted modestly in both the UK and US. In 1995, Annie Lennox gave it her own haunting interpretation on her album “Medusa”, altering the lyrics and deepening the emotional narrative.

 

ERIKAH BADU - ON & ON

Released: December 10, 1996

Charts:  UK: #12   US: #12 

“On & On” marked the arrival of Erykah Badu as the queen of neo soul, a singular voice who blended jazz phrasing, hip-hop sensibilities, and spiritual wisdom into a new form of R&B. Released on December 10, 1996, as the lead single from her debut album “Baduizm”, the track was co-written with JaBorn Jamal and infused with lyrical teachings of the Five-Percent Nation. Its hypnotic groove and ethereal delivery introduced listeners to Badu’s distinctive artistry, often compared to Billie Holiday yet wholly original.

The single was both a commercial and critical breakthrough. It spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and climbed to number 12 on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. At the 1998 Grammy Awards, “On & On” won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The accompanying video deepened her mystique, referencing the 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”. Badu plays a maid in a Southern household, shown tending chores, braiding hair, chasing a misbehaving dog, and eventually falling into mud. By the end, she appears dressed in green, leading a group in jubilant song and dance on a farm—a visual metaphor for liberation and transcendence. The video received MTV VMA nominations for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video in 1997.

The parent album “Baduizm”, released February 11, 1997, was hailed as a cornerstone of the neo soul movement. Produced under the guidance of Kedar Massenburg, who helped shape the very term “neo soul,” the record debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually going triple platinum. Critics praised Badu’s blend of jazz, soul, and hip-hop, noting her torch-singer timbre and spiritual depth, and quickly crowned her the heir to a lineage stretching from Billie Holiday to Nina Simone. With “Baduizm” Erykah Badu not only launched her career but also helped define a new era in R&B, where tradition and futurism coexisted in a genre-bending, deeply personal sound.