Rhythm of the Night (song)

"Rhythm of the Night" is a song by American musical recording group DeBarge, written by Diane Warren and released on February 23, 1985, on the Motown label as the first single from their fourth studio album Rhythm of the Night (1985). The song jump-started the career of the prolific songwriter Warren,[2] and was the biggest hit recorded by the Motown family singing group, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

This article is about the song by DeBarge. For the song by Corona, see The Rhythm of the Night.
"Rhythm of the Night"
Single by DeBarge
from the album Rhythm of the Night
B-side"Queen of My Heart"
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1985
Recorded1984
Genre
Length3:49
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Diane Warren
Producer(s)Richard Perry
DeBarge singles chronology
"Love Me in a Special Way"
(1983)		 "Rhythm of the Night"
(1985)		 "Who's Holding Donna Now"
(1985)
Music video
"Rhythm of the Night" on YouTube

Overview

History

By 1985, DeBarge had become pop/R&B sensations, with ballads mostly making up the repertoire of their hit catalog, though they were as impressive as live performers, with a mixture of their trademark soft ballads and a collection of dance material. Motown Records sought to produce DeBarge with a dance single, hoping to give them a bigger crossover success, mirroring label-mate Lionel Richie, who like DeBarge, had created his initial fan base on soft songs before the release of "All Night Long", which included a catchy dance beat influenced by calypso. A similar influence would come in the production of "Rhythm of the Night", which featured more of El DeBarge's modal tenor voice with flashes of his trademark falsetto. Richard Perry, the hit producer behind hit recordings for the Pointer Sisters, Harry Nilsson, and Carly Simon, among others, was appointed to produce the single with Diane Warren as its writer.

Reception

The release of "Rhythm of the Night" coincided with the release of the Motown film The Last Dragon, which featured the song as part of its soundtrack. The free publicity from the song's association with the movie helped boost its popularity. Eventually released as a single, the song produced DeBarge's biggest success yet, with the single reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,[3] number one on the US adult contemporary chart, and number four in the UK - their only major hit single in the UK - going gold and boosting similar success for its parent album of the same name. The music video gained the group heavy rotation on MTV and BET and was actually the group's first (and last) real music video, starting a brief period where DeBarge became pop superstars. The song featured in the 2016 film Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.[4] The song also features heavily in the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as a running gag, due to contestant Crystal Methyd's out-of-drag resemblance to El DeBarge. Lyrics and sample from the chorus of "Rhythm of the Night" were adopted in CNCO's song "Pretend".

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Richard Perry – producer
  • Bradford Rosenberger – production coordinator
  • Don Smith – rhythm track recording, vocal track recording
  • Michael Brooks – overdub engineer
  • Barney Perkins – remixing
  • Glen Holguin – assistant engineer
  • Alex Schmoll – assistant engineer
  • Jim Scott – assistant engineer
  • Diane Warren – songwriter

Official Versions

Album Version - 3:52

Long Version - 6:43

Dance Mix - 5:45

See also

References
  1. Breihan, Tom (February 10, 2021). "The Number Ones: Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Stereogum. Retrieved October 3, 2023. A couple of years later, Warren wrote DeBarge's "Rhythm Of The Night," the smooth-gliding dance-pop classic...
  2. "Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge | Song Info | AllMusic". www.allmusic.com.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 150.
  4. Trendacosta, Katharine (September 29, 2016). "The Extended Ghostbusters Cut Fixes the Film's Biggest Plot Hole". Gizmodo. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Debarge – Rhythm of the Night" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0527." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  8. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8333." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 25, 1985. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  9. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "DeBarge". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 59. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  10. "Debarge – Rhythm of the Night" (in French). Les classement single.
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rhythm of the Night". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "DeBarge".
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 20, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  14. "Debarge – Rhythm of the Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  15. "Debarge – Rhythm of the Night". Top 40 Singles.
  16. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  17. "Debarge – Rhythm of the Night". Swiss Singles Chart.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. "DeBarge Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. "DeBarge Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  21. "DeBarge Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Debarge – Rhythm of the Night" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  23. "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Imgur.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten 1985". Ultratop. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  25. "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1985" (PDF).
  26. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  28. "Billboard Top 100 – 1985". billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  29. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  30. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  31. "Canadian single certifications – DeBarge – Rhythm of the Night". Music Canada. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  32. "British single certifications – DeBarge – Rhythm of the Night". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
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