Rhythm Is a Dancer

"Rhythm Is a Dancer"
Single by Snap!
from the album The Madman's Return
B-side Remix
Released 30 March 1992
Format
Recorded 1991
Genre Eurodance, electronica, electropop
Length 5:32
3:45 (7" edit)[1]
Label
Writer(s)
  • Benito Benitez
  • John "Virgo" Garrett III
  • Thea Austin
  • Turbo B
Producer(s)
  • Benito Benitez
  • John "Virgo" Garrett III
Certification
  • Gold (US, France)
  • Platinum (UK)
Snap! singles chronology
"Colour of Love"
(1991)		 "Rhythm Is a Dancer"
(1992)		 "Exterminate"
(1993)
2008 cover
2008 version

"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by German group Snap!. It was released in March 1992 and achieved huge success in many countries around the world, topping the charts in France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. It also reached the top 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles.[3] The single spent six weeks at the top in the UK where it was the second biggest selling single of 1992, surpassed only by Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You".[4][5]

The song was the second single from the album The Madman's Return. It was written by Benito Benitez, John "Virgo" Garrett III (aliases for German producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti), singer Thea Austin, and rapper Turbo B and produced by Snap!.

Lyrics and music

The track features lead vocals by Thea Austin and a rap by Turbo B.

According to Miz hit. tubes, a book which analyses the French pop charts, "This discotheque song alternates female singing in the chorus with fluid, set back male raps in the verses. These are tinted with a resonant sonority, which gives them an astonishingly melancholic softness, for a Dance hit. That gives the whole track a particular colour, almost nostalgia."[6]

The rap lyrics on the main version (not the 7" edit) are a slightly modified version of the following lines from an essay by John Perry Barlow called "Being in Nothingness Virtual Reality and the Pioneers of Cyberspace".[7]

How very like the future this place might be: a tiny world just big enough to support the cubicle of one Knowledge Worker. I feel a wave of loneliness and head back down. But I'm going too fast. I plunge right on through the office floor and into the bottomless indigo below. Suddenly I can't remember how to stop and turn around. Do I point behind myself? Do I have to turn around before I can point? I flip into brain fugue.

It also contains what one critic called the worst lyric of all time, "I'm as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer".[8] The original album version of the song did not contain the line, which is found on the more widely known 7" single of the song that was later added to the album. Although Snap! were criticized for the lyric, the line had been used in hip hop music since the late '80s.[8]

"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is written in the key of A minor with a tempo of 124 beats per minute[9] in common time. The song follows a chord progression of F–G–Am, and the vocals span from A3 to C5.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and shows singer Thea Austin and a backup band in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's rocket garden filled with smoke. Austin and her group perform the song on elevated platforms while a group of dancers dance on a closed ground platform below them. Interspersed throughout these scenes are animated shots of flickering astronomy/aviation maps and animated figures dancing.

Chart performances

"Rhythm Is a Dancer" was the second single by Snap! to reach No. 1 in the United Kingdom, the song remained six weeks at the top position in 1992, from 2 August to 13 September.[11] It is their biggest hit single to date, with 492,175 sales during the original British chart run. A massive hit across the world, it also topped the chart in Germany for ten weeks, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in early 1993. In France, "Rhythm Is a Dancer" debuted at No. 5 on 8 August 1992, before climbing to No. 1 four weeks later (where it stayed for six weeks). The track thus became the first dance single to hit the number one position on the French Singles Chart.

Snap! themselves re-recorded their own song in 1996 and 2003, the latter with CJ Stone (as "Rhythm is a Dancer 2003"). It reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2003.

On 25 May 2008, "Rhythm Is a Dancer" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 36, climbing as high as number 23 two weeks later. BBC Radio 1 DJs Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates theorized it was based on download performance, due to its inclusion in a television advertisement for Drench water.

On 31 March 2012, "Rhythm is a Dancer" was chosen "Best Song of the Nineties" in the Nineties Top 99 on the Belgian Radio MNM for the 4th year in a row.

Cover versions

"Rhythm Is a Dancer" has been covered by numerous artists including German singer Key Biscayne (aka Lian Ross) in 1992, Italian radio host Leone di Lernia who recorded a parody of the song in Italian,[12] Max Deejay who recorded an instrumental cover in 1997, System Drivers in 2002, The Superb, a Brazilian rock act produced by Chilean DJ Sokio[13] in 2005, Israeli-Italian artist Sagi Rei for his 2005 album Emotional Songs, Chic Flowerz featuring Muriel Folwer in 2006. In 1993 Kids Incorporated covered "Rhythm Is a Dancer" in the Season 9 episode "Teamwork".

Appearances in other media

The song was often used in films or series, including in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 during its third season in 1993, in a scene of the 2010 comedy movie Cop Out. The song was also featured in TV adverts, including in the 1995 ad for the Ford Escort on German television, and in 2008, in a TV commercial in the UK for "Drench" spring water, which features Brains (Thunderbirds) from the 1960s Gerry Anderson Puppet series Thunderbirds and used an edited version of the original "Rhythm Is a Dancer", bringing the song back into the UK singles chart on 9 June 2008, at number 23.

Track listings

  • 7" single
  1. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" edit) — 3:41
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (purple hazed 7" mix) — 4:31
  • CD maxi
  1. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" edit) — 3:41
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (12" mix) — 5:12
  3. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (purple hazed mix) — 6:49
  • CD maxi – Remixes
  1. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (rhyth kid version) — 5:38
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (tee's choice mix) — 6:19
  3. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (instrumental rhythm) — 5:30
  • CD single – 2003 remixes
  1. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (radio edit)
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (CJ stone remix)
  3. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" ('92)
  4. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (video)
  • CD maxi – 2003 remixes
  1. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (video version) — 3:20
  2. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (CJ stone radio mix) — 3:49
  3. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" ("check this out" remix) — 7:06
  4. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" (CJ stone club mix) — 7:45
  5. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" ('92) — 3:42
  • UK and EU CD maxi – 2008 remixes[14][15]
  1. "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (8" BB Mix) — 3:45
  2. "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (Tom Novy Remix) — 8:01
  3. "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (Original 12") — 5:33

Official versions

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1992–93) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 1
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[17] 1
Canada Dance (RPM)[18] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 19
Denmark (IFPI)[17] 11
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 7
France (SNEP)[17] 1
Germany (Media Control Charts)[21] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 1
Italy (FIMI)[23] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 1
New Zealand (RIANZ)[17] 11
Norway (VG-lista)[17] 4
Spain (AFYVE)[25] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 5
Chart (1996–97)1 Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 58
Chart (2003)2 Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 32
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 10
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 13
Germany (Media Control Charts)[29] 7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 35
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 17
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Germany (Media Control Charts)[30] 84
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[4] 43
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[31] 67

Year-end charts

Chart (1992) Position
Australia (ARIA)[32] 15
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 2
UK (Official Charts Company)[36] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[37] 75
Chart (1993) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 25

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[32][39] Gold 35,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[40] Gold 25,000
France (SNAP)[41][42] Gold 250,000
Germany (BVMI)[43] Platinum 500,000
Sweden (IFPI Sweden)[44] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[46][47] Gold 500,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-madmans-return/id73428246
  2. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-madmans-return/id73428246
  3. ↑ "Allmusic: Snap! - The Madman's Return (Awards)". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Official Charts > Snap!". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  5. ↑ "Chart Archive - 1990s Singles". everyhit.com. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  6. ↑ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinea Bis. p. 246. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  7. ↑ John Perry Barlow. "Being in Nothingness Virtual Reality and the Pioneers of Cyberspace". "Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 2015-06-26.
  8. 1 2 Rupert Neate (9 Jul 2008). "Worst lyric of all time: I'm serious as cancer, when I say rhythm is a dancer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  9. ↑ "BPM for 'rhythm' by snap | songbpm.com". songbpm.com. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  10. ↑ Austin, Thea. "Snap! "Rhythm Is a Dancer" Sheet Music in A Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  11. ↑ "NUMBER ONES IN 1992". number-ones.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  12. ↑ "An audio sample". Video4viet.com.
  13. ↑ "The Superb". Last.fm. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  14. ↑ "Rhythm Is A Dancer '08". eli.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  15. ↑ "Rhythm Is A Dancer '08". discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  16. 1 2 "australian-charts.com > Snap! in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "lescharts.com: SNAP!-Rhythm Is a Dancer (Chanson)". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  18. ↑ Canadian dance peak
  19. ↑ "RPM: Top Singles - Volume 56, No. 19, November 07 1992". RPM. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  20. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 9789511210535.
  21. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Snap! – Rhythm Is a Dancer (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  22. ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'Rhythm Is a Dancer' (from irishcharts.ie)". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  23. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia: I singoli più venduti del 1992". hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  24. ↑ "Media Markt Top 40: Snap! (Rhythm Is a Dancer)" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  25. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  26. ↑ "Allmusic: Snap! (Awards)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com: Snap! - Rhythm Is a Dancer Remix '96 (Song)". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  28. 1 2 3 "lescharts.com: SNAP!-Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003 (Chanson)". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  29. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Snap! – Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003 (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  30. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Snap! – Rhythm Is a Dancer 2008 (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  31. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  32. 1 2 "The ARIA Chart – Best of 1992". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  33. ↑ 1992 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved September 7, 2008)
  34. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  35. ↑ 1992 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved September 7, 2008)
  36. ↑ 1992 UK Singles Chart (Retrieved March 30, 2015)
  37. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  38. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  39. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  40. ↑ "IFPI Austria - Gold & Platin" (in German). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Austria. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  41. ↑ "InfoDisc Les Certifications depuis 1973 (singles)". InfoDisc.
  42. ↑ "Les Certifications Officielles: Chronologie Singles". Info Disc. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
  43. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap; 'Rhythm Is a Dancer')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  44. ↑ "Guld & Platina IFPI" [Gold & Platinum IFPI] (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  45. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  46. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Search Results: Snap (Rhythm Is a Dancer)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  47. ↑ "Gold & Platinum: Criteria". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-05-15.

External links

Preceded by
"Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail		 UK number one single
8 August 1992
(six weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Ebeneezer Goode" by The Shamen
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