"Groove Is in the Heart"
Single by Deee-Lite
from the album World Clique
B-side"What Is Love?"
ReleasedAugust 1990 (1990-08)[1]
Recorded1990
Genre
Length3:54
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Deee-Lite
Deee-Lite singles chronology
"Groove Is in the Heart"
(1990)		 "Power of Love"
(1990)
Music video
"Groove Is in the Heart" on YouTube

"Groove Is in the Heart" is a song by American dance band Deee-Lite, released in August 1990 by Elektra as their debut and lead single from their first album, World Clique (1990). Written and produced by the band, it was a hit in many countries, reaching number-one in Australia and on both the Canadian RPM and US Billboard dance charts. Today it is widely recognized as a classic of its genre.[7][8]

Background

Though the album version was not recorded until 1990, the song was originally written in the late 1980s; it was performed live as early as 1989.[9] The backing track was built around many samples, primarily the main riff from Herbie Hancock's track "Bring Down the Birds" from the Blowup soundtrack and Vernon Burch's "Get Up", which provided the drum track and also formed the basis for the breakdown featuring a slide whistle. Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins provided guest vocals, and the rap is provided by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.[10]

Chart performance

An immediate smash in nightclubs, the song went to number-one on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart and also hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number-one for one week in Australia in November 1990, while it reached number two in New Zealand.

In the UK, the record was equally popular and was released as a double A-side with "What Is Love", and, with the UK single released with the subtitle "peanut butter mix" (because the single was heavily edited and completely omitted the contributions by Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip), it eventually reached number two during September 1990.[11] Its placing second was due to a rule instituted in the UK Singles Chart in the 1980s, which settled any "ties" over chart positions due to equal sales: the single with sales that had increased most from the previous week would reside above the other, controversially giving "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band the top place. Following complaints from Deee-Lite's record company, WEA, the rule, of which this song had been the only victim, was scrapped and joint positions were once again allowed. However, it turned out that the 2,595 panel sales that both records achieved for this week of September 15, 1990, had been rounded up, with chart compilers Gallup later releasing the data that showed that the Steve Miller Band hit was indeed a fraction ahead, Deee-Lite having been narrowly defeated by 44,118 to 44,110 copies.[12] "The Joker" spent a second week at the number-one spot and thereafter convincingly outsold "Groove Is in the Heart".

In Europe, the single entered the top 10 also in Finland (9), Greece (3), Ireland (8), Italy (7), the Netherlands (10) and Spain (8), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, where it peaked at number five in September 1990. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Belgium (19), Germany (17) and Switzerland (13), while it peaked within the top 30 in Austria (25). "Groove Is in the Heart" earned a gold record in the US, after 500,000 singles were sold. In Australia and the UK, it earned a platinum record, when 70,000 and 600,000 units, respectively, were sold.

Critical reception

Upon the release, J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun found that "Groove Is in the Heart" "bounces happily from rap to funk to house without losing either momentum or its sense of humor."[13] Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Sometimes you can believe the hype. Hot New York City underground dance trio more than lives up to prerelease push with this sizzling groove'n'sample funk jam, kicked into gear by the sultry and charismatic vocal presence of future diva Lady Miss Kier."[14] He also added, "'Groove' is, well, very groovy. A house-paced track with a hip-hop sensibility."[4] Bevan Hannan from The Canberra Times described the song as "good fun".[15] David Giles from Music Week said it's a "fine single". He added, "Pure Seventies funk with a Nineties groove."[16] Helen Mead from NME stated that it is "playfully funky".[17] A reviewer from People Magazine noted it as "hopping".[18] Ross Grady from The Rice Thresher said it is "one of the creamiest slabs of vinyl ever to come from the house music scene."[19] Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits wrote that the "ripping floor filler" has "got the samples and twiddly electronoises so necessary for dancefloor success nowadays, but there's also a hummable melody and sense of humour about it all."[20] NME and The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll named "Groove Is in the Heart" the best single released in the year 1990.

Retrospective response

AllMusic editor Ned Raggett wrote in his review of World Clique, "Its reputation may rest on only one hit single – but what a hit. 'Groove Is in the Heart' defined the summer of 1990 on radio and MTV with its delicious combination of funk, modern dance sheen, and Lady Miss Kier's smart, sharp diva ways. Add in guest vocals and bass from Bootsy Collins (a pity his hilarious video cameo wasn't represented here), brass from the original Horny Horns duo of Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, and a smooth mid-song rap from A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, and the results sounded good then and now."[3] In 2017, Stopera and Galindo from BuzzFeed declared it as a "perfect little slice of the early '90s New York club scene."[21] NME called it a "pretty faultless collage of G-Funk, Daisy Age hip-hop, salsa and dippy disco."[2] In 2006, Slant Magazine ranked the song third in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs list, writing: "No song delivered the group's world-conscious Word as colorfully and open-heartedly as 'Groove Is in the Heart,' which flew up the Billboard charts while goosing stuffed shirts."[8]

Impact and legacy

In 2003, Q Magazine ranked "Groove Is in the Heart" number 323 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".[22] VH1 ranked it number 67 in their list of "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" in 2007.[23] Pitchfork named it the 59th best track of the 1990s. They wrote: "With their sass-tastic frontwoman and kitsched-to-death fashion sense, Deee-Lite probably seemed like a good bet at a time when pop's future was still up for grabs. If you were a kid in the 'burbs, they almost resembled a Daisy Age hip-hop group (the day-glo/flower-power look, the Q-Tip guest rap) as much as a house act (a strange urban subculture we had little access to in junior high)."[24]

In 2011, The Guardian featured the song on their "A history of modern music: Dance".[7] In April 2017 the single was re-released on pink vinyl, as part of Record Store Day with remixes of "What Is Love?" on the B-Side.[25] BuzzFeed ranked the song number three in their "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" list in 2017.[26]

In 2018, Time Out ranked it number 23 in their list of "The 100 best party songs", adding, "In this tale of New York's anything-is-possible East Village of the late '80s, a trio of candy-coloured club kids – Super DJ Dmitri, Lady Miss Kier and Towa Tei – decide to form a band. The threesome (with a little help from ringers Q-Tip, Maceo Parker and Bootsy Collins) come up with 'Groove Is in the Heart', a sweetly innocent percolator of a tune that, against all odds, becomes the worldwide club smash of 1990. True story!"[27]

In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Groove Is in the Heart" number 233 in its updated list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, calling it "a collage across different generations of funkateers."[28]

In 2022, The Guardian ranked it number 18 in their list of "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!". Alexis Petridis wrote, "If they’d had another song remotely as good as "Groove Is in the Heart"’s stew of samples, effortless pop melodies and interjections from Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip, Deee-Lite would have been huge. They didn’t, but this joyous pop-disco classic will be played at parties for eternity."[29] In 2023, Billboard ranked it number 68 in their "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[30]

Accolades

Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
1990 Melody Maker United Kingdom "Singles Of The Year"[31] 1
2003 Q United Kingdom "1001 Best Songs Ever"[22] 323
2004 Q United Kingdom "The 1010 Songs You Must Own" *
2005 Bruce Pollock United States "The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000"[32] *
2007 VH1 United States "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s"[23] 67
2010 Robert Dimery United States "1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die"[33] *
2010 Pitchfork United States "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s"[24] 59
2011 MTV Dance United Kingdom "The 100 Biggest 90s Dance Anthems of All Time"[34] 9
2011 The Guardian United Kingdom "A History of Modern Music: Dance"[7] *
2012 NME United Kingdom "100 Best Songs of the 1990s"[2] 79
2012 Porcys Poland "100 Singli 1990–1999"[35] 93
2013 Complex United States "15 Songs That Gave Dance Music a Good Name"[36] *
2014 Musikexpress Germany "Die 700 Besten Songs Aller Zeiten"[37] 518
2017 BuzzFeed United States "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s"[26] 3
2017 ThoughtCo United States "The Best 100 Songs from the 1990s"[38] 89
2018 Max Australia "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time"[39] 152
2018 Time Out United Kingdom "The 100 Best Party Songs"[27] 23
2019 Billboard United States "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s"[40] 220
2019 Max Australia "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time"[41] 998
2020 Slant Magazine United States "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time"[8] 3
2021 Rolling Stone United States Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[28] 233
2022 Pitchfork United States "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s"[42] 47
2022 Rolling Stone United States "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time"[43] 37
2022 The Guardian United Kingdom "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!"[29] 18
2022 Time Out United Kingdom "The 100 Best Party Songs Ever Made"[44] 12
2023 Billboard United States "Best Pop Songs of All Time"[30] 68

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings

Performers

Credits adapted from the album liner notes for World Clique.[46]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[79] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[80] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[81] Gold 500,000^

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

Cover versions

American retail chain Target Corporation used the song, as performed by Charli XCX with Questlove and Black Thought from the Roots, in a series of 2015 television advertisements.[82]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cardew, Ben (February 19, 2020). "How 'Groove is in the Heart' captured the energy of '90s New York club culture". DJ Mag. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "100 Best Songs of the 1990s". NME. May 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Deee-Lite – World Clique". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Coleman, Bill (July 7, 1990). "The Summer's Sizzling for Everybody Everybody" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 27. p. 27. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ Cardew, Ben (February 19, 2020). "How 'Groove is in the Heart' captured the energy of '90s New York club culture". DJ Mag. Retrieved August 23, 2022. 30 years ago, a multicultural trio who found delights on New York City dancefloors released a single that merged funk, pop, and disco in a hip-hop collage style.
  6. ↑ "As part of the Guardian's summer of music, our critics have put together a history of modern music. We'll be looking at a different genre every day, starting off with a history of pop, then moving along to rock, hip-hop and R&B, indie, dance, world and folk, and jazz". The Guardian.
  7. 1 2 3 "A history of modern music: Dance". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 "100 Greatest Dance Songs". Slant Magazine. January 30, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ Metzger, Richard (April 4, 2013). "Bringing the Funk from the East Village to the Global Village: Vintage Deee-Lite performances". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
  11. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ Masterton, James (May 19, 2020). "Asking for Another (Sale)". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Considine, J.D. (1990). "Deee-Lite – World Clique". Baltimore Sun – via Milwaukee Journal. (September 9, 1990).
  14. ↑ Coleman, Bill (June 30, 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 79. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  15. ↑ Hannan, Bevan (July 30, 1992). "A dee-lite look at the world clique". The Canberra Times. p. 15. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ Giles, David (August 11, 1990). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 19. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  17. ↑ Mead, Helen. "Deee Lite – World Clique". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: World Clique". People. Vol. 34, no. 14. October 8, 1990. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ Grady, Ross (March 8, 1991). "Top ten picks not to overlook". The Rice Thresher. p. 17. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (September 5, 1990). "Review: LPs". Smash Hits. p. 54. Retrieved October 19, 2020 – via Flickr.
  21. ↑ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  22. 1 2 "Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003)". Muzieklijstjes.nl. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  23. 1 2 "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s: Full List". VH1. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007.
  24. 1 2 "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 1, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  25. ↑ Savage, Mark (March 21, 2017). "Record Store Day: Our pick of the 10 Best Releases". BBC News Online. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  26. 1 2 Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  27. 1 2 "The 100 best party songs". Time Out. March 8, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  28. 1 2 "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  29. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (November 17, 2022). "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!". The Guardian.
  30. 1 2 "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Singles Of The Year". Melody Maker. December 22, 1990. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  32. ↑ Pollock, Bruce (2005). The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 0-415-97073-3.
  33. ↑ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2011) [2010]. "10,001 Songs You Must Hear…". 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-84403-684-4.
  34. ↑ MTV Dance. December 27, 2011.
  35. ↑ "100 Singli 1990–1999". Porcys (in Polish). August 20, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  36. ↑ Nappy (July 12, 2013). "15 Songs That Gave Dance Music a Good Name". Complex. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Die 700 besten Songs aller Zeiten". Musikkexpress (in German). March 21, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  38. ↑ Lamb, Bill (November 13, 2017). "The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018.
  39. ↑ "The 2018 Results". Max. 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Greatest of All Time: Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". Billboard. 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  41. ↑ "The 2019 Results: 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time". Max. 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  42. ↑ "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 27, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  43. ↑ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  44. ↑ Levine, Nick (January 21, 2022). "The 100 best party songs ever made". Time Out. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Groove Is In the Heart!!! - EP by Deee-Lite on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  46. ↑ World Clique (liner notes). Deee-Lite. Elektra. 1990. Retrieved October 4, 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  47. ↑ "Deee-Lite – World Clique – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9112." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1343." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  53. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 38. September 22, 1990. p. IV. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  54. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  55. 1 2 "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  56. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  57. ↑ "Top 10 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. 52. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  58. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Groove Is in the Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  59. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 30, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Deee-Lite".
  60. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  61. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  62. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  63. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  64. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  65. ↑ "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. September 8, 1990. p. 11. Retrieved September 6, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  66. ↑ "Deee-Lite Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  67. ↑ "Deee-Lite Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  68. ↑ "Deee-Lite – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  69. ↑ "Deee-Lite Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  70. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending NOVEMBER 24, 1990". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012.
  71. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1990". ARIA Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  72. ↑ "Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1990". RPM. Vol. 53, no. 6. December 22, 1990. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  73. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles: 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. 36. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  74. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  75. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  76. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  77. ↑ "1990 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. March 2, 1991. p. 41.
  78. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1991". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  79. ↑ "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. April 7, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  80. ↑ "British single certifications – Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  81. ↑ "American single certifications – Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart". Recording Industry Association of America.
  82. ↑ "Questlove, Black Thought, and Charli XCX cover "Groove is in the Heart" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
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