Rock Steady (The Whispers song)

"Rock Steady"
A-side label of U.S. 12-inch vinyl single
Single by the Whispers
from the album Just Gets Better with Time
B-side"Are You Going My Way"
ReleasedJune 13, 1987 (1987-06-13)
Recorded1987
GenreNew jack swing, funk[1]
Length4:49
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • L.A. Reid
  • Babyface
The Whispers singles chronology
"And the Beat Goes On"
(1980)
"Rock Steady"
(1987)
"Special F/X"
(1987)
Alternative cover art
Artwork for Belgian vinyl releases
Music video
"Rock Steady" on YouTube

"Rock Steady" is a single released by American group The Whispers, from their 18th studio album Just Gets Better with Time (1987). Originally recorded as a demo in 1986 by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, he later produced the song along with Antonio "L.A." Reid.

Chart performance

It was released on June 13, 1987,[2] peaking at #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[3] #10 on the US Cash Box Top 100[4] and was their second and final number one on the Hot Black Singles chart.[5]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Rock Steady"
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 45
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 38
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 7
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 1
US Cash Box[10] 10

Year-end charts

1987 year-end chart performance for "Rock Steady"
Chart (1987) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 73
US Crossover Singles (Billboard)[12] 8

Songs influenced by "Rock Steady"

A re-recorded version of the instrumental from this song was used on Kylie Minogue's song "Look My Way" from her debut album Kylie (1988).[13] The actual instrumental from "Rock Steady" was sampled in the truncated version of "Look My Way" that appeared on Minogue's 1993 remix album Kylie's Non-Stop History 50+1.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Big Gigantic (September 20, 2016). "The 30 Best Funk Songs Ever". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  2. ^ The Whispers - Rock Steady (CD-Maxi) - 1987 Crawlability, Inc. Retrieved 10-22-2010.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2010 (13th Ed.). Record Research Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Joel Whitburn’s Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Record Research Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 620.
  6. ^ "The Whispers – Rock Steady" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Whispers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "The Whispers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Whispers Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Joel Whitburn’s Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Record Research Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  11. ^ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987.
  12. ^ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Hot Crossover Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-27. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Kylie Minogue - Look My Way (Official Audio). YouTube.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Look My Way. YouTube.