Bra (song)
"Bra" is a song by British funk band Cymande from their self-titled debut studio album Cymande. Written by the group's members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, it was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, produced by John Schroeder, and released as a 7" single through Janus Records in 1972. Released as the second single from the album, the song peaked at No. 51 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart in the United States, which at the time was known as Best Selling Soul Singles.
| "Bra" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cymande | ||||
| from the album Cymande | ||||
| B-side | "Ras Tafarian Folk Song" | |||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Studio | De Lane Lea Studios (London, England) | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 3:48 | |||
| Label | Janus Records J 215 | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | John Schroeder | |||
| Cymande singles chronology | ||||
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The song featured in Spike Lee's 1994 film Crooklyn as well as on its soundtrack album. It also appeared in John Jacobsen's 1998 film Around the Fire, Spike Lee's 2002 film 25th Hour, and Martin Gero's 2007 film Young People Fucking.[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bra" |
| John Schroeder | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Ras Tafarian Folk Song" |
| John Schroeder | 3:08 |
Personnel
- Ray King – vocals, percussion
- Peter Serreo – tenor saxophone
- Michael "Bami" Rose – alto saxophone, flute, bongos
- Pablo Gonsales – Congas
- Sam Kelly – drums
- Joey Dee – vocals, percussion
- Derek Gibbs – alto and soprano saxophone
- Steve Scipio – bass, songwriter
- Patrick Eaton Patterson – guitar, songwriter
- John Schroeder – producer
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[2] | 51 |
Sampled credits
The song was sampled by several hip hop recording artists, including:[3]
- Sugarhill Gang in "Work, Work, the Body", released as a single (1985)
- Gang Starr in "Movin' On" from No More Mr. Nice Guy (1989)
- Arabian Prince in "SItuation Critical" from Brother Arab (1989)
- De La Soul in "Change in Speak" from 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
- Def Jef in "Give It Here" from Just a Poet with a Soul (1989)
It was more recently sampled in R&B artist Vivian Green's "Work" on her album Vivid (2015).
References
- "Cymande". IMDb. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- "Cymande Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- "Samples of Bra by Cymande on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
External links
- Cymande – Bra at Discogs (list of releases)