James Brown Is Dead
"James Brown Is Dead" is a song by Dutch electronic dance music duo L.A. Style produced by Wessel van Diepen and Denzil Slemming. It was released in August 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, L.A. Style. The song was a major hit across Europe, reaching number-one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. The song also reached the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. It also peaked at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[4] The song inspired multiple answer songs. The song is considered a "Techno classic" with artists like DJ Irene mixing it into their sets & DJ Boozy Woozy used samples of Mary J. Blige - Family Affair (2001) with the main sample of "James Brown is Dead" to create his song "Party Affair" (2002).[4] In 2001, Wessel van Diepen and Arista Records released "James Brown Is Dead 2001", a new version of the L.A. Style original.
"James Brown Is Dead" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by L.A. Style | ||||
from the album L.A. Style | ||||
Released | 19 August 1991 | |||
Recorded | 1991 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:38 | |||
Label | ZYX Records Decadance Records Arista Records Watts Music | |||
Songwriter(s) | Denzil Slemming | |||
Producer(s) | Wessel van Diepen Denzil Slemming | |||
L.A. Style singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"James Brown Is Dead" on YouTube |
Track listing
Europe; CD single - 1991
- "James Brown Is Dead" (Radio Edit) - 3:32
- "James Brown Is Dead" - 5:38
- "James Brown Is Dead" - 5:09
US; CD single - 1992
- "James Brown Is Dead (7" Version Of Original Mix (Without Rap))" 3:06
- "James Brown Is Dead (7" Version Of Original Mix (With Rap))" - 3:30
- "James Brown Is Dead (Rock Radio Mix)(Vocals – Chris Randall of Sister Machine Gun)" - 3:20
- "James Brown Is Dead (Crossover Radio Mix)" - 3:57
- "James Brown Is Dead (Original Mix (Without Rap))" - 5:38
- "James Brown Is Dead (Original Mix (With Rap))" - 6:04
- "James Brown Is Dead (Deadly Remix)" - 5:26
- "James Brown Is Dead (Wide Awake Remix)" _ 5:21
- "James Brown Is Dead (Take Outs)" - 0:55
Answer songs
In the wake of "James Brown Is Dead" the song "James Brown Is Still Alive" was released that same year by Holy Noise, a techno group also from the Netherlands. Although the first song's lyrics do actually assert that James Brown (1933–2006), "the hardest working man in show biz is alive," the Holy Noise song is regarded as an answer to the L.A. Style song.[5][6]
Chart positions
Charts (1991-1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[7] | 7 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] | 24 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 1 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 6 |
Italy (FIMI)[11] | 4 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] | 1 |
Spain (AFYVE)[13] | 1 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 7 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 2 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] | 59 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 4 |
References
- "I'm Raving - L.A. Style - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "History of Techno [ZYX] - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "L.A. Style - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- Jason Ankeny (2016). "L.A. Style | Awards". Allmusic.com.
- "Holy Noise vinyl, CD & digital download track discography at RollDaBeats". www.rolldabeats.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "James Brown". IMDb. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "Australian-charts.com – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Austriancharts.at – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- "Ultratop.be – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: L". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – L.A. Style" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Swedishcharts.com – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead". Singles Top 100.
- "Swisscharts.com – L.A. Style – James Brown Is Dead". Swiss Singles Chart.
- "Artist Search for "la style"". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2017.