Genius of Love
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| “Genius of Love” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Tom Tom Club from the album Tom Tom Club |
||
| Released | 1981 | |
| Format | 7" single 12" |
|
| Recorded | 1980 | |
| Genre | Pop/Rock-New Wave | |
| Length | 5:34 (7") 7:24 (12") |
|
| Label | Island | |
| Writer(s) | Adrian Belew, Chris Frantz, Steven Stanley, Tina Weymouth | |
"Genius of Love" is a 1981 (see 1981 in music) song by Tom Tom Club from their eponymous debut album, Tom Tom Club.
Contents |
[edit] Song
"Genius of Love" was Tom Tom Club's second single. Although the album had not been released in North America, over a hundred thousand copies of the single sold as imports from Island Records's UK, at which point Sire Records made a deal to release the single and the album in North America in late 1981.
"Genius of Love" was a huge hit all around, in the clubs and on the R&B and dance charts, soon earning the Tom Tom Club LP a Gold Sales Award in 1982.
The song's narrator implies that her boyfriend is a "maven of funk mutation" and compares him to James Brown, Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Hamilton Bohannon, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Sly and Robbie, and Kurtis Blow.
The Tom Tom Club appeared in the 1984 Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense performing "Genius of Love," although this incarnation of the group did not include Tina Weymouth's sisters Laura and Lani. Director Jonathan Demme added "Genius of Love" to the concert primarily so that David Byrne could exit the stage and change into his oversized suit, and he assured Weymouth that the performance would not be included on the final cut of the film. When Weymouth saw an early screening of the film she was thus surprised and irritated to see "Genius of Love," but Demme refused to change anything before the official release.
The B-side of the "Genius Of Love (Long Version)" 12" vinyl has a lesser-known underground hit called 'Yella'. On some pressings, the song is sometimes credited to Mr. Yellow and, on others, it is credited to Yella. It is assumed that this is really the Tom Tom Club using a pseudonym. This cover repeats the chorus: "You've got to have a strong heart to live in New York...".
[edit] Samples
This song was one of the most sampled rhythm tracks in all of hip-hop with dozens of unsolicited remixes and versions, most notably Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde's "Genius Rap"; GrandMaster Flash & The Furious Five's "It's Nasty" in 1982; and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" in 1995.
Some other artists who incorporated "Genius of Love" into their own musical creations are as follows: Redman's song "Brick City Mashin!," Cam'Ron's "Me, My Moms & Jimmy," 2nd II None's "Niggaz Trippin'," Fresh Kid Ice's "Roll Call," Tupac Shakur's "High Speed," Busta Rhymes' "One," Ant Banks' - "Roll 'Em Phat," and P.M. Dawns' "Gotta Be... Movin' On Up," Annie's "Chewing Gum," It was also sampled on Menajahtwa's Cha-Licious, on the song "I Ain't Nasti". and "Genius E Dub" by Eric Sermon.
[edit] Music video
Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel produced the animated music video based on the pop art work of James Rizzi, which took off from the cartoony style of the Tom Tom Club album cover.
[edit] Singles
- Genius of Love / Lorelei (Instrumental) UK, 1981 (7"/12")[1]
- Genius of Love / Lorelei (Instrumental) Netherlands, 1981 (7"/12")[1]
- Genius of Love / Lorelei (Instrumental) Germany, 1981 (7")[1]
- Genius of Love / Lorelei (Instrumental) USA, 1981 (7"/12")[1]
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 31 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[2] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[2] | 1 |
[edit] In the media
- The X-Ecutioners covered this song in 2002 in their song "Genius of Love 2002" from their Built from Scratch album with rapper Biz Markie.
- Played in a 2003 commercial for the Kia Spectra.
- The part where "Bohannon" is chanted is often used as a bumper for the Jim Bohannon show.
