Latest news with #Chic
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The groove was so thick. It was unbelievable': The making of Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's incredible to think that Addicted to Love – while obviously a surefire smash once it was in the can – was actually the third single to be released from Robert Palmer's 1986 album Riptide. Following a disappointing UK number 95 for lead-off single Discipline of Love and the number 85 'hit' of its title track, Palmer had gone from the top of his game to being on his uppers. The early projections for the new album – his eighth – weren't looking good and yet, just a year earlier Palmer had been flying high. Following his quirky new wave early eighties hits Clues and certified '80s classic Some Guys Have All The Luck, the established solo artist (following his time with Vinegar Joe) had, in 1985, landed the lucrative gig fronting The Power Station, the rockier Duran Duran side project featuring the band's Andy Taylor and John Taylor. The project would be a sure-fire winner and play a huge part in boosting Palmer's quirky soul/new wave profile in a new pop direction. What's not to like? Plus, the band would also bring in not one but two members of Chic, with their bassist Bernard Edwards in the producer's chair (alongside his regular engineering collaborator Jason Corsaro) and Chic's inimitable Tony Thompson on drums. The Duran/Edwards/Corsaro combination had already been put together to devastating effect for Duran Duran's global hit bond theme A View To A Kill in early '85. And the Duran member's hook-up with Edwards would be a natural progression for the band after working with his Chic bandmate Nile Rogers for The Reflex and Wild Boys the year before. After the project's predictable success (with lead single Some Like It Hot becoming a US Billboard number six) Palmer departed after a job well done to consider his new direction and newfound fame, with label Island cleverly able to score the services of that same Power Station production dream team for his next solo album. With Edwards and Corsaro in the bag, getting Thompson in on drums once more was a formality, effectively putting the Power Station band and their producer and engineer back together sans the (now reformed) Duran Duran contingent. The subsequent recording sessions would be financed by Island Records and take place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, The Bahamas, which – conveniently – was where Palmer was living at the time. What could go wrong? Well, there was the small matter of those two flop singles. Perhaps by the end of '85 the post-Power Station new pop/rock Palmer wasn't such a bankable prospect? By this point, Palmer's management's relationship with Island Records had grown rather fractious with the company willing to indulge the obvious star-power and potential of Palmer (top producers… session musicians… and financing his stay in The Bahamas) while seemingly unable to obtain the hits required to keep the entire enterprise afloat. It looked like his off-beat early 80s charm and fortuitous hook-up with two-fifths of Duran Duran were now far behind him, with the fate of the yet-to-be-released '86 album Riptide album now in limbo. Nevertheless, at Compass Point, Palmer and team had been successful in capturing magic. It was just that Island and the record-buying public didn't know it yet. Tony Thompson set the scene for Riptide's turnaround track to Modern Drummer: 'We did Addicted To Love in a recording studio in the Bahamas called Compass Point. At the time Robert lived across from the studio. So Bernard Edwards, one of my favorite guitarists, Eddie Martinez, keyboardist Jeff Bova, Andy Taylor, who also played guitar on that track and me went down to do Robert's record.' "[Palmer] had such eclectic tastes," Martinez told UCR. "He'd listen to Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and then have Sepultura and Husker Du on the same cassette. It was great music, irrespective of the genre. "I remember hearing Addicted to Love for the first time. He told me he dreamt the song and then wrote the lyrics. We recorded the tracks with Bernard Edwards producing, Jason Corsaro engineering and printing all of the stuff. "He brought down a Sony 24 track digital machine to the sessions, which as you know, this is pretty early on. People were still hanging with analog, but Jason was such a brilliant engineer." 'As a member of Chic and the Power Station, Tony was a powerhouse drummer that put together a style which transcended the styles of rock, funk, and pop,' explained The Legends of Music. 'When you celebrate hits such as Good Times and Le Freak by Chic, everyone can't talk enough about how infectious the groove is. Who do you think invented that? 'Tony really had a talent for creating tight, danceable beats and that is what made him stand out in a rhythm-driven disco era. However, where he really came into his element was on Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love. His performance on that track was conclusive proof that Tony was a master at blending rock's intensity with funk grooves.' Elaborating on that Addicted To Love drum sound, 'Everyone always assumed that there was some kind of special knobs turned when we did that first Power Station record,' explained Thompson. 'All it basically was, was a brand-new Yamaha kit in a very live, brick, recording studio in London called Mason Rouge. 'I hit the drums very hard. That's it! [laughs] We did Some Like It Hot, and everyone had all these stories, saying all kinds of things, about tricks that were going on. Samples weren't even around back then. So, bottom line, the sound came from a good kit, hit hard, in a nice live room.' And Addicted to Love would take that idea and Thompson's hard-hitting playing to the next level. 'That was the first time anyone ever spent time to get a drum sound like that,' Thompson explained. 'I remember my drums were set up in the room, and there was a door that led to a hallway. The engineer, Jason Casaro, took a tube the size of my bass drum and built this tunnel from my bass drum all the way out into the hall and up the stairs. It was this weird thing he hooked up. And it worked.' "Jason [Corsaro] had created a scenario where Tony Thompson's drum set was facing out of the room,' recalls Martinez. 'The doorway to the studio was kept open, and he set up Tony's drum set right at the opening of that door. Then outside that door there was a long hallway, I'd say, easily, 30 feet, if not longer. 'He set up microphones, respectively, at different distances and through his madness, came up with [that sound]. I mean, the drum sounds on that album, and Addicted in particular, I just listened to an isolated track of Tony playing on that and was just blown away." And, of course, it's not just the drums that makes Addicted magical. "[Riptide] enabled me to go into everything that I know, or everything I knew at that time as a guitarist,' relative to harmony and things like that, in terms of chord voicings," says Martinez. "I think that was really important for that record to be able to have that kind of background and apply it to the music. It was like a blank canvas and whatever you heard, you were allowed to explore. 'To me that's heaven for a guitarist working on a record." Then of course there's the music video. Directed by English photographer Terence Donovan, it features a set of rouge-lipsticked expressionless mono models miming as Palmer's backing bands while Palmer goes through his frontman motions as if this kind of thing happens every day. Speaking to Q magazine, Mak Gilchrist (on bass) said: 'We were meant to look and act like showroom mannequins. Director Terence Donovan got us tipsy on a bottle of wine and as we were having our make-up retouched I lost balance on my heels and knocked the top of my guitar into the back of Robert's head, and his face hit the microphone.' The video proved to be such a hit that Palmer would recycle its stoney-faced model concept for I Didn't Mean to Turn You On (also from Riptide), and follow-up album Heavy Nova's Simply Irresistible, and the animated Change His Ways. But we'll leave it to Thompson to sum up Addicted's magic: 'The groove in the house was so thick, and what am I playing? A simple, Boom-Bop-Tish-Bop-Boom-Bop. It was unbelievable. 'I locked into that with everyone else swinging, and it brought the walls down. That song was a masterpiece.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift's former flame, expecting first child with wife Vick Hope
Calvin Harris , the 41-year-old Scottish DJ and music producer, known for his chart-topping hits and a past relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift , is expecting his first child with his wife, Vick Hope. Hope, a prominent 35-year-old British television and radio presenter, subtly announced the joyous news through her social media platform. In a recent Instagram post showcasing her professional engagements, eagle-eyed fans noticed Hope cradling a visible baby bump. One image captured a behind-the-scenes moment from her interview with actress Florence Pugh, while another showed her posing at the Big Weekend Liverpool 2025. A further snapshot featured Hope interviewing actor Jason Momoa. The presenter also shared the post on her Instagram Stories, playfully captioning it, "Lots going on lately ." The announcement sparked a wave of congratulatory messages from fans and fellow celebrities. One commenter humorously referenced Hope's co-host Jamie Laing, writing, "Oh congratulations. Vick and Adam. Who going keep Jamie under control now." Another expressed their happiness, saying, "Congratulations darling. So happy for you both," while a third exclaimed, "Omg Vick!! Massive congratulations on your pregnancy." Harris and Hope exchanged vows in September 2023 during a private and intimate ceremony held in northeast England. The celebration was made even more special with a performance by the legendary Nile Rodgers and his band Chic for the wedding guests. Prior to his relationship with Hope, Harris had an on-again, off-again romance with American model Aarika Wolf for several years. He was also linked to singers Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding in the past. However, it was his highly publicized relationship with Taylor Swift that garnered significant media attention. The pair dated for over a year, starting in 2015, and their affection was evident when Swift publicly kissed the DJ at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2015. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Historic Figures Who Were Actually Photographed Gloriousa Undo Reflecting on the intense public scrutiny of their relationship and subsequent breakup, Harris once shared in an interview with GQ in September 2016, "It's very difficult when something I consider so personal plays out very publicly. The aftermath of the relationship was way more heavily publicized than the relationship itself." The aftermath of their split took a dramatic turn a month later when Swift's representative claimed that she had co-written Harris's hit song "This Is What You Came For." This revelation reportedly did not sit well with Harris, who took to social media to express his displeasure in a series of now-deleted tweets. In his messages, he suggested Swift should focus on her new relationship at the time rather than trying to undermine him. He also referenced her past public feuds, implying he would not be another target. Despite the tumultuous end to their romantic involvement, both Harris and Swift have moved on in their personal lives. Harris found happiness with Vick Hope, and they are now embarking on the journey of parenthood. This new chapter marks a significant milestone for the couple, and the outpouring of well wishes indicates the public's delight in their happy news.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Music World Hitmaker Nile Rodgers Celebrates Launch Of ‘The Creative Entrepreneur' By Carolyn Dailey
Spike Lee, Carolyn Dailey, Nile Rodgers at 'The Creative Entrepreneur' NYC Book Launch Recalling how he had grown accustomed to a tight recording budget for quickly producing 'Black music' without the luxury of extra takes, contemporary Renaissance man Nile Rodgers told an intimate group feting the launch of The Creative Entrepreneur by Carolyn Dailey at a private club in Manhattan's West Village how producing Duran Duran's 12th single "The Wild Boys" changed his perception of the business of music. The song – based on the ferociously influential 1971 novel The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead by William S. Burroughs – which also inspired the flamboyant costumes, bright red, spiky mullet-bouffant, and lightning bolt makeup of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona – became one of the band's highest-charting singles, peaking at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, while claiming the top spots on the Cash Box Top Singles chart, in the U.S. and on the charts in Germany and South Africa. 'I grew up by one of my best friends, he played on every single Chic record, but he was in another band called The Simms Brothers Band, and they got a record deal. These guys got a million dollars. Never had a hit record. I think our budget was $35,000 to do a whole album. Everything was on a budget. I never locked out a studio until I did Duran Duran 'The Wild Boys'. Every record up until then was done like a Black record. We did eight-hour shifts in and out. That meant we had to set up every day and break down. Set up and break down. If you look at my catalog, you'll see that you don't hear any alternate versions. We're a one-take group. I mean, there's no alternate version of 'Let's Dance'. There's no alternate version of 'We Are Family'. There's no alternate version of 'Like a Virgin',' Rodgers told a glamorous crowd, including Spike Lee, packing a room during an interview with Dailey at the San Vicente West Village, the elite private members club's new New York location.. Nile Rodgers, Carolyn Dailey at The Creative Entrepreneur NYC Book Launch The Simms Brothers collaborated with many musicians, including backing vocals on Bowie's "Let's Dance," "Modern Love," and "China Girl,' the first of which was co-produced by Rodgers and Bowie, and recorded in December 1982 with sessions featuring Rodgers' and members of band Chic, along with then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar. The first time Bowie only sang and played no instruments on an album led to blockbuster commercial success, with "Let's Dance' soaring to number one in numerous countries. Anyone familiar with contemporary music knows Rodgers from his inimitable imprint on a wide array of music through collaborations with a diverse group of artists including Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Bryan Ferry, Madonna, INXS, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Avicii, Disclosure, Sam Smith, Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Nervo, Laura Mvula, and Keith Urban. From disco king to go-to music world master hitmaker, Rodgers has become synonymous with commercial success. Rodgers ability to mitigate creative risk-taking as co-founder of The Chic Organization places him in the pantheon of entrepreneurs featured in Dailey's book, joining: Roksanda Ilincic, founder of fashion label Roksanda; Yinka Ilori, founder of Yinka Ilori Studio; Andy Harries founder of Left Bank Pictures (The Crown); Priya Ahluwalia, founder of fashion label Ahluwalia; Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, Matthew Slotover, co-founder of Frieze; Ruthie Rogers, founder of The River Cafe; Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive (Grand Theft Auto), Nick Jones, founder of Soho House. Duranies have long known that Rodgers' influence has been indispensable in the seminal band's rapid evolution from thriving in Britain's underground glam rock-inspired New Romantic scene to helming the Second British Invasion of the U.S. via MTV in the 1980s. Infusing his singular funk style by looping a key vocal hook, along with incorporating percussive elements, a distortion on the guitar, and a mono bass line, Nile Rodgers' remix of "The Reflex" was a pivotal juncture for Duran Duran. The "fle-fle-fle" chorus and Rodger's rhythmic scratching sound sent the remix rocketing up the charts. The groundbreaking sound of Duran Duran's eleventh single released on April 16, 1984, and the last to be taken from their third studio album Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), became the band's first to grasp the crown of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to lead the UK Singles Chart. Nile Rodgers performing at The Creative Entrepreneur NYC Book Launch Rodgers who – as a solo artist and with the disco band Chic he co-founded in 1972 along with late bassist Bernard Edwards – has frequently performed live with Duran Duran, kindling energetic on-stage chemistry. He produced and played guitar on Duran Duran's Notorious album in 1986. The single of the same name generated another global commercial success, shooting to number seven on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, and the top 10 in several other countries. Rodgers did it again in 2015, when he co-wrote and co-produced the song 'Pressure Off' from Paper Gods (2015) along with Mark Ronson and Mr. Hudson, and Janelle Monae on vocals. His funk infusion helped birth the band's first top-10 album since Duran Duran (1993), which reprises the title of the band's first studio album in 1981. Summarizing Rodger's impact on one band illustrates how and why he belongs in a book subtitled A Guide to Building a Successful Creative Business from Industry Titans, as few artists can balance business with creative processes and output. Sharing laugh-inducing anecdotes – from a missed opportunity to work with Grace Jones amid a faux accent fumble to transforming Diana Ross into a gay icon after encountering a gaggle of drag queens paying homage to her haute couture style showcasing sequined dresses, beaded catsuits, voluminous hairstyles, and statement jewelry – Rodgers demonstrated how his captivating personality, along with his tireless work ethic, boundless innovation, and open mind, continue to fuel his career. 'It's a book, but it is a much bigger movement. It's a mission to show that creativity and commerce, this whole myth, we want to revolutionize the old school thinking that the two shouldn't mix. And in the book we do that, hopefully, through interviews with 10 creative icons about how they built their businesses, and also with practical advice, because we want to crush that myth and show that business is how creativity becomes real and gets into the world,' Dailey told the attentive group at San Vicente.
Euronews
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
The Hunger Games fans are furious about this SHEIN collaboration – and for good reason
ADVERTISEMENT The odds are definitely not in the favour of this tone-deaf collaboration... For anyone who has read Suzanne Collins' dystopian novels or seen their hugely successful film adaptations, it won't have escaped readers / viewers of The Hunger Games series that themes of societal collapse, distrust of authority, the ethics of entertainment and the ills of capitalism are hugely prevalent. Now, a new collaboration between the film adaptations' distribution company Lionsgate and fast-fashion giant SHEIN has fans wondering - quite rightly - if these two companies bothered to clue themselves up. Or if they have a healthy grasp on the concept of irony. Indeed, Lionsgate and SHEIN recently announced their limited-edition collection meant to 'fuse fashion, fandom, and pop culture' making it a 'must-have for any The Hunger Games films fan enthusiast.' Phrases like 'Capitol Chic' and 'District Daring' are being used to highlight this new collection. 'These extraordinary pieces let fans rebel against the ordinary,' states the press release. 'Celebrating the themes of survival, resilience, and revolution, The Hunger Games x SHEIN collection brings fans a fresh way to showcase their love for the series.' "We are excited to collaborate with SHEIN to bring The Hunger Games fans a collection that lets them wear their fandom with pride," said Debbie Olshan, Director, Global Consumer Products at Lionsgate. "This collaboration blends fashion and film, enabling fans to express their connection to the story in a stylish and meaningful way." Meaningful? Let's stick with that word when considering what feels like a mark-missing practical joke. The new Hunger Games collection SHEIN "The Hunger Games" series portrays a dystopian society where wealthy Capitol citizens exploit poorer districts for resources and entertainment, highlighting unchecked capitalism throughout its (rather obvious) social commentary. The juxtaposition of SHEIN's disposable fashion model with these themes feels deeply hypocritical considering the fast-fashion company's business model has come under fire on several occastions for exploitative practices , child labour exploitations and high environmental costs . Environmental campaign group Greenpeace even accused SHIEN of breaching EU chemical laws in 2022. As if that wasn't flirting with dystopian villainy enough, statistics show that most fast-fashion items are worn fewer than 10 times before being discarded – a practice which contributes to the fashion industry generating more than 101 million tons of textile waste per anum (as per With this in mind, the collaboration has clearly missed what the heart of the source material is all about. And fans were quick to have their say. "It's like people at the top of every company are doing everything they can to minimize support and profits. It's so strange. They're so out of touch. They think Hunger Games fans would want a SHEIN collab of all things? Whoever thought this was smart at Lionsgate needs to be fired," stated one fan online. Check out some other reactions: ADVERTISEMENT Another summarized, rather beautifully: 'Unethical, anti-environmental, fast-fashion probably produced by child-labor/underpaid workers? This is everything the series tries to warn us against,' complemented by this user on Reddit: 'This is so tone deaf on an entirely different level. How can you write a book which explicitly focuses on starving, exploited children who have to perform for a wealthy few's enjoyment, and then condone this type of merch? It's like a sick performance art piece.' Cracking a book might not be the worst idea before starting a clueless, inept and self-owning collaboration. Just a thought. Then again, Suzanne Collins did warn us: 'Stupid people are dangerous.'
The Guardian
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Everybody dance: Nile Rodgers' 20 greatest tracks – ranked!
It was criminal that Mathis's label cancelled the release of his Chic-produced album, I Love My Lady. Finally brought out in 2017, it sounded marvellous: Rodgers had leaned on his love of jazz, lending the funk a slightly Steely Dan-ish edge. Fall in Love is fabulous: Mathis's gossamer vocals floating above a hypnotic, mid-tempo groove. Taking inspiration from the 1930s was a disco trope – check Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band's swing-infused debut album or Carrie Lucas's fabulous Tic Toc – but Dance Dance Dance's re-appropriation of bandleader Ben Bernie's catchphrase 'yowsa yowsa yowsa!' was the most successful example of the lot: that it was aligned to a killer groove helped. The eponymous solo album by Chic's former vocalist is the great overlooked Rodgers and Edwards production of their golden era. Saturday perfectly evokes the anticipation before a night out, but doesn't skirt the drudgery a night out provides escape from. Currently the theme to Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which rather misses the point. Good tracks are scattered across Chic's unloved 80s albums, but Soup for One is their last unequivocal classic: spacier and synth-ier than their 70s output, there's a hint of the electronic boogie sound prominent in contemporary New York clubs. Its riff will be immediately familiar to latterday listeners thanks to the sample on Modjo's 2000 chart-topper Lady. The album that turned Madonna into a superstar was evidence of both Rodgers' hitmaking nous and his adaptability as a producer. Its modish synth-heavy sound bore no resemblance to Chic … almost. Listen closely to the title track and you can hear his trademark staccato guitar driving the whole thing along. Chic's ballads got less attention than their dancefloor-focused tracks, but At Last I Am Free deserves real shine. It's an account of being teargassed at a Black Panther rally and the ensuing sense of disillusion, but it's disguised as a sumptuous, crestfallen love song. Robert Wyatt's cover dug into the song's dejected mood. Arguably the most famous Chic track of all – a song that has been played at everything from feminist rallies to sports victories and that's clearly going to provoke party singalongs for the rest of time – was actually intended to reintroduce Sister Sledge to record buyers after a series of flops. Incredibly, their record label initially rejected it. After encountering drag queens dressed as Diana Ross, Rodgers and Edwards aimed to write her a gay anthem with the same power as Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud (Ross thought the lyrics referred to her breaking free of Motown's strictures). A joy from start to finish, it became a huge hit and ultimately, achieved its initial aim. The faint hint that disco was perhaps getting a little too popular for its own good lurks on He's the Greatest Dancer's hymn to a designer-clad Adonis: the dancefloor is packed with 'out-of-towners touring'. The problem being that another Chic-penned song as great as this was only going to make disco bigger. Rodgers' 21st-century output has been of deeply variable quality, but Get Lucky was a global smash for a reason. A fantastic song built around Rodgers' unmistakeable guitar, its take on disco is neither knowingly retro nor noticeably modern; even before it became completely inescapable it somehow sounded weirdly familiar, as if it always existed. A new direction for the Chic Organization's sound: Rodgers' guitar plays a reggae off-beat, the rhythm track is influenced by electro, Simon's voice is cushioned by swathes of synth. The results are magic, the 12in mix a club perennial. Lumbered with an absolutely mortifying video, it flopped in the US, but was a huge European hit. The Rodgers-produced Let's Dance album may have been the moment when Bowie's artistic quality control finally slackened in the quest for commercial acceptance, but the title track is magnificent: a brand of pop more strange and tense than its global smash status and its ubiquity following Bowie's death might suggest. As a point of contrast, it's worth playing Sheila and B Devotion's first British hit, a disco version of Singin' in the Rain: it's gormless tripe. Enter the Chic Organization, and Shelia and B Devotion are utterly transformed. From its wistful piano intro to its rock-y guitar solo, Spacer is sleek, sexy and surprisingly sparse perfection. Chic at their vertiginous zenith, when Rodgers and Edwards seemed incapable of making anything that didn't sound simultaneously flawless and effortless: the simplicity of the four-note hook balanced out by the complexity of the slow-building horn and string arrangement, which achieves euphoric take off at 3min 25sec. More so than their debut single, Everybody Dance defined Chic's sound, their ethos of music as a form of luxury goods: sophisticated, spare but somehow sumptuous, driven by incredible musicianship (listen to Edwards's bass), lyrics that hymn the dancefloor as the cure for whatever might be ailing you. A song that sounds like falling in love feels: check out the breakdown at 2min 53sec, when the strings relax into a gorgeous shimmer, Edwards hits a single bass note and Kathy Sledge sighs: 'I'm in love again' – the most beautiful moment in the Chic Organization's entire catalogue. Rejection made creatively profitable. Originally a complaint about Rodgers and Edwards being refused entry to Studio 54, titled Fuck Off (there's still a snarky quality to the finished song's suggestion you 'come on down to the 54'), Le Freak's irresistible call to the dancefloor sold 7m copies, proof that living well is the best revenge. In a sense, Chic's Diana Ross collaboration was a disaster: Ross hated the results and had the album remixed; the whole business ended up in court. But musically, it was magic, and nowhere more so than on Upside Down, potent enough to buck America's disco backlash and reach No 1. Rodgers said We Are Family was 'hands down' the Chic Organization's greatest album, and Lost in Music – presumably inspired by Sister Sledge's scuffling years prior to the album's release – is its crowning glory: a song and production so perfect it never loses its power to transport you to a better place. Even in a catalogue as rich as Chic's, Good Times stands out. For one thing, it's got a hook of simplistic perfection and the greatest bass line Edwards ever came up with (one of the great bass lines full stop, sampled umpteen times since it was first borrowed by hip-hop pioneers the Sugarhill Gang). For another, it's infinitely smarter than your average dependable party anthem, packed with lyrical references that equate America's then-current economic situation to the Great Depression ('Happy days are here again,' it opens, mordantly). If you need proof that Chic were a cut above their disco peers, here it is.
