Burning The Ground Exclusive 1985
“We Built This City” is a 1985 song by American rock band Starship, the debut single from the album Knee Deep in the Hoopla. It was written by English musicians Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, who were both living in Los Angeles at the time and was originally intended as a lament against the closure of many of that city’s live music clubs.
The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, “We Built This City” topped the charts in Australia and Canada, peaked inside the top 10 of the charts in Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland, the top 20 on the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the top 30 of the charts in Austria and the Netherlands.
The song has gained significant scorn, both for the inscrutability of its lyrics (notably the line “Marconi plays the mamba”), and for the contrast between the song’s anti-corporate message and its polished, “corporate rock” sound. It topped a 2011 Rolling Stone poll of worst songs of the 1980s by a wide margin, and the magazine’s Blender and GQ both called it the worst song of all time.
Billboard said that this “unusual rock ‘n’ roll anthem is as wise as it is rebellious.” Cash Box called it “an ear-catching tune” and described it as “dance rock with sharp hooks.”
“We Built This City” received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1986.
The song was engineered by producer Bill Bottrell, written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf, and arranged by Bottrell and Jasun Martz. The song was based on a demo by Page and Taupin with a darker feel and based on how clubs were dying in Los Angeles, leaving live performers without work. Wolf reworked the song’s arrangement with a more upbeat tone.
The song features Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick sharing lead vocals. MTV executive and former DJ Les Garland provided the DJ voiceover during the song’s bridge. Additionally, some radio stations, with the help of jingle company JAM Creative Productions, inserted their own opening lines to promote their stations.
SIDE A:
We Built This City (Special Club Mix) 7:00
Remix – Victor Flores
Written-By – Bernie Taupin, Dennis Lambert, Martin Page, Peter Wolf (3)
SIDE B:
We Built This City 4:51
Remix – Bill Bottrell
Private Room (Instrumental) 4:55
Written-By – Craig Chaquico, Mickey Thomas
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | We Built This City | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1985 | We Built This City | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | #37 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: RCA – FT 49930
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Executive-Producer – Dennis Lambert
- Producer – Jeremy Smith (2), Peter Wolf (3)
NOTES:
From the New Starship Album
Manufactured in England.
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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