BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985
“Rhythm of the Night” is a 1985 hit single recorded by the American R&B band DeBarge and written by Diane Warren. The song is said to have jump-started the career of songwriter Diane Warren and was the biggest hit recorded by the Motown family singing group.
By 1985, DeBarge had become pop/R&B sensations with mostly ballads making the repertoire of their hit catalog though they were as impressive as live performers with their mixture of their trademark soft ballads and a collection of dance material. Motown Records sought to produce DeBarge with a dance single to give them a bigger crossover success that mirrored that of label-mate Lionel Richie, who like DeBarge, had created his initial fan base on soft songs before the release of “All Night Long”, which included a catchy dance beat influenced by calypso. A similar influence would come in the production of “Rhythm of the Night” which featured more of El DeBarge’s deep tenor with flashes of his trademark falsetto. Richard Perry, the hit producer behind hit recordings for The Pointer Sisters and other artists, was appointed to produce the single with Diane Warren as its writer.
The release of “Rhythm of the Night” coincided with the release of the Motown film, The Last Dragon, which featured the song as part of its soundtrack. The free publicity from the song on its soundtrack and in the movie itself helped boost its popularity. Eventually released as a single, the song produced DeBarge’s biggest success yet with the single reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number one on the US adult contemporary chart, and number four in the UK singles chart – their only major hit single in the UK – going gold and boosting similar success for its parent album of the same name. The group’s music video of the song gained the group heavy rotation on MTV and BET and was actually the group’s first and last real music video starting a brief period where DeBarge became pop superstars.
SIDE A:
Rhythm Of The Night (Long Version) 6:41
Producer – Richard Perry
Written-By – D. Warren*
SIDE B:
Queen Of My Heart 3:30
Arranged By [Rhythm] – Eldra DeBarge*, Reggie Andrews
Arranged By [Strings & Horns] – Clare Fischer
Producer – Bobby DeBarge, Eldra DeBarge*
Written-By – B. DeBarge*, E. DeBarge*
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Rhythm Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #3 |
| 1985 | Rhythm Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemprary Tracks | #1 |
| 1985 | Rhythm Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | #1 |
| 1985 | Rhythm Of The Night | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Motown – 4532MG
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Latin, Synth-pop
NOTES:
A: Album versions in original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Berry Gordy’s – The Last Dragon” and “Rhythm Of The Night”
B: In the Album “In A Special Way”
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
