"I Can Smell That Funky Music" was a hit in 1972 for soul singer Eric Mercury. This was the first time he had a single of his own in the charts. Recorded and produced in the United States, the success of the single was in Canada where Mercury was originally from.
| "I Can Smell That Funky Music" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Eric Mercury | ||||
| from the album Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil of Memphis That Smell of Rock | ||||
| B-side | "Listen With Your Eyes" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Genre | soul | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Enterprise ENA-9041 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rice, Floyd, Cropper | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Cropper | |||
| Eric Mercury singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe song was written by Steve Cropper, Mack Rice and Eddie Floyd. [1] The opening song for one of two albums produced by Steve Cropper for Stax Records at his new TMI studio,[2] it was a song that fused elements of roots and soul.[3] It was one of Canada's biggest hits of 1972.[4]
The single was released in Canada on Enterprise ENA 9041 around the time that Allan Katz, the national promotional director of Polydor had taken Mercury on a cross-country tour, visiting stations from Toronto to Vancouver to promote his new album, Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil of Memphis That Smell of Rock.[5][6]
Chart performance
editBy December 18, Cashbox were calling it a national breakout. Roy Hennessy of CKLG had chart action predictions for the song. Mercury's album was also getting heavy airplay on some FM stations.[7] By December 25, 1971, the song was predicted to reach the top 60 of the Billboard Hot Hundred Chart.[8] It was already at #40 on the RPM100 singles chart.[9] By the end of the year, the single was at #12 on the CKVN 1410 Top 40 chart.[10] It eventually peaked at number 30 in Canada on January 15, 1972.[11]
References
edit- ^ Ultratop - Eric Mercury – I Can Smell That Funky Music
- ^ Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood: My Life in Soul, By Eddie Floyd, Tony Fletcher - Steve, Mack, and I also worked together ...
- ^ Toronto Star, March 16, 2022 - Eric Mercury, Canada’s ‘Electric Black Man,’ singer for ‘Be Like Mike’ campaign, dies By David FriendThe Canadian Press
- ^ Canadian Music Blog, March 15, 2011 - 1972’s Biggest Canadian Hits
- ^ 45Cat - Canada, I Can Smell That Funky Music
- ^ Billboard, December 11, 1971 - Page 53 International News Reports, Eric Mercury on LP Promo Tour
- ^ Cash Box, 18, 12, 1971 - Page 10 MERCURY'S "FUNKY MUSIC" A NATIONAL BREAKOUT
- ^ Billboard, December 25, 1971 - Page 51 Spotlight Singles, TOP 60 POP SPOTLIGHT
- ^ RPM Weekly Volume 60 No. 19 December 25, 1971 - Page 13 RPM100 SINGLES
- ^ VANCOUVER TOP 40 RADIO - CKVN 1410 Top 40, Collector's Issue No. 90 WEST COAST MUSIC SURVEY DECEMBER 31, 1971
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 15, 1972" (PDF).