"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982, by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric. The single reached number No. 7 in Cash Box magazine and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart, whilst hitting No. 2 for 2 weeks on the Cash Box Soul chart. The track featured prominent background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. (Although Ross has never won a competitive Grammy, she was awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS in 2012.) The song was originally intended to be an R&B answer to the massive Olivia Newton-John hit "Physical".
| "Muscles" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Diana Ross | ||||
| from the album Silk Electric | ||||
| B-side | "I Am Me" | |||
| Released | September 17, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound Recorders, (Los Angeles, California)[1] | |||
| Genre | R&B, pop | |||
| Length | 4:05 (video version/7" version)
| |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Jackson | |||
| Producer(s) | Michael Jackson | |||
| Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Muscles" on YouTube | ||||
Music video
editThe single's erotic music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body.[2] The video features a young Gil Birmingham (The Twilight Saga film series) in one of his first-ever media appearances.
Track listing
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Personnel
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Charts
edit| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 50 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] | 16 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 10 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 10 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 23 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 18 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 6 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] | 10 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] | 4 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] | 36 |
Cover versions
edit- The song was recorded in 1997 by producer/DJ Peter Rauhofer recording as Club 69 and was a featured single on the Club 69 album Style. The vocals on this version of "Muscles" are performed by singer-songwriter, Suzanne Palmer.
Samples
edit- Lil' Kim sampled "Muscles" for her rap "Diamonds" but it was not included in the final cut of her album The Notorious K.I.M.
- Young Jeezy sampled "Muscles" on the title track of his album The Inspiration.
- Victoria Beckham sampled "Muscles" on the song "He's My Lover", for her unreleased second album Come Together.
References
edit- ^ Allard, François; Lecocq, Richard (October 4, 2018). Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 9781788401234. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "Diana Ross Muscles". YouTube. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". discogs.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Bill Wolfer | Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Diana Ross". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 219. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Diana Ross" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Muscles". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.