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Le Freak
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Le Freak
| cover = Chicfreak.jpg
| alt =
| border = yes
| caption = One of the US editions
| type = single
| artist = Chic
| album = C'est Chic
| B-side =
| released =
| recorded = January 1978
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = * Disco
* funk
| length = * (LP version)
* 3:30 (7-inch edit)
| label = * Atlantic (3519)
| writer = * Bernard Edwards
* Nile Rodgers
| producer = * Bernard Edwards
* Nile Rodgers
| prev_title = Everybody Dance
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = I Want Your Love
| next_year = 1979
| misc =
}}
"'Le Freak'" is a 1978 funk / disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first 'Billboard' Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks "I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number one on the disco charts for seven weeks. The single achieved sales of 7 million and also scored number seven in the UK Singles Chart.
'Billboard' magazine ranked it as the number 3 song for 1979.Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1979 The song was ranked number 21 on 'Billboard' magazine's top 100 songs of the first 55 years of the "Hot 100" chart. In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."
Lyrics
The lyrics mention "Stompin' at the Savoy", a 1933 song composed by Edgar Sampson. They also invite the listener to "Come on down to 54", that is, Studio 54, a popular nightclub in New York City at the time. This song is written in the key of A minor.
History
This song commemorates Studio 54 in New York City for its notoriously long customer waiting lines, exclusive clientele, and discourteous doormen. According to guitarist Nile Rodgers, the song was devised during New Year's Eve 1977, as a result of his and bassist Bernard Edwards' being refused entrance to Studio 54, where they had been invited by Grace Jones, due to her failure to notify the nightclub's staff. He said the lyrics of the refrain were originally "Fuck off!" rather than "Freak out!"; for the documentary "How to Make It in the Music Business", he said that 'fuck off' was what the doorman had said to him when he slammed the door on them; first it was changed to "freak off" after Rodgers mused that they wouldn't be able to say 'fuck off' on the radio, but that sounded "terrible", so he changed it to 'freak out'.
"Le Freak" was the first song to score the number one position on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 three separate times.
In 1987, an acid house-styled re-mix was issued under the title "Jack Le Freak". It reached number 18 in the United Kingdom, becoming Chic's last top 40 hit to date in that country.
MC Lyte sampled the song "Woo Woo (Freak Out)" featuring Nicci Gilbert of the group Brownstone, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie 'Woo' and was also included on her album 'Seven & Seven', titled "Woo Woo (Party Time)", which released three months later.
Reception
'Cash Box' said it is "a handclapping disco song bolstered by solid bass work and airy vocals."
Track listing and formats
'Atlantic 7" 3519, September 21, 1978'
*A. "Le Freak" (7" Edit) 3:30
*B. "Savoir Faire" 4:57
'Atlantic promo 12" DSKO 131, 1978 / Atlantic 12" DK 4700, 1978'
*A. "Le Freak" 5:23
*B. "Savoir Faire" 4:57
'Atlantic 12" DK 4620, 1978 / Atlantic Oldies promo 12" DSKO 178, 1979'
*A. "Le Freak" 5:23
*B. "You Can Get By" 5:36
Personnel
* Alfa Anderson lead vocals
* Diva Gray lead vocals
* David Lasley vocals
* Luci Martin vocals
* Luther Vandross vocals
* Nile Rodgers guitar, vocals
* Raymond Jones Fender Rhodes electric piano
* Robert Sabino clavinet, acoustic piano, electric piano
* Bernard Edwards bass guitar, vocals
* Tony Thompson drums
* Sammy Figueroa percussion
* Jon Faddis trumpet
* Ellen Seeling trumpet
* Alex Foster saxophone
* Jean Fineberg saxophone
* Barry Rogers trombone
* Jose Rossy tubular bells
* The Chic Strings:
** Marianne Carroll strings
** Cheryl Hong strings
** Karen Milne strings
* Gene Orloff concert master
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
In popular culture
This song was used in a 2010 film Toy Story 3 scene in which Ken models his outfits for Barbie. It was also shown in the 2004 film Shrek 2, when they were partying in Shrek Swamp.
References
*
Category:Songs about dancing
Category:Songs about parties
Category:Songs about nightclubs
Category:1978 singles
Category:1979 singles
Category:Chic (band) songs
Category:Disco songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Songs based on actual events
Category:Songs written by Bernard Edwards
Category:Songs written by Nile Rodgers
Category:Song recordings produced by Nile Rodgers
Category:Song recordings produced by Bernard Edwards
Category:1978 songs
Category:Atlantic Records singles
Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings
Category:Studio 54
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