"Beautiful People" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Barbara Tucker Barbara Tucker (born March 19, 1967), is an American house and soul singer, songwriter and choreographer born in Brooklyn, New York, US. Tucker had six No. 1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and into the 2000s, and seve ...

, who co-wrote it with

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Lem Springsteen Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter"The Essential… Mood II Swing"
''Ripple M ...

and "Little" Louie Vega, who along with partner

Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (born July 5, 1970), also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also release ...

, co-produced the track. It was released on March 2, 1994, as her first single by

Strictly Rhythm Records Strictly Rhythm is an American house music record label. History Strictly Rhythm relaunched in 2007 after a five-year break, following a venture with Warner Music. The label made a number of its recordings available for digital download and sign ...

, and was also Tucker's first of seven number-one singles on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, reaching the top spot on April 16, 1994. On the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, it peaked at number 23, while it topped both the

UK Dance Singles Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...

and the UK Club Chart. ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

'' featured "Beautiful People" in their list of "The 30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018, and ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' featured it in their list of "The 30 Best House Tracks of the ’90s" in 2022.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' felt "Beautiful People" had Tucker "flexing her

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-honed voice to maximum effect. Factor in crafty production by "Little" Louie Vega that carefully balanced assertive beats with a wicked

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, and you had an unstoppable star vehicle." He also declared it as an "instantly memorable

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

anthem". British electronic dance and clubbing magazine ''

'' called it "a wonderfully crafted track. The fleet-fingered organ line and snares that hit like hand claps give it a rapturous gospel feel, packing the production full of

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

. And Barabara Tucker takes this feeling to another level with her peerless vocal turn. She’s one of the most deified voices in house music and ‘Beautiful People’ is a shining example as to why." Maria Jimenez from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' described it as "seriously smooth" and "a delicious garagey house number with a massaging bass, smooth rhythm and on target vocals." Andy Beevers from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' gave it five out of five, complimenting it as a "superb New York garage track". He stated that the singer "really does justice to the excellent uplifting lyrics." James Hamilton from the '' RM'' Dance Update declared it as a "superb breezily attractive gospel-ish romper".

Impact and legacy

British clubbing magazine ''

'' ranked "Beautiful People" as one of "The 30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018. In 2022, ''

'' featured it in their list of "The 30 Best House Tracks of the ’90s", writing that "Tucker's sassy, yearning delivery rides a wave of jazzy chord changes, exquisite high notes, and back-to-church organs. She's got one of the most recognizable voices in house music: Its soulful tones, immaculate control, and hint of unspecified naughtiness are enough to draw the most introverted wallflower onto the floor."

Track listing

* CD maxi (US)Single release information
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

#"Beautiful People" (Radio Edit) – 4:06 #"Beautiful People" (Underground Network Mix) – 9:08 #"Beautiful People" (Beautiful Reprise) – 5:41 #"Beautiful People" (CJ's Club Mix) – 7:38 #"Beautiful People" (CJ's Dub) – 8:08 #"Beautiful People" (Original Club Mix) – 9:28 #"Beautiful People" (CJ's Instrumental) – 8:08 #"Beautiful People" (Mood II Swing Dub) – 5:26

Charts

References

External links

Official video
on YouTube {{authority control 1994 songs 1994 debut singles Barbara Tucker songs American house music songs House music songs Music Week number-one dance singles Positiva Records singles Strictly Rhythm singles