"Centerfold" is a 1981 single released by

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

from their album '' Freeze Frame''. The most successful single of the group's career, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1982 and held that spot for six weeks.

Overview

The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

crush appeared in a

centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...

spread for an unspecified men's magazine. The song's narrator is torn between conflicting feelings: his disappointment due to her loss of innocence, and his lust until the end of the song. The song was the band's biggest hit and the only one in the top of the US charts. It was released in autumn 1981, and eventually went to number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks. It was the first single released from the album ''Freeze Frame'' and the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was an early staple on recently launched MTV. It also peaked at number one in Australia and Canada. In February 1982, after the song hit No. 1 in the US, "Centerfold" peaked at No. 3 in the

UK Top 40 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 ...

, earning the J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up " Freeze-Frame" would also peak within the top 40 at No. 27. The song is one of the on-disc songs on the 2010 music video game ''

Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 music video game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, in late October 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on N ...

''. '' Record World'' called it a "clever rocker" and said that "the na-na chorus and Peter Wolf's carefree vocals add up to an AOR-pop hit." In 2018, the song was ranked at No. 66 on ''Billboard''s All Time Top Songs. ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it to be the band's all-time greatest song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{authority control 1981 singles Number-one singles in Australia Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles EMI America Records singles The J. Geils Band songs Songs written by Seth Justman Song recordings produced by Seth Justman 1980 songs Works about pornography