"Hi-Jack" is a 1974 r&b and funk disco based song written by Spanish musician
Fernando Arbex and originally recorded by his group
Barrabás
Barrabás are a Spanish musical group, most successful in the 1970s and 1980s when they were led by drummer and producer Fernando Arbex. The group's musical style was initially Latin rock with jazz and funk influences, and later developed into ...
for their album ''
¡Soltad a Barrabás!
''¡Soltad a Barrabás!'' is the third album by the Spanish group Barrabás, released in 1974. The album was originally released as ''Release Barrabás'' or ''Hi-Jack'' in some other countries, but the modern CD release retains the Spanish title. ...
''. While their version of the song was a huge success in their native Spain, going all the way to Number one over there, the song flopped in America, stalling at just number No. 104 on the Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in July 1975. It was later a hit single for jazz flautist
Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...
.
Herbie Mann version
Mann's recording of the song featured
Cissy Houston on vocals and hit number one on the US Disco Action chart for three weeks in early 1975 and made the top 30 on the R&B and pop singles charts.
The song was banned on several AM radio stations because of the recent cases of hijackings in the middle East, as well as for the suggestive repeated lyric lines:. "Hijack your love", and "I'm gonna steal your love".
In addition to Mann's version, the song has been covered many other artists (notably by
Enoch Light) and the various versions have been sampled in songs by hip-hop artists, including
The Beatnuts
The Beatnuts are an American hip hop group and production duo from New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu (born Jerry Tineo on December 14, 1968) is a Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les (born Lester Fernande ...
and
Jennifer Lopez.
Chart positions (Herbie Mann version)
See also
*
List of number-one dance singles of 1975 (U.S.)
References
1975 singles
Disco songs
Songs written by Fernando Arbex
1974 songs
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