"I.O.U." is a song from 1983 by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

musical group

Freeez Freeez were an English electronic music group, initially known as one of the UK's main jazz-funk bands of the early 1980s. Initiated by John Rocca, Freeez consisted of various musicians, originally with Rocca and others such as Andy Stennett ( ...

, their most successful hit. The song was written and produced by Arthur Baker and remixed by

Jellybean Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. H ...

and Arthur Baker. The song was an international hit. The record scored #2 in 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 ...

earlier in 1983 before reaching the top of the ''Billboard''

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 in the U.S., giving them their only chart-topping single on any chart in America. It then became the 20th best-selling single of 1983 in the United Kingdom. "I.O.U." was used for the 1984

breakdance Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, ''

Beat Street ''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American drama dance film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to var ...

''. In the UK, where clubbing culture had become accustomed to sophisticated jazz-funk music, I.O.U. was seen as "dumbing down" for commercial success, cashing in on the fashionable 'electro' music scene. The accompanying video featured children with skateboards and BMX bicycles recreating New York hip-hop culture for a young audience unaware of the band's previous music. During 1986 a 12" single was released in the US by the Criminal Records company, with new remixes. Some of these remixes were given a re-release during 1987 in the UK for the Citybeat label as "I.O.U. (The Ultimate Mixes '87)", however, it only scored #23 in the UK Singles Chart this time.

Samples

The song has been sampled multiple times.

Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for his ...

and Joe used a sample for their

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

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's 2002 single "

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Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstars: ...

for the song "Let's Get Down" from her 2010 album ''

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'' as does Wawa for the remix of StoneBridge's 2007 single ''S.O.S''.

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx. He has been described ...

uses a vocal sample for the song "Girl", which closes his debut solo album '' In Colour''. In 2019, Detroit rapper Babytron of ShittyBoyz used this sample for the song "Jesus Shuttlesworth", the third track of his debut album Bin Reaper. In 2021 the international DJ/Producer Paolo Pellegrino used the sample and the chorus, and had a new song rewritten together with the singer and songwriter Shibui, also changing the title to Destiny.

Track listings

1983 releases

;7" vinyl * UK: Beggars Banquet / BEG 96 * Germany, Netherlands: Virgin / 105 535 * US: Streetwise / SWRL-1110 * Australia: Powderworks / POW 0146 * Japan: Victor / VIPX-1742 ;12" vinyl * UK: Beggars Banquet / BEG 96(T) * Germany, France: Virgin / 600 902 * Australia: Powderworks / POWT 0146 * Spain: Beggars Banquet / F-600902 * Canada: Vertigo / SOVX 2327 * UK: Beggars Banquet / BEG 96TA * US: Streetwise / SWRL 2210 (some with second track on side two)

1986 releases

; 12" vinyl * US: Criminal / CRIM 00007

1987 releases

; 7" vinyl * UK: City Beat / CBE 709 * Sweden: City Beat / BB 7105 ; 12" vinyl * UK: City Beat / CBE 1209 * France: Virgin / 80291 * Germany: Virgin / 608 897 * Sweden: City Beat / BB 8105

Chart performance

Personnel

John Rocca John Rocca (born 23 September 1960) is an English dance music performer, remixer and record producer, most well known for his band Freeez. History During the early 1980s, Rocca formed, played with, wrote for, produced and managed his first ban ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, hand percussion,

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s * Peter Maas –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, vocals * Everton McCalla –

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, vocals * Tina B – vocals * Andy Stennett –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Fred Zarr Frederick I. Zarr (born September 26, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, composer and arranger based in Brooklyn, New York. The CEO of BiZarr Music, Inc., he works alongside numerous artists, singers, songwriters, musicians, & audi ...

– piano * Cosa – bongos, congas * Arthur Baker –

music and lyrics ''Music and Lyrics'' is a 2007 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol (of the fictional band PoP!) and an aspiring writer as ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

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John "Jellybean" Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters ...

– mix *

John Robie John Robie is a musician, producer and songwriter who has produced and/or written for a wildly diverse array of artists such as Chaka Khan, New Order, UB40, Cabaret Voltaire, Soulsonic Force, Boy George, C Bank, Planet Patrol, Quadrant 6, Lau ...

– mix, remix ;additional personnel for 1986/87 versions * Richard Scher – co-production * Graeme Durham – editor * Tim Palmer – editor * Arthur Baker – remix * Jay Burnett – remix * John Rocca – remix * Latin Rascals – remix * Raul Soto – remix

References

{{authority control 1983 singles 1987 singles Freeez songs Songs written by Arthur Baker (musician) Song recordings produced by Arthur Baker (musician) Beggars Banquet Records singles 1983 songs