"The Word Is Out" is a song by American singer

Jermaine Stewart William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, best known for his 1986 hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off", which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

, which was released in 1984 as the lead single from his debut studio album ''

The Word Is Out ''The Word Is Out'' is the first album by Jermaine Stewart, released in 1984. It includes "The Word Is Out", his first major single and first to enter the chart. Track listing # "The Word Is Out" (3:27) (Stewart, Greg Craig) # "I Like It" (3:15) ...

''. The song was written by Stewart, Julian Lindsay and Greg Craig, and produced by Peter Collins. "The Word Is Out" peaked at No. 41 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 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in March 1985.

Music video

The song's music video was shot in Paris. The dance sequences were shot in the settings of both an aerobic class and nightclub.

Critical reception

On its release, ''

'' noted, "Collins borrows the Shannon sound for a high-voltage setting." Radio Luxembourg DJ Mike Hollis, writing for the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'', described the song as "a good one" and predicted it would be a hit in the UK. Mat Snow of ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' considered "The Word Is Out" to be a "mildly attractive sub-Junior song". Mark Cooper of ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1' ...

'' felt the song was "very contemporary" but "rather bland". He stated, "Stewart launches his solo career with one of those dance records, all synths and drum machines thumping away like a dentist with an extractor." Graham K of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' was unfavourable, writing, "I really don't think that nicking the

Art of Noise Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...

's megalithic beat box theories will rescue a no-no tune." In a retrospective review of ''The Word Is Out'' album, Dan LeRoy of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted the song's "crunching, big-beat chorus".

Track listing

7–inch single (10 Records release) #"The Word Is Out" – 3:30 #"The Word Is Out" (Instrumental) – 4:33 7–inch single (Arista Records US release) #"The Word Is Out" – 3:27 #"Month of Mondays" – 3:27 12–inch single (Arista Records US release) #"The Word Is Out" (Extended Version) – 6:52 #"The Word Is Out" (Dub Version) – 7:04 12–inch single (Arista Records US promo release) #"The Word Is Out" (Extended Version) – 6:52 #"The Word Is Out" (Dub Version) – 7:04 #"The Word Is Out" (Short Version) – 3:30 12–inch single (10 Records release) #"The Word Is Out" (West Mix - Extended Version) – 6:52 #"The Word Is Out" – 3:30 #"The Word Is Out" (East Mix - Extended Version) – 7:00

Personnel

Production * Peter Collins – producer *

Julian Mendelsohn Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run b ...

– engineer Other * Max Vadukal – photography * Da Gama – cover design

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Word Is Out, The 1984 songs 1984 debut singles Jermaine Stewart songs Virgin Records singles Arista Records singles Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer) Songs written by Jermaine Stewart