"Turn the Beat Around" is a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer

Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson (May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000) was an American theatre and film actress, and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around". Early life Bor ...

in 1976 (see

1976 in music A list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1976. __TOC__ Specific locations * 1976 in British music * 1976 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1976 in country music * 1976 in heavy metal music * 1976 in jazz Events Ja ...

), originally appearing on her debut album, '' Never Gonna Let You Go'' (1976). Released as a single, the song went to #10 on the ''

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 ...

'' pop charts, and #73 on the ''Billboard'' soul chart. The song earned Robinson a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

. The track also went to number one on the ''Billboard'' disco chart for four weeks. "Turn the Beat Around" is considered a disco classic and is featured on many compilation albums.

Background

"Turn the Beat Around" was written by brothers Gerald and Peter Jackson of the R&B outfit Touch of Class. Peter Jackson knew Al Garrison, an engineer at Associated Studios in New York, through Jackson's work as a session drummer, and it was at Associated Studios that Touch of Class cut its own

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

s. Peter Jackson recalls that one Sunday at noontime "I called Al and said...we want to come in and ut ademo...He was leaving at four...He said: 'My girl riend��s coming to pick me up for dinner. You have to be done y then" Garrison's girlfriend turned out to be singer Vicki Sue Robinson whose debut album was nearing completion requiring one additional track. On arriving at Associated Studios that Sunday, Robinson overheard the playback of the "Turn the Beat Around" demo which Touch of Class had just recorded and according to Peter Jackson said: "Oh, man, I’ve gotta have that song." Gerald and Peter Jackson initially demurred, wishing to submit "Turn the Beat Around" along with four earlier demos to be green-lighted for the Touch of Class debut album. Peter Jackson - "Monday he next day Gerald and I go up to Midland ouch of Class' label We’re excited because we know this song Turn the Beat Around"is slammin’... idlandtook the other four songs and they passed on that one. They said: 'We don't like that one. The lyrics move too fast. You have that jungle beat in there. It's not what's happening'." Peter Jackson resultantly called Vicki Sue Robinson to give her the song for her album. When Jackson told Robinson: "'I'll meet you down on Thirty-Fourth Street ith the demo she said: 'I lreadymade Al give me a copy.'" Robinson recorded "Turn the Beat Around" on September 26, 1975, cutting her lead vocal in a single take after recording her own multi-tracked chorale vocals. Like the other cuts on Robinson's debut album ''Never Gonna Let You Go'', "Turn the Beat Around" was recorded at RCA Studios with producer

Warren Schatz Warren Schatz, born in New York City, is a prominent producer, arranger and orchestra conductor during the 1970s. Warren Schatz is famous for composing, producing, arranging, and conducting the orchestra for such mid- to late-1970s disco recordin ...

who recalls the basic master of the song was recorded "on a Friday after a very depressing week of rain ndI hated he track I listened to it in my office and I just couldn't get it. It had been such a bad week that I just couldn't hear anything with an open mind. Then David Todd, the head of disco promotion at RCA, came into my office and he went crazy over the track! He convinced me to finish it as soon as possible." Issued as a single in February 1976 "Turn the Beat Around" became a club smash subsequently breaking on

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

radio in Boston - where it would reach #1 that June - to make a gradual ascent on the national Pop chart: the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 to reach a #10 peak in August 1976.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Laura Branigan version

American singer-songwriter and actress

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for ...

covered the song in 1990, becoming the first major artist to do so. It was released as the third and final single from her self-titled sixth studio album (1990), however only to radio and clubs. The song was co-produced by Branigan and

Steve Lindsey Steve Lindsey (born Steve Clark Lindsey; May 6, 1956) is an American record producer, songwriter music publisher and music industry executive. Early life Steve Lindsey, born in New York City, to Mort Lindsey and his wife Judy. He had a conn ...

for the album, with several remix versions following garnering significant play in

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

clubs.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from ''

'' wrote, "Trend-conscious rendition of

classic lacks the spark needed to ignite widespread action, though Branigan's sonic vocal attack is always a treat."

Track listings

Gloria Estefan version

In 1994 (see

1994 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994. Specific locations * 1994 in British music * 1994 in Norwegian music Specific genres *1994 in country music * 1994 in heavy metal music * 1994 in hip hop music * ...

), the song was recorded by Cuban-American singer and songwriter

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

for the soundtrack to the film ''

The Specialist ''The Specialist'' is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger. It is loosely based on "The Specialist" series of novels by John Shirley. ...

'', starring

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

and

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

. It is also featured on Estefan's fourth solo album, ''

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" is a song written by Harry Noble and originally performed by Karen Chandler in 1952. It has been re-recorded several times since then, the most notable covers being by Mel Carter in 1965 and Gloria Estefan in 1994. ...

'' (1994). Released as a single, it became a hit reaching number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Estefan also took the song to the top spot on ''Billboard'''s

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, making it her first number-one song on that chart in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. In Australia and New Zealand the song charted at number 8 and 18. In Europe, the song peaked at number 21 in the United Kingdom, number 24 in Scotland, number 27 in the Netherlands and number 29 in Belgium. Estefan performed the song as her opening performance in VH1's first ever Divas Live. In 2018, Australian music channel Max included Estefan's "Turn the Beat Around" in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Critical reception

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 ...

editor Eddie Huffman deemed the song a "brilliant pop hit". Maryann Scheufele from AXS noted that "this song is a sound that moved girls to dance like Gloria Estefan. She was a leader in the freedom of movement otherwise known as Latino style."

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 ''

'' wrote that Estefan "has not delivered a pop single with this much verve and energy in a long while. The groove is reminiscent of her own classic "

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). ...

", and it is wrapped in delicious layers of live strings and horns. An inspired pairing of song and artist that will likely spark heavy top 40 and club activity." Pip Ellwood-Hughes from Entertainment Focus described it as a "raucous dance number". Josef Woodard from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' said that Estefan's "easygoing charms still do the trick" on the song. Joey Guerra from ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' called it "a pulsing rendition". Jeremy Griffin from ''

The Ithacan Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and g ...

'' declared it as a "rousing cover". Pan-European magazine ''

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 ...

'' commented that Gloria "revives her

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music that had featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami ...

days of fatback

by covering an old

song." Alan Jones 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 ...

'' rated it three out of five, declaring it "an intoxicating mix of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

rhythms and disco sensibilities. Likely to earn her a substantial hit." Brad Beatnik from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update deemed it a "fairly standard disco fare" from Estefan. John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' noted it as a "classic remake" of the 1976 "Top 10 gem", adding that it has "uptempo flavor spiced with trademark Miami Sound Machine overtones". A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' called it "an exuberant run" through Robinson's disco classic, that "demand repeated listens." Phil Shanklin of ReviewsRevues wrote, "This is an excellent choice for Gloria whose voice is similar to Vicki Sue’s". He stated that "it has the same Latin vibe as the best of Miami Sound Machine".

Music video

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced to promote the single, directed by German feature film director and producer

Marcus Nispel Marcus Nispel is a German film director and producer, Fulbright Scholar, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', as well as an extensive career in television commercials and music videos. H ...

. It features Gloria performing with her band atop of a large building, while a helicopter are flying in the air above them. In between, there are clips from the movie ''

''. The video was later published on Gloria's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel in October 2013. It has amassed more than 9 million views as of May 2022.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions and appearances in media

*The chorus is used in the lead out of the 1982

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their plat ...

song "Memorabilia". *

Lil Suzy Suzanne Casale Melone (' Casale; born March 1, 1979), better known by her stage name Lil Suzy, is an Italian-Puerto Rican American freestyle/ pop singer who was mainly active in the 1990's. Lil Suzy is best known for the singles " Take Me in Yo ...

covered the song for her 1993 album ''

Back to Dance ''Back to Dance'' is Lil Suzy's second studio album. It was released on 11 January 1994 by Warlock Records and sees a closer collaboration with hit producer Tony "Dr. Freestyle" Garcia. It contains a new remix of "Take Me in Your Arms" from her p ...

''. It was released as the lead single. *

Cobra Starship Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, ''While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enliste ...

covered the song for the MTV movie of the same name. *A television advertisement for "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" featuring

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award no ...

contains the parody "Turn the Tub Around" * In the second ''Star Wars Family Guy'' episode, the song is parodied as "Turn the Ship Around". * In 2003, the

's version is used in Mitsubishi Kuda Grandia advertisement in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

along with the three

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

songs: It's My Life,

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...

and

Everyday Everyday or Every Day may refer to: Books * ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012 Film * ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt * ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...

. *The 2005 song "

Perfection Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence. The terminology, term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discrete a ...

" by

Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...

and the

Soul Seekerz Soul Seekerz (also known under the names Soulseekerz, Soulseekers and The Soul Seekerz) are an English dance music group and remix/production outfit, consisting of DJ/producers Julian Napolitano and Simon Langford. Biography Soul Seekerz are ...

samples "Turn the Beat Around". * This song was covered many times on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''. Both

Carmen Rasmusen Carmen Rasmusen Herbert (born March 25, 1985) is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar. Early life Rasmusen was born on March 25, 1985 in ...

and

Diana DeGarmo Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of ''American Idol'', releasing her debut studio album, '' Blue Skies'', later that year. The ...

performed this song at the Top 6 of ''American Idol'' Season 2 and

Season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...

, respectively. Haley Scarnato also covered this on the sixth season of ''

''.

Jessica Sanchez Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. Early life Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez was born in Chula ...

performed the song on the Top 12 of ''American Idol'' Season 11. * This song is featured on the 2012 movie ''

Pitch Perfect ''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knap ...

'', as part of the performance by the group Barden Bellas. * The song appeared in the 2015 movie '' The Martian'' directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

and starring

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

. * The song is featured in the 2016

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series "

The Get Down ''The Get Down'' is an American musical drama television series created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The series debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, and was cancelled after the first season. Produced by Sony Pictures Television ...

" created by

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

. * The Vicki Sue Robinson recording of the song appears in the 2016 episode of the drama ''

Elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...

'', “Turn it Upside-Down”. * The beat from the Vikki Sue Robinson original was used in the

Jam & Spoon Jam & Spoon were a German electronic music duo formed in 1991 in Frankfurt. The group consisted of composers and producers Rolf Ellmer (a.k.a. Jam El Mar, classically trained composer) and Markus Löffel (a.k.a. Mark Spoon, DJ). They also worke ...

trance classic Odyssey to Anyoona.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turn The Beat Around 1976 singles 1994 singles 1976 songs Atlantic Records singles Epic Records singles RCA Victor singles Vicki Sue Robinson songs Laura Branigan songs Gloria Estefan songs Disco songs Music videos directed by Marcus Nispel Songs about dancing Songs about music