"Why" is a song written by

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

and

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. Recorded for the film '' Soup for One'' in 1982, the film was a commercial flop but the soundtrack album was a success. One of many film-inspired singles by Simon, the song became a top 10 hit in the UK, and was successful throughout Europe.

Background

The song, like the rest of the soundtrack, was produced by

and

of Chic. This was a move away from the usual guitar-based hits of Simon's past. The bittersweet reggae-tinged ballad became a hit in Europe, hitting No. 10 in the UK, and staying on the British charts for 18 weeks. The song peaked at No. 74 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and remained on the chart for 6 weeks. The song has been included on several of Simon's compilation albums, including the three-disc '' Clouds in My Coffee'' (1995), the single-disc '' The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better'' (1999), and the two-disc '' Anthology'' (2002).

Music video

Simon released a music video for the song, which was filmed on the streets of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1982. Simon's daughter, Sally Taylor, also appears in the video, seen pouring a bottle of wine over a man's head.

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that "Simon's vocal and Chic’s

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music ( cross-rhyt ...

street groove proves just the right formula."

Later significance

In 1989, the song re-surfaced on the Ibiza "Hacienda" scene, and cemented its status as a Balearic classic. Known for its bass-line and funky drums, it was then that the growing hip-hop scene in the US began to pick it up seven years after its original release. The song re-entered the UK charts the same year, reaching No. 56. In 1990, A Tribe Called Quest would heavily sample the song for a remix of their hit single, " Bonita Applebum (12" Why? Version)". In 1999, British

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Ro ...

musician Glamma Kid heavily interpolated the song in " Why", which was also a top 10 UK hit.

Track listings and formats

;7" single *"Why" – 3:33 *"Why" (performed by Chic) – 3:33 ;12" single *"Why" (Extended Version) – 8:11 *"Why" (Instrumental) – 7:06

Charts

References

External links

Carly Simon's official websiteNile Rodgers' official website
{{Authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles Dance-pop songs Carly Simon songs Songs written by Bernard Edwards Songs written by Nile Rodgers Songs written for films Song recordings produced by Bernard Edwards Song recordings produced by Nile Rodgers Mirage Records singles Warner Music Group singles