"Pieces of Ice" is a song written by

Marc Jordan Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

and

John Capek John Joseph Capek is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, producer. Biography John Capek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). on 27 November 1947. He is the son of Fred Capek, a concert pianist and Mechanical Engineer, and ...

and recorded by American singer Diana Ross. It was produced by

Gary Katz Gary Katz is an American record producer, best known for his work on albums by Steely Dan. Katz has also produced numerous other recording artists and assisted in the discovery and signing of a number of subsequently successful acts. Career ...

, and was released on June 7, 1983 as the first single from the singer's self-titled '' Ross'' album. It was the only simultaneous top forty single the singer scored on this album, which was one of her rare misses on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in the early 1980s. In the US, the song reached #31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #15 on the soul singles chart. In Europe, "Pieces of Ice" peaked at #46 in the UK, and it charted best in Norway, where it reached #8. The song was released in three different version lengths: a 7-inch version at 3:57, an album version at 4:58, and the 12-inch version at 7:19. The US-released 12-inch single also includes an instrumental version as its B-side.

Music video

The accompanying

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "Pieces of Ice" was the first to feature Bob Giraldi as director; he would direct several Ross videos during this period, and features Ross in a slithery red bodysuit. It was also the first video that showcased choreography in Ross' videos.

Personnel

*Diana Ross − lead vocals *Gary Katz − producer *

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

− guitar * Larry Carlton − guitar *

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working o ...

− drums *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

− keyboards, keyboard bass *

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...

− saxophone, flute

Charts

Influence

The song heavily influenced the theme and title of American children’s author Timothy Bellavia‘s

Young Adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

graphic novel. Bellavia's book with the same title was nominated for Outstanding

LGTBQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is an ...

Memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

at the

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

Award in 2009.

References

{{Authority control 1983 singles Diana Ross songs American new wave songs Post-disco songs Music videos directed by Bob Giraldi 1983 songs 1982 songs Dance-pop songs Songs written by John Capek Songs written by Marc Jordan RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Gary Katz
''Pieces of Ice''