"Casanova" is a 1987 single by American
R&B vocal group
LeVert
LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of Sean and Gerald Levert (sons of Eddie Levert, founder and lead singer of R&B/Soul vocal group O'Jays) and Marc Gordon.Wells, ...
, written and produced by
Reggie Calloway
Reggie Calloway is a Grammy nominated American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician and record executive. His career spans 45 years in the entertainment industry. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the founder and leader of the ...
. It reached number five on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart and number nine on 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 ...
, LeVert's only Top Ten (and Top-40) on either chart. It was the first
new jack swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...
song to reach number one on the
''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles chart. It topped the chart for two weeks, becoming the group's second number-one. It has become a standard number for
brass bands following its popularization by the
Rebirth Brass Band
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins,Skelly, RichardAllMusic Profile Retrieved 2013-02-9 and classmates from Joseph S. Clark ...
. The song is featured in 1987's ''
The Pick-Up Artist'', starring
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
and
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an or ...
, and appears on the soundtrack album of the
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
movie ''
Fatal Beauty
''Fatal Beauty'' is a 1987 American action comedy thriller film directed by Tom Holland, and starring Whoopi Goldberg as Detective Rita Rizzoli, and Sam Elliott as Mike Marshak. The screenplay was written by Hilary Henkin and Dean Riesner. The ...
'', released the same year.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Ultimate Kaos version
British
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Ultimate Kaos
Ultimate Kaos (stylised as Ultimate KAOS) were a British boyband from the 1990s, who were formed by Simon Cowell. Its original members comprised Jomo Baxter, Jayde Spence, Ryan Elliott, Nick Grant and the then 9 years old Haydon Eshun.
Career ...
released a cover of "Casanova" as the lead single from their second album, ''The Kaos Theory'', in February 1997. It reached the top 10 in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. On June 1, 1998,
it was re-released and entered the top 20 in Australia.
Track listing
CD maxi
# "Casanova" (7-inch mix)
# "Casanova" (7-inch club mix)
# "Casanova" (
C&J R&B mix)
# "Who's Got the Flavour"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1987 singles
1997 singles
Atlantic Records singles
LeVert songs
Mercury Records singles
New jack swing songs
Polydor Records singles
Songs written by Reggie Calloway
Ultimate Kaos songs