Let's All Chant
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"Let's All Chant" is a song written by American record producer and composer
Michael Zager Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, network television, and theme music for films. He teaches music at Florida Atlantic University. Zager was a m ...
and Alvin Fields, and performed by the
Michael Zager Band Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, network television, and theme music for films. He teaches music at Florida Atlantic University. Zager was a m ...
. It was based on an idea originally suggested by former
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
head of A&R Jerry Love after he visited clubs in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
and saw people endlessly chanting "Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah". Although Zager was first embarrassed when Love asked him to write a song using these chants, he accepted the proposal and later co-wrote "Let's All Chant" with Fields. The opening track and lead single from the group's eponymous LP, "Let's All Chant" was released as a single in December 1977, with the track "Love Express" as a B-side. An unexpected smash hit, the single reached number one on the disco chart and crossed over to the Soul Singles chart, where it peaked at number 15, and to the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at number 36. In Europe, the single reached the top 10 in several countries, including the UK, Ireland and France. In Italy it peaked at number 2. It eventually sold five million copies worldwide. Recognizable by both its vocal hooks and its classical section, which is featured in the middle of the song, "Let's All Chant" was well received by critics, who have praised its musical arrangement and its catchiness. Many reviewers regard the song as a classic of the disco era. It also became a turning point in Michael Zager's career. As well as being used in many TV advertisements and movies, it has become an influential dance song that has been extensively covered or remixed by numerous artists and has been interpolated or sampled in many other tracks.


Background and recording

When he was still at
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
, Michael Zager met Jerry Love, a former head of A&R at
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
. After Love subsequently left the record label, he and Zager formed the Michael Zager Moon's Band in 1976. Love frequented
Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...
and went to clubs every night. One evening, he went to
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
to visit several clubs and noted that people were continuously singing "Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah" to every tune that was played in order to increase their own participation and pleasure. The next day, he described the scene to Zager and suggested that Zager write a song incorporating the "Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah" vocals. Zager told Love: "You have to be kidding; that's embarrassing!" Love commented that everybody was doing it and that if Zager wrote a song using these chants, dancers would love it. In parallel, the group's name was changed to the Michael Zager Band and they signed with the label
Private Stock Records Private Stock Records was a record label that operated from 1974 to 1978. The label was founded by Larry Uttal after he left Bell Records. The label primarily focused on pop music and had numerous hit records, many of them one-hit wonders, incl ...
. For their forthcoming LP, Zager wrote two songs, "Let's All Chant" and "Love Express", together with Alvin Fields. The co-writer shared lead vocals on "Let's All Chant" with session singers Dollette McDonald and Billy Baker. Zager added a classical section to the track. He later remarked:
The reason I added the piccolo trumpet and classical section in the middle of "Let's All Chant" was mainly because I was embarrassed! I thought it was so stupid with that "Ooh-ah" sound in it that I wanted to add something to lift the track musically. I have a classical background and went to a music conservatory, so I was really feeling embarrassed
"Let's All Chant" and "Love Express" were both recorded at the Secret Sound Studios, in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. Once the tracks were recorded, Zager told Fields: "I'm gonna kill you if this isn't a hit!"


Composition

"Let's All Chant" is a disco song driven by a repetitive
bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
, handclaps and numerous vocal hooks (such as "Ah-ah, eh-eh, let's all chant" and "Your body, my body, everybody work your body"). These typical disco
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
are about
dancing Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...
and working one's body. The song's instrumentation also includes Afro-Cuban drums, a "rollicking"
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
line and a clarinet (played by woodwind doubler George Marge), marked by a
piccolo trumpet The piccolo trumpet is the smallest member of the trumpet family, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B picco ...
solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...
that sounds "like it's straight out of the ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
'' opening theme song". The song's
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
is 121 bpm and is very close to the average tempo of a standard disco song (120 bpm). According to
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewer Alex Henderson, the combination of the "European-influenced, oddly
baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
" feeling with a "catchy
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
/
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
beat" grabs the attention of the listener and encourages him to discover the rest of the eponymous LP.


Commercial performance and sales

"Let's All Chant" was released as a single with "Love Express" as a B-side in December 1977, on Christmas week. Zager thought it was the worst time to release the single because many artists usually released their albums during this period and thought the single would only become a "disco hit". However, the single became an unexpected smash hit. It climbed to number one on the disco chart on February 18, 1978, knocking
Cerrone Marc CerroneDaryl Easlea, "Supernature Boy", ''Record Collector'', #502, February 2020, pp.60-63 (; born 24 May 1952) is a French disco drummer, composer, record producer and creator of concerts. Cerrone is a producer of 1970s and 1980s disco s ...
's " Supernature" off the top spot, and remained atop the chart for one week, before being toppled by Bionic Boogie's " Dance Little Dreamer". In the US, "Let's All Chant" also charted at number 15 on the Soul Singles chart, number 25 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles, number 31 on the ''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...
'' and number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Canada, the single peaked at number two on the dance chart (behind "Supernature") and at number 27 on the
singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
. A
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was simultaneously released. The single did even better in Europe, reaching the top 10 in several countries. It peaked at number eight on both the UK Singles Chart and the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
. In the Netherlands, the song reached the fourth place on the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
and the
Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
charts and stayed for thirteen weeks on both charts. It also reached number four in Switzerland, where it became the 25th best-selling single of the year 1978. In France, "Let's All Chant" peaked at number five and became the eleventh best-selling single of 1978 in this country. In Belgium, it peaked at number two for three weeks, and remains the eight best-selling single of the year. The single also reached number 14 in West Germany and stayed for 21 weeks on the national chart. By July 1979, the single had sold over three million copies worldwide and eventually went on to sell five million copies worldwide, selling about 6 to 700,000 copies in the US. It was also certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association ( CRIA) for certified sales of 75,000 copies.


Critical reception

Critically,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Henderson provided a mixed description of the track. Although he criticized the lyrics for being "usual disco clichés", he also called the song "quirky", "infectious" and "interesting" and viewed "Let's All Chant" as one of the most "unorthodox disco hits of 1978". In their book ''Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco'', Alan Jones and Jussi Kantonen described the song as being "supremely catchy and melodic, with a quite miraculous classical chamber music-style break in the middle" and considered the track "a key recording that instantly defines the disco era." They also regarded "Let's All Chant" as the high point in Michael Zager's career. In 2006, ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' ranked the song number 50 in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs list, describing it as a "deft mix of disco, funk and baroque-pop" and writing that the song's breakdown made it special. The track was also ranked 165th on the 700 Top Disco Songs, a list drawn up by several DJs from all over the world.


Track listings

*7" single #"Let's All Chant" – 3:07 #"Love Express" – 2:52 *12" single #"Let's All Chant" – 7:03 #"Love Express" – 7:01 *Reissue – 12" maxi #"Let's All Chant" – 7:05 #"Traffic Jam" – 7:09 #"Traffic Jam (Dub Mix)" – 4:03


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Sales and certifications


Impact and influence

Following the song's release and worldwide success, "Let's All Chant" introduced Michael Zager in the mainstream and became a turning point in his career :
The song is bigger than ever, along with many other recordings I produced/composed etc. For example the Spinners' ' Working My Way Back to You' and '
Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...
' along with ' Right Before My Eyes' by Patti Day. But 'Let's All Chant' really put me on the 'map' as a composer, producer and arranger.
Private Stock promoted Michael Zager Band's eponymous LP due to the success of the song. It became a contributing factor the success of the LP. It also remains an influential dance track that has been heavily used on TV and in movies, as well as being covered or remixed by numerous artists or interpolated or sampled in other songs.


Appearances


Movies

*"Let's All Chant" is heard in the 1978 movie '' Eyes of Laura Mars'', while Laura Mars is setting up an elaborate shoot juxtaposing murder and high fashion. *The song is featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 movie '' The Last Days of Disco''. *It is used in the 1999 movie ''
Summer of Sam ''Summer of Sam'' is a 1999 American crime thriller film about the 1977 David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) serial murders and their effect on a group of fictional residents of an Italian-American neighborhood in The Bronx in the late 1970s. It focu ...
''. *It is used in the 2021 Spanish-language Netflix film '' Las Leyes de la Frontera''.


Television

*On November 17, 1978, the song was featured in " Ute und Manuela", the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the TV series ''
Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...
''. *In September 2006, it was used in a
TV advertising A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
for Médiatis.


Cover versions and remixes

*In 1988, British duo
Pat and Mick Pat and Mick were a British pop duo, consisting of popular radio personalities Pat Sharp and Mick Brown, both of whom are from London. They released cover versions each year from 1988 to 1993, achieving a top-10 hit with their 1989 single " I ...
covered the song. It was released as their debut single with "On the Night" as the B-side and was credited to "Mick and Pat". This version reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...
. *In 1996, "Let's All Chant" was remixed by UK based producer and DJ Gusto. His version peaked at number 43 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 Singles chart and at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. *In 2002, it was remade by DJ Valium under the title "DJ Valium feat. Michael Zager". It charted in several countries, reaching number 42 in France, number 44 in Austria and number 73 in Germany. *In the same year, it was covered by French act Seventy Three. Their version reached number 41 on the
French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
and was used in an advertisement for
Orangina Orangina () is a lightly carbonated beverage made from carbonated water, 12% citrus juice (10% from concentrated Orange juice, orange, 2% from a combination of concentrated Lemon juice, lemon, concentrated mandarin orange, mandarin, and concentr ...
in June 2003—and later in an advertisement for
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
in November 2003—in that country. *Disco Queen also covered the song in 2003. Their version peaked at number 10 on the Greek charts. *In 2010,
Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...
remixed the song. The remix was used in a TV advertising for Oasis Tea. *In the same year, the song was remixed by French DJs DatA, Nôze and DJ Zebra.


Interpolations

*In 2011, "Let's All Chant" was interpolated in " Galera" by Congolese-French singer
Jessy Matador Jessy Kimbangi (), better known by his stage name Jessy Matador, is a List of French singers, French singer. Biography Matador began his career as a dancer in 2001. He later joined the group Dany Engobo’s band Les Cœurs Brisés (The Broken ...
, which features King Kuduro and Bra Zil, and peaked at number 68 in France. *In 2012, it was interpolated in "My Party" by German female artist DJane HouseKat and rapper Rameez. "My Party" charted well in Europe, reaching number 25 in Denmark, the top 20 in Switzerland and the top 10 in Austria and Germany. It also peaked at number 19 on the Dance Bubbling Under in Wallonia.


Charts


Pat & Mick version


Gusto version


DJ Valium version


Seventy Three version


Disco Queen version


Jessy Matador feat. King Kuduroand Bra Zil interpolation


DJane HouseKat feat. Rameez interpolation


Samples

In 2008 Buy Now! sampled "Let's All Chant" on their song "Body Crash". The track peaked at number six on both the Flemish and Walloon Ultratop Dance charts * *


See also

* List of number-one dance singles of 1978 (U.S.)


References


Bibliography

* * * {{authority control 1977 songs 1977 singles 1988 debut singles Pat and Mick songs Private Stock Records singles Songs written by Michael Zager American disco songs