"Trapped" is a song by American musician

Colonel Abrams Colonel Abrams (May 25, 1949 – November 24, 2016) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Early life Colonel Abrams was born in Detroit, Michigan. His family later moved to East 13 Street, in Manhattan's East Village, Manhattan, East ...

, released in 1985 as the first single from his first album ''Colonel Abrams''. It has since become known as Abrams'

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

and still receives airplay on dance radio stations in the UK and the US. This song has arguably remained Abrams' biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic, topping the US

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart for one week in September 1985 and peaking at number 20 on the soul chart. Overseas, it went to number three on the UK Singles Chart. Produced by British record producer Richard Burgess in 1984, "Trapped" is widely considered the precursor to

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

, and is referred to as a proto-house track and a precursor to

garage house Garage house (originally known as "garage"; local terms include "New York house" and New Jersey sound) is a dance music style that was developed alongside Chicago house music. The genre was popular in the 1980s in the United States and the 1990s ...

Legacy

Mike Stock of

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...

stated that "Trapped" was a big influence on the 1987

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

smash hit "

Never Gonna Give You Up "Never Gonna Give You Up" is a pop song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his List of signature songs, signature song, and it is often played at the end o ...

Track listings

*12-inch single *7-inch single

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* *Hell Interface - {{discogs release, 2967, Trapped
''Trapped''
featured in ''Private Browsing'' sketch from

Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. Presenter Dara Ó Briain and pan ...

series 13, episode 11 1984 songs 1985 singles Song recordings produced by Richard James Burgess Colonel Abrams songs MCA Records singles