Prince and The New Power Generation thrilled the audience with a dazzling mashup of Michael Jackson’s classic “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough'' and The Time’s hit “Cool” at the Montreux Jazz Festival 2013. The Purple One and his talented groove squad served up massive doses of funk as they flawlessly integrated the two songs. The songs complement one another so well that it feels like they were always meant to be in a funky mashup one day. This mashup showed Prince’s genius at arrangement and unfailing ear. He just knew that those two cuts would sound amazing together, and it was also a really cool way for him to pay homage to MJ. And the NPG Hornz were on fire, even throwing in horn lines from Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” Weather Report's "Birdland" and Con Funk Shun’s “Ffun” to further raise the funk level. The rest of the band were also killing it. This roof-raising performance showed that Prince was still bringing the funk in large supply well into his 50s.
It’s fitting that Prince paid tribute to Michael Jackson musically rather than through a written or video statement online. Music was both his and MJ’s language, so it was the perfect medium to celebrate the pop legend, who was Prince’s contemporary and friendly rival. The two artists had a tremendous impact on music and pop culture during their relatively short time with us. Their influence is felt in many corners of contemporary music and will no doubt continue to be in the decades to come. They left such an indelible mark that it's hard to imagine what music would be like today without them. You can spot their influence in many of today’s artist/performers and their music, particularly in the genres of R&B, pop and hip hop--and even in rock and alternative in Prince's case. It’s a shame that the two never collaborated. That definitely would have been a world-shaking event for the books.
The Commodores dropped this underappreciated groove nugget in November of 1977. The band definitely delivered the funk on this rousing cut. Walter Orange handles lead-vocal duties, serving up ample helpings of gritty funk in the process. The track features blazing guitar licks, a wicked beat, brawny bass and super-charged horn charts.
The band was on fire during this period. Earlier that year, they released their hugely successful self-titled fifth album, which contains the classic hits “Easy” and “Brick House.” And they were selling out large venues across the country and abroad, thrilling audiences with their dynamic brand of Southern-fried funk and Lionel Richie’s superb balladry.
“Too Hot Ta Trot” was written by all six Commodore members. It was co-produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores. It topped Billboard's R&B singles chart, peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, and climbed to #38 on the UK singles chart.
The Commodores performed “Too Hot Ta Trot” in the 1978 disco comedy Thank God It’s Friday, which starred Donna Summer, Debra Winger and Jeff Goldblum. It was also a studio single from their album Commodores -- Live! (November 1977). It had a strong showing on the charts, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #2 on Billboard’s R&B album chart. It also saw significant chart action in other parts of the world: The Netherlands (#7), New Zealand (#8), Canada (#26) and the UK (#60).
“Too Hot Ta Trot” was also included on the Commodores’ 2001 compilation album Anthology.
The band lineup at the time they recorded “Too Hot Ta Trot” was Walter Orange (drums, vocals and keyboards), Ronald LaPread (bass and trumpet), Lionel Richie (vocals, saxophone, piano and drums), Milan Williams (keyboards, trombone and rhythm guitar), Williams King (trumpet, rhythm guitar, synthesizer and vocals) and Thomas McClary (lead guitar).
R&B/hip-hop/pop superstar Lizzo is kicking off the summer in style with some brand-new music. The three-time Grammy winner recently dropped her hot new track “About Damn Time.” It’s the lead single from her upcoming fourth album Special, which is set for release on July 15. The irresistible feel-good groove has a retro disco-funk vibe. Lizzo infuses the track with her usual unapologetic brashness and cheeky charm. It's impeccably arranged and features some excellent bass work from producer Ricky Reed. The upbeat song is the perfect soundtrack for the summer months.
Lizzo’s goal with “About Damn Time” was to uplift listeners and herself. During her interview on the radio platform Audacy, she explained her motivation for writing the song: “I think life had thrown some major traumas and hard experiences at us,” she said. “And I wanted to write a song that allowed us to take a moment to celebrate our survival, and celebrate how far we’ve come. And I think ‘About Damn Time’ does just that – it does it for me honey.”
“About Damn Time” has been burning up the charts across the globe. It’s currently at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it’s been sitting atop Billboard’s R&B singles chart for three weeks. The song has reached the top three on the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK–as well as making the top 10 in several other countries.
Lizzo previewed the song on The Late Late Show With James Corden in March, and she performed it on Saturday Night Live on April 16, in which she was also the host.
In addition to bass, Ricky Reed played the synthesizer, piano, glockenspiel and guitar. The other players on the track were Nate Mercereau (guitar), Victor Indrizzo (drums and percussion), Terrace Martin (vocoder), Michael Cordon (trumpet), Jesse McGinty (trombone and saxophone). Additional vocals were provided by Doshiniq Green, Chawnta Marie Van, Mike Wright, Shelby Swain, Blake Slatkin and Ricky Reed. “About Damn Time” was co-produced by Ricky Reed and Blake Slatkin.
The song has a fun dance-filled video, which was directed by Christian Breslauer; he has also directed videos for well-known artists such as Lil Nas X, The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch.
Lizzo has some tour dates lined up for September, October and November this year.
Lizzo performing "About Damn Time" on Saturday Night Live
The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is the ultimate rock anthem and one of the most iconic songs of all time. Keith Richards’ rousing guitar riff is forever etched in pop-culture consciousness. Just hearing it at the start of the song gets your blood pumping. Mick Jagger's narrator voices his frustration and dissatisfaction with life and its many pressures, obstacles and daily annoyances. The song also takes a jab at commercialism in modern society and how living in a consumer culture can often make a person feel alienated and insignificant if they don’t live up to the perfect image disseminated by the media via television commercials, movies and TV shows. Many listeners could relate to this, and that’s one of the factors that gave the song such widespread appeal. And although "Satisfaction" was released in 1965, its theme is still very relevant today.
The song was a transatlantic smash, topping the charts in both the UK and the U.S. It was the Rolling Stones' first No. 1 hit in America and helped them significantly broaden their fan base there. And it reached the top spot in seven other countries. In 2021, it ranked at No. 31 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Additionally, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, and it was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006.
Over the years there have been tons of covers of “Satisfaction,” some great and some terrible. I’ve made a list of five covers that I feel the artist didn’t try to emulate the Stones’ version but rather added their own original sound to create something unique and amazing.
Aretha Franklin (1968)
Aretha always made any song she covered her own, no matter what the music genre or who originally recorded it. And she did the same with “Satisfaction.” The Queen of Soul infuses some church into her powerful roof-raising rendition of the Stones classic. Her fiery vocal performance brings a whole new dynamic to the song and helps underscore its theme of feeling dissatisfied and alienated in today's consumer-driven society. It was a single from her album Aretha Arrives (1968), and it charted at #37 on the UK singles chart.
Otis Redding injects a shot of Southern soul into his dynamic rendition of “Satisfaction,” which he performed on the popular British television show “Ready Steady Go!” in 1966. The soul supernova electrified the studio audience with his powerhouse performance. And the band was cookin’. They definitely matched Otis’ energy. Watching this clip is all the evidence you need to see why he's so revered and celebrated. His studio version of “Satisfaction” was a single from his third album Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965). And it saw significant chart action, peaking at #4 on Billboard R&B singles chart and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Indie artist Alice Phoebe Lou performs a mesmerizing rendition of “Satisfaction” during a 2015 street concert in Berlin. Her hauntingly soulful vocals will give you chills. She brings an underlying sense of hopelessness and despair to the Stones classic. The South African singer-songwriter has been performing since 2013 and has released four studio albums to date and two live albums.
Quincy Jones and his talented troop of musicians give “Satisfaction” a big-band makeover. Q’s fantastic arrangement and his orchestra’s impeccable musicianship elevate this cover to sublime heights. It’s from Quincy And His Orchestra’s 1965 album Quincy Plays For Pussycats.
Pioneering new wave band Devo put their unique sonic stamp on this thrilling reinterpretation of “Satisfaction.” It shows what a talented band Devo were in that they were able to take a beloved rock classic and turn it on its head to create something new and utterly brilliant. If robots from the future formed a band and covered “Satisfaction,” it would probably sound something like this. Devo plays the herky-jerky, hyperkinetic groove with flawless precision and complete detachment as if programmed by a computer. This is a prime example of new wave at its most creative and audacious. The “Satisfaction” cover was the lead single from Devo’s debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978). It charted at #41 in the UK and #98 in Australia.
