I'm Going Down (Rose Royce song)

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"I'm Going Down"
Rose-royce-im-going-down-mca.jpg
Side A of US vinyl single
Single by Rose Royce
from the album Car Wash: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"Yo Yo"
ReleasedSeptember 1976
Recorded1976
GenreR&B, soul, soft rock
Length3:37
LabelWhitfield
Songwriter(s)Norman Whitfield
Producer(s)Norman Whitfield
Rose Royce singles chronology
"I Wanna Get Next to You"
(1977) 		"I'm Going Down"
(1976) 		"Do Your Dance"
(1977)

"I'm Going Down" is a song written and produced by Norman Whitfield, and performed by Rose Royce in 1976. It is from the film Car Wash and is featured on its soundtrack. In 1994, it was sung by Mary J. Blige.

Rose Royce version[]

The Rose Royce (original) version received moderate success. It peaked at number seventy on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number ten on the R&B singles chart. In the film Car Wash, the song serves as a double entendre, as it complements the screen time of Maureen, a forlorn prostitute who desperately seeks a chance at true love with "Joe," even as she turns tricks.

Charts[]

Charts (1977) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[1] 58
Italy (FIMI) 13
US Billboard Hot 100[2] 70
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3] 10
France (SNEP) 5

Mary J. Blige version[]

"I'm Goin' Down"
I'm Goin' Down by Mary J Blige US commercial cassette.jpg
US retail cassette variant of standard artwork
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album My Life
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1995 (1995-01-18)
Genre
Length3:44
Label
Songwriter(s)Norman Whitfield
Producer(s)
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Be Happy"
(1994) 		"I'm Goin' Down"
(1995) 		"Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
(1995)

In 1994, American R&B singer artist Mary J. Blige covered "I'm Going Down", titled "I'm Goin' Down", for her second studio album My Life (1994). Her version was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, featuring co-production from "Prince" Charles Alexander and Mark "Led" Ledford, and contains portions of "The What" (1994) by American rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Method Man. Released as the album's second single, Blige's version peaked at number thirteen on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number twenty-two on the US Billboard Hot 100. In mid-1995, Blige released a remix featuring Mr. Cheeks of The Lost Boyz. "I'm Going Down" is frequently performed at many of Blige's concerts and as well as live sets.

Critical reception[]

James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described the song as a "exceptional ultra soulful sparse dramatic 61.7bpm Rose Royce remake in authentic mid-Sixties slow Stax/Volt type".[4]

Music video[]

The music video for Blige's "I'm Goin' Down" was directed from January 14–15, 1995 by Matthew Rolston and was shot in black and white, with Blige as a lounge singer performing the song in a club, and wearing an-all black suit with a matching hat, walking downstairs (being duplicated over and over again). In the end, the bar patrons applaud her as she walks offstage.

Track listings[]

CD single[5]
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Going Down" (Album Version)3:45
2."You Bring Me Joy" (Smoove Soul Mix)5:24
3."You Bring Me Joy" (E-Smoove's Joyous Club Mix)10:12
4."You Bring Me Joy" (Smoove Funk Mix)4:38

Credits and personnel[]

Credits adapted from the My Life liner notes.[6]

Charts[]

In popular culture[]

"Oh Boy" off of Cam'ron's third album Come Home with Me samples the original Rose Royce song. Mariah Carey also sampled the song in her 2002 album Charmbracelet for the song "Boy (I Need You)". Both songs were composed by hip-hop producer Justin "Just Blaze" Smith and are almost identical.

On the episode season 3 finale of Sister, Sister, Tamera (Tamera Mowry) covered the song for a talent show, winning a bet that her sister Tia (Tia Mowry) had with her enemy—and Tamera's opponent, Marva.

  • Marcus Canty performed this song on season one of The X Factor (U.S.) during "Movie Week" and the elimination.
  • Megan Hilty performs the song in the "Tech" episode of Smash
  • Sera Hill performed the song in "Episode 5: The Blind Auditions, Part 5" episode of The Voice (U.S. season 2)
  • In the movie Little, Jordan and April perform the Mary J. Blige version of the song inside an upscale restaurant, with (13-year old) Jordan starting the performance while laying on a bar.
  • Paige Thomas performed this song as her audition for the second season of The X Factor (U.S.)
  • Taylor Beckham performed this song on "Episode 3: The Blind Auditions, Part 3" of The Voice (U.S. season 4)

References[]

  1. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5238b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  2. ^ "Rose Royce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  3. ^ "Rose Royce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  4. ^ Hamilton, James (April 1, 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "I'm Going Down". Discogs. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Blige, Mary J. (1994). My Life (Compact Disc). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records.
  7. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. April 29, 1995. p. 16.
  8. ^ "Mary J Blige: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 1995". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

External links[]

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