Muscles (song)

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"Muscles"
Diana Ross Muscles.jpg
Single by Diana Ross
from the album Silk Electric
B-side"I Am Me"
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1982
Recorded1982
StudioSunset Sound Recorders, (Los Angeles, California)[1]
GenreR&B, Pop
Length3:59, 6:38
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Michael Jackson, *Diana Ross
Producer(s)Michael Jackson
Diana Ross singles chronology
"It's Never Too Late"
(1982) 		"Muscles"
(1982) 		"So Close"
(1983)
Music video
"Muscles" on YouTube

"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982 by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric.

The single reached number No. 7 in Cash Box magazine and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart. The kinky song, which was rumoured to be named after Jackson's pet snake, was written for Ross and her "desire" for a muscle-bound lover. The track featured prominent background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters.

It earned Ross a twelfth and latest Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. (Although Ross never won a competitive Grammy, she was awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS in 2012.)

The song was recorded in 1997 by producer/DJ Peter Rauhofer recording as Club 69 and was a featured single on the Club 69 album Style. The vocals on this version of "Muscles" are performed by singer-songwriter, Suzanne Palmer.

Lil' Kim sampled "Muscles" for her rap "Diamonds" but it was not included in the final cut of her album The Notorious K.I.M. Young Jeezy also sampled "Muscles" for the title track of his album The Inspiration.

Music video[]

The single's erotic music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body.[2] The video features a young Gil Birmingham (The Twilight Saga film series) in one of his first-ever media appearances.

Track listing[]

UK vinyl, 12" (12CL 268)[3]
  1. "Muscles" – 4:36
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:50
US vinyl, 12", promo (JD-13382)[4]
  1. "Muscles" – 6:38
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:50
US vinyl, 7" (PB 13348)[5]
  1. "Muscles" – 3:59
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:50
US vinyl, 7", Gold Standard Stereo (GB-13798)[6]
  1. "Muscles" – 3:59
  2. "Pieces of Ice" – 3:57
FR vinyl, 7" (2C 008-86609)[7]
  1. "Muscles" – 3:59
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:50
NE vinyl, 12" (052Z-86609)[8]
  1. "Muscles" – 4:35
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:47
NE vinyl, 7" (1A 006-86609)[9]
  1. "Muscles" – 3:59
  2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

Personnel[]

Chart performance[]

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 50
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 10
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 18
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 10
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 4
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 36

References[]

  1. ^ Allard, François; Lecocq, Richard (October 4, 2018). Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. ISBN 9781788401234. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "Diana Ross Muscles". YouTube. June 21, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  3. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  4. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  6. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". discogs.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  8. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  9. ^ "Diana Ross – Muscles". Ev.discogs.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross – Muscles" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Diana Ross" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Muscles". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  14. ^ "Charts.nz – Diana Ross – Muscles". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Diana Ross – Muscles". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  16. ^ "Diana Ross: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  17. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  18. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  19. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-21.

External links[]

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