Solid (Ashford & Simpson song)

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"Solid"
Single by Ashford & Simpson
from the album Solid
B-side"Solid (Dub version) (US)
Cherish Forever More (South Africa)"
ReleasedNovember 9, 1984
Recorded1984
Genre
Length
  • 5:12 (album version)
  • 3:46 (single version)
  • 3:21 (radio edit)
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Nickolas Ashford
  • Valerie Simpson
Ashford & Simpson singles chronology
"I'm Not That Tough"
(1984) 		"Solid"
(1984) 		"Babies"
(1985)

"Solid" is a song recorded by husband-and-wife songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson. It was featured on their album Solid (1984), and released as a single in November of that year, and peaked at number one on the US soul chart.

Background[]

The song was written by the duo and follows a similar template of most of their hits for other artists, except with a slight 1980s inflection to the music. In the lyrics, the narrators of the song celebrate the fact that, through all the difficulties and problems their relationship has faced, they made their love stronger by learning how to forgive and trust each other, and their love for one another remains "solid as a rock".

Music video[]

The video is set on a rainy afternoon in a park. Valerie Simpson exits a taxi in a park on a cloudy day, and escapes from a sudden downpour underneath a bridge. As she sings the opening of the song a cappella, Nick Ashford arrives and joins in. As the video progresses, they are joined by others, including a cyclist in yellow spandex, a gang who just want to sing, and several bongo players, also trying to escape the downpour.[1]

Personnel[]

  • Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson – vocals
  • Sid McGinnis – guitar
  • Francisco Centeno – bass
  • Valerie Simpson – synthesizers
  • Ed Walsh – synthesizer programming
  • Chris Parker – drums
  • Jimmy Simpson – percussion
  • Vinny Della Rocca, Michael Brecker – saxophone
  • Joe Mosello – trumpet
  • Ashford & Simpson, Ray Simpson, Ullanda McCullough, Vivian Cherry – backing vocals
  • Tim Cox - recording engineer

Filming location[]

The video was shot in New York City in Central Park at the Willowdell Arch (

 WikiMiniAtlas
40°46′12″N 73°58′16.4″W / 40.77000°N 73.971222°W / 40.77000; -73.971222).

Charts[]

Weekly chart performance for "Solid"
Chart (1984/1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 21
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [4] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 2
Ireland (IRMA) 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 3
UK Singles Chart[10] 3
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[11] 34
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 12
US "Billboard" Dance/Disco[13] 15
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[14] 1
Year-end chart performance for "Solid"
Chart (1985) Peak
position
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[15] 80

In other media[]

  • The song was featured during the closing credits of the 208th episode of Santa Barbara from 20 May 1985.[16][17]
  • The song features in the UK sitcom Peep Show episode "Wedding" first shown in the UK in 2004. One of the main characters, Jez, marries Nancy in order for her to remain in the country. During the episode Jez is forced to dance his first dance alone as Nancy is called away for a job interview, that first song being "Solid".[18]
  • The song also featured in an episode of the sitcom Arrested Development, where it is ironically played at the opening ceremony of a new house, which is almost instantaneously knocked down.
  • In 2009, Ashford & Simpson remade the song in honor of President Barack Obama, calling it "Solid (As Barack)".[19]
  • Featured in FRED: the Movie (2010) in one of Fred's daydreams.

References[]

  1. ^ music video in Dailymotion.com
  2. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  4. ^ "RPM Weekly Top Singles - March 9, 1985 (Volume 41, No. 26)". Library and Archives Canada. RPM Weekly (archived). March 9, 1985. Retrieved February 25, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ http://www.swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Ashford+%26+Simpson&titel=Solid&cat=s
  6. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  7. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid". Top 40 Singles.
  8. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid". Singles Top 100.
  9. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid". Swiss Singles Chart.
  10. ^ "Ashford & Simpson – Solid – Official Singles Charts". UK Singles Chart. November 17, 1984. Retrieved April 4, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 23.
  12. ^ "Ashford & Simpson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 24.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 36.
  15. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. December 28, 1985. p. T-21.
  16. ^ "Episodes".
  17. ^ "Episodes calendar 1985".
  18. ^ "Wedding". December 17, 2004.
  19. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 16, 2009). "'Solid (As Barack)': Ashford & Simpson finally catch up on their DVR-ed 'SNL' episodes". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2013.

External links[]



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