You Dropped a Bomb on Me
"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" | ||||
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Single by The Gap Band | ||||
from the album Gap Band IV | ||||
B-side |
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Released | August 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Genre | Synth-funk[1] | |||
Length | 4:05 (single version) 5:13 (12" single edit) 13:07 (special disco mix) | |||
Label | Total Experience | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor, Charlie Wilson | |||
Producer(s) | Lonnie Simmons | |||
The Gap Band singles chronology | ||||
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"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" is a song performed by the Gap Band, released in 1982 on producer Lonnie Simmons' label, Total Experience Records. In addition to the single release, the song was featured on the band's 1982 album Gap Band IV.
Song information[]
A notable feature of the song is its use of a synthesizer to imitate the whistling sound, as well as an exploding sound of a bomb being dropped. This is first heard immediately before the first verse, and throughout the song from the fourth chorus onward. The song also features timpani drum rolls.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the song was one of those named on the 2001 Clear Channel memorandum of "lyrically questionable" songs.[2]
Chart positions and performance[]
It reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts, No. 39 on the dance charts, and No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3]
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Dance Club Songs | 39 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
US Billboard Hot Black Singles | 2 |
In popular culture[]
- The song is featured in a Walmart Christmas holiday television commercial which started airing in October 2017.[4]
- The song is frequently played at sporting events. For example, it is played at San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Miami Marlins home games when a player from the home team hits a home run.
- The song is also played in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the in-game radio station, Bounce FM.
- Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl revealed that the song inspired the drumbeat for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".[5]
References[]
- ^ Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam (August 27, 2015). "10 Essential Synth-Funk tracks". Treble. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ Foege, Alec (14 April 2009). Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio. Faber & Faber. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-4299-2367-5.
- ^ "The Gap Band > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "Walmart TV Commercial, 'Standing Ovation' Song by The Gap Band". iSpot.tv. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Grohl Inspired By Disco Drum Beats". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
External links[]
- You Dropped a Bomb on Me music video from The Gap Band's Vevo page
- 1982 singles
- The Gap Band songs
- Songs written by Lonnie Simmons
- Songs written by Charlie Wilson (singer)
- Songs written by Rudy Taylor
- 1982 songs
- Memphis Grizzlies
- San Francisco Giants