Forget Me Nots
Encyclopedia
"Forget Me Nots" is a 1982
hit
recording
by R&B singer songwriter Patrice Rushen
.
Originally deemed by record label
executives as a "flop", Rushen released the song and the song became a Top 40
(#23) pop, Top 5
(#4) R&B, and Top 5 (#2) dance hit on the Billboard charts and is the hit she's most notable for. Patrice Rushen
was nominated for a Grammy Award
on the Grammy Awards 25th anniversary
for Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
. Rushen had a number of songs on the R & B and Jazz charts, but this was her only U.S. Top 40 hit and ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 1980s.
The bass line is particularly recognizable, and was performed on the record by session bass player Freddie Washington
.
The classic tenor saxophone solo was played by Gerald Albright, Los Angeles session player and recording artist. Gerald also appears in the music video of the song.
The lyrics are from the point of view of one professing her longing for a rekindling with an ex-lover. She ruminates on the romance's end, and sends the lover forget-me-not
s, a flower that since medieval times has been given and worn to symbolize enduring love despite absence or separation.
Along with being prominently featured in Tom Hanks hit movie, Big
, the song
has been frequently sampled
. These include George Michael
in "Fastlove
" (which samples the song near the end), Will Smith
in his 1997 hit, "Men in Black
" from the film of the same name
, the French
rapper MC Solaar
on Les Temps Changent from his funk-inspired Paradisiaque
album, and also by hip hop artists The Beatnuts in "Give Me Tha Ass" from the Stone Crazy LP. In addition, Australia
n satirist Pauline Pantsdown
sampled it heavily in the song "Backdoor Man" in 1997.
The song has also been covered directly by several artists. In 1991, the electronic band Tongue 'n' Cheek
recorded a dance version of "Forget Me Nots," which at #26 in the UK singles chart. In 1996, Eurodance
/Dance-pop
duo La Bouche
covered it on their remix album, All Mixed Up. In 2006, jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour
collaborated with Patrice Rushen and South Africa
n singer Zamajobe on a cover version of the song for his album, Smoke 'n Mirrors. Zamajobe sang the lead vocal, with Rushen on background vocals, Fender Rhodes and an organ solo. The version featured a brief African rhythm interlude.
In 2007, German dance project Vinylshakerz
released their version of Forget Me Nots.
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
hit
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
by R&B singer songwriter Patrice Rushen
Patrice Rushen
Patrice Rushen is a Grammy Award-winning African American R&B and jazz vocalist, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
.
Originally deemed by record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
executives as a "flop", Rushen released the song and the song became a Top 40
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
(#23) pop, Top 5
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
(#4) R&B, and Top 5 (#2) dance hit on the Billboard charts and is the hit she's most notable for. Patrice Rushen
Patrice Rushen
Patrice Rushen is a Grammy Award-winning African American R&B and jazz vocalist, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
on the Grammy Awards 25th anniversary
Grammy Awards of 1983
The 25th Grammy Awards were held February 23, 1983. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.-Awards:*Record of the Year**Toto for "Rosanna"*Album of the Year**Toto for Toto IV...
for Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
. Rushen had a number of songs on the R & B and Jazz charts, but this was her only U.S. Top 40 hit and ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 1980s.
The bass line is particularly recognizable, and was performed on the record by session bass player Freddie Washington
Freddie Washington (bassist)
"Ready" Freddie Washington is an American session bassist who has played with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, Aaron Neville, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, B.B...
.
The classic tenor saxophone solo was played by Gerald Albright, Los Angeles session player and recording artist. Gerald also appears in the music video of the song.
The lyrics are from the point of view of one professing her longing for a rekindling with an ex-lover. She ruminates on the romance's end, and sends the lover forget-me-not
Forget-me-not
Myosotis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae that are commonly called Forget-me-nots. Its common name was calqued from the French, "ne m'oubliez pas" and first used in English in c. 1532. Similar names and variations are found in many languages.-Description:There are...
s, a flower that since medieval times has been given and worn to symbolize enduring love despite absence or separation.
Along with being prominently featured in Tom Hanks hit movie, Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
, the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
has been frequently sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. These include George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
in "Fastlove
Fastlove
"Fastlove" is a song by George Michael, released by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and Dreamworks Records in the United States in 1996.-History:...
" (which samples the song near the end), Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
in his 1997 hit, "Men in Black
Men in Black (song)
"Men in Black" is a song by Will Smith from the movie Men in Black, in which he also starred. The song plays during the movie's closing credits...
" from the film of the same name
Men in Black
Men in Black , in American popular culture and in UFO conspiracy theories, are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves...
, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rapper MC Solaar
MC Solaar
MC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....
on Les Temps Changent from his funk-inspired Paradisiaque
Paradisiaque
Paradisiaque was the third studio album released by MC Solaar in 1997. The album was a departure from his previous work focusing more on the funk style.-Track listing:#Intro - :32#Paradisiaque - 3:12#Gangster Moderne - 4:05#Tournicoti - 3:49...
album, and also by hip hop artists The Beatnuts in "Give Me Tha Ass" from the Stone Crazy LP. In addition, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n satirist Pauline Pantsdown
Pauline Pantsdown
Simon Hunt, sometimes known as Pauline Pantsdown, is an Australian satirist and Australian Senate candidate who parodied Pauline Hanson, a controversial former member of federal parliament, in 1997. His birth name was Simon Hunt, but he changed his name by deed poll so that he would appear on the...
sampled it heavily in the song "Backdoor Man" in 1997.
The song has also been covered directly by several artists. In 1991, the electronic band Tongue 'n' Cheek
Tongue 'n' Cheek
Tongue 'n' Cheek were a British late 1980s and early 1990s electro music band, that were primarily popular in the UK club scene between 1987 and 1991....
recorded a dance version of "Forget Me Nots," which at #26 in the UK singles chart. In 1996, Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
/Dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
duo La Bouche
La Bouche
La Bouche was a Eurodance/Dance-pop duo formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1994, originally consisting of Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray, scoring two major worldwide hits in the mid-1990s with "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams"....
covered it on their remix album, All Mixed Up. In 2006, jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
collaborated with Patrice Rushen and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n singer Zamajobe on a cover version of the song for his album, Smoke 'n Mirrors. Zamajobe sang the lead vocal, with Rushen on background vocals, Fender Rhodes and an organ solo. The version featured a brief African rhythm interlude.
In 2007, German dance project Vinylshakerz
Vinylshakerz
Vinylshakerz are a German dance act who are best known for the 2005 remix of the Murray Head hit "One Night in Bangkok". The producers have also remixed material for other artists, mainly for dance compilation CDs.-Singles / Maxis / Vinyls:...
released their version of Forget Me Nots.
Chart Performance
| Chart (1982) | Peak |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Dance Music/Club Play | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 8 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 19 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 29 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 8 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 24 |