Genius of Love
Encyclopedia
"Genius of Love" is a 1981 song by Tom Tom Club
from their eponymous debut album
.
, over a hundred thousand copies of the single sold as imports from Island Records
's UK, at which point Sire Records
made a deal to release the single and the album in North America
in late 1981.
Tom Tom Club appeared in the 1984 Talking Heads
concert movie Stop Making Sense
performing "Genius of Love," although this incarnation of the group did not include Tina Weymouth's sisters Laura and Lani. Director Jonathan Demme added "Genius of Love" to the concert primarily so that David Byrne could exit the stage and change into his oversized suit, and he assured Weymouth that the performance would not be included on the final cut of the film. When Weymouth saw an early screening of the film she was thus surprised and irritated to see "Genius of Love," but Demme refused to change anything before the official release.
The B-side of the "Genius of Love (Long Version)" 12" vinyl has a lesser-known underground hit called "Yella." On some pressings, the song is sometimes credited to Mr. Yellow and, on others, it is credited to Yella. It is assumed that this is really the Tom Tom Club using a pseudonym. This cover repeats the chorus: "You've got to have a strong heart to live in New York...".
in 1982. Like its predecessor "Wordy Rappinghood", it peaked at #1 in the U.S. Hot Dance Play chart, and also reached #2 on the US Rap/Hip Hop chart. It later went on to peak at #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100
, becoming the Tom Tom Club's only entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. Although primarily associated with the dance club culture of the early 1980s, the track was also a surprise hit on the US Mainstream Rock chart where it peaked at #24.
"Genius of Love" was not quite as popular in the United Kingdom as some of the Tom Tom Club's other releases, as it only reached #65 in the UK Singles Chart (both of the other two singles released from the Tom Tom Club LP achieved Top 30 placings in the UK). However, despite its relatively low chart position, the song still received a great deal of airplay on UK radio (although the radio version was heavily edited due to the song's length, and also in part due to its references to the recreational drug, cocaine) and the full-length version became a club favorite in Britain, helped by the popularity of the accompanying music video. A song based on the keyboards-and-bass rhythm in "Genius of Love" was later used in a long-running TV advertising campaign in the UK by the Bird's
desserts company between 1985 and 1992, the commercials featuring a spin on the psychedelic animation of the Tom Tom Club video using rudimentary CGI. In 2002 it was also used in a popular TV commercial for Kia Motors
.
The single also became a major club success all around Europe, and peaked at #28 in New Zealand, the first of three Top 40 hits for the band there.
's "Genius Rap" in 1981; Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
's "It's Nasty" in 1982; Mariah Carey
's "Fantasy
" in 1995, and The X-Ecutioners
' "Genius of Love 2002" in 2002.
Other artists have incorporated "Genius of Love" into their works, including: Public Enemy's "Leave This Off Your Fu*kin Charts," Redman's "Brick City Mashin!," Cam'Ron
's "Me, My Moms & Jimmy," 2nd II None
's "Niggaz Trippin'," Fresh Kid Ice's "Roll Call," Tupac Shakur
's "High Speed," Busta Rhymes
' "One," Ant Banks
' "Roll 'Em Phat," P.M. Dawn's "Gotta Be... Movin' On Up," Annie's "Chewing Gum
," Menajahtwa's "I Ain't Nasti," 50 Cent
's "When I Get Out," Erick Sermon
's "Genius E Dub," Mac Dre
's "Chop that Ho," Dream Warriors
' "And Now the Legacy Begins," T.I.
's "Down Like That", Mark Morrison
's "Return of the Mack", and Ice Cube
's "Bop Gun (One Nation)".
and Annabel Jankel
produced the animated music video
based on the pop art work of James Rizzi
, featured on the Tom Tom Club album cover.
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
from their eponymous debut album
Tom Tom Club (album)
Tom Tom Club is Tom Tom Club's first album, released in 1981, containing the UK hit singles "Wordy Rappinghood," which reached No. 7 in June 1981; "Genius of Love," which reached No. 65 in October of the same year; and "Under the Boardwalk," which reached No. 22 in August 1982. When released in the...
.
Song
"Genius of Love" was Tom Tom Club's second single. Although the album had not been released in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, over a hundred thousand copies of the single sold as imports from Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
's UK, at which point Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
made a deal to release the single and the album in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in late 1981.
Tom Tom Club appeared in the 1984 Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
concert movie Stop Making Sense
Stop Making Sense
Stop Making Sense is a concert movie featuring Talking Heads live on stage. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983, as the group was touring to promote their new album Speaking in Tongues. The movie is notable for...
performing "Genius of Love," although this incarnation of the group did not include Tina Weymouth's sisters Laura and Lani. Director Jonathan Demme added "Genius of Love" to the concert primarily so that David Byrne could exit the stage and change into his oversized suit, and he assured Weymouth that the performance would not be included on the final cut of the film. When Weymouth saw an early screening of the film she was thus surprised and irritated to see "Genius of Love," but Demme refused to change anything before the official release.
The B-side of the "Genius of Love (Long Version)" 12" vinyl has a lesser-known underground hit called "Yella." On some pressings, the song is sometimes credited to Mr. Yellow and, on others, it is credited to Yella. It is assumed that this is really the Tom Tom Club using a pseudonym. This cover repeats the chorus: "You've got to have a strong heart to live in New York...".
Chart performance
On its release in November 1981, "Genius of Love" became a huge hit in the clubs and on the R&B and dance charts worldwide, soon earning the Tom Tom Club LP a Gold Sales AwardMusic recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in 1982. Like its predecessor "Wordy Rappinghood", it peaked at #1 in the U.S. Hot Dance Play chart, and also reached #2 on the US Rap/Hip Hop chart. It later went on to peak at #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100
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...
, becoming the Tom Tom Club's only entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. Although primarily associated with the dance club culture of the early 1980s, the track was also a surprise hit on the US Mainstream Rock chart where it peaked at #24.
"Genius of Love" was not quite as popular in the United Kingdom as some of the Tom Tom Club's other releases, as it only reached #65 in the UK Singles Chart (both of the other two singles released from the Tom Tom Club LP achieved Top 30 placings in the UK). However, despite its relatively low chart position, the song still received a great deal of airplay on UK radio (although the radio version was heavily edited due to the song's length, and also in part due to its references to the recreational drug, cocaine) and the full-length version became a club favorite in Britain, helped by the popularity of the accompanying music video. A song based on the keyboards-and-bass rhythm in "Genius of Love" was later used in a long-running TV advertising campaign in the UK by the Bird's
Bird's Custard
Bird's Custard is the original version of what is known generically as custard powder. It is a cornflour -based powder which thickens to form a custard-like sauce when mixed with milk and heated to a sufficient temperature...
desserts company between 1985 and 1992, the commercials featuring a spin on the psychedelic animation of the Tom Tom Club video using rudimentary CGI. In 2002 it was also used in a popular TV commercial for Kia Motors
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
.
The single also became a major club success all around Europe, and peaked at #28 in New Zealand, the first of three Top 40 hits for the band there.
Samples
The song is one of the most sampled rhythm tracks of the 1980s, particularly within the rap/R&B/hip-hop genre, with dozens of unsolicited remixes and versions, most notably Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. HydeDr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (group)
Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde was a 1980s hip hop group consisting of Andre "Dr. Jeckyll" Harrell and Alonzo "Mr. Hyde" Brown. The group was known for its corporate business image, wearing designer suits and ties while they rapped. The group first performed under the name "Harlem World Crew" and recorded...
's "Genius Rap" in 1981; Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...
's "It's Nasty" in 1982; Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "Fantasy
Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)
"Fantasy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 12, 1995 by Columbia Records as the lead single for her fifth studio album, Daydream . The song was written by Carey and Dave Hall, both serving as primary producers alongside Sean Combs...
" in 1995, and The X-Ecutioners
The X-Ecutioners
The X-Ecutioners is a group of hip hop DJs / turntablists from New York.-History:Formed as a DJ crew in the early nineties and originally including 11 members, under the name X-Men, which was chosen partly because of their rivalry between Super DJ Clark Kent's crew of DJs, known as the Supermen,...
' "Genius of Love 2002" in 2002.
Other artists have incorporated "Genius of Love" into their works, including: Public Enemy's "Leave This Off Your Fu*kin Charts," Redman's "Brick City Mashin!," Cam'Ron
Cam'ron
Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....
's "Me, My Moms & Jimmy," 2nd II None
2nd II None
2nd II None is a rap group from Compton, California. It consist of cousins KK and Gangsta D .- Early years :...
's "Niggaz Trippin'," Fresh Kid Ice's "Roll Call," Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
's "High Speed," Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
' "One," Ant Banks
Ant Banks
Anthony Banks, known simply as Ant Banks, is a producer and rapper from Oakland, California.-Biography:As a child he took part in a band at school and from there learned to play a variety of instruments along the way. At school he only learned Classical, but at home he taught himself to play Funk...
' "Roll 'Em Phat," P.M. Dawn's "Gotta Be... Movin' On Up," Annie's "Chewing Gum
Chewing Gum (Annie song)
"Chewing Gum" is an electropop song written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson for Norwegian singer Annie's debut album Anniemal . The song is based on metaphor which likens men to chewing gum....
," Menajahtwa's "I Ain't Nasti," 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
's "When I Get Out," Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon , in Bay Shore, New York is an American rapper, musician, and producer.Sermon is best known as half of late-1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for production work. He currently resides in Islandia, New York.- Career :...
's "Genius E Dub," Mac Dre
Mac Dre
Andre Hicks , better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper.-Biography:Andre Hicks was born in Oakland, California but moved to Vallejo while still a child...
's "Chop that Ho," Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors
Dream Warriors were a Canadian hip hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, comprising King Lou and Capital Q. Described as "a pair of deft, intelligent rappers" by Allmusic, they were major contributors to the jazz rap movement of the early 1990s. Their 1991 debut album, And Now the Legacy Begins, is...
' "And Now the Legacy Begins," T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
's "Down Like That", Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison is a British R&B singer. He was the most successful UK R&B singer of the mid-90s and the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His single "Return of the Mack" became a #1 or Top 10 hit in several European countries in 1996...
's "Return of the Mack", and Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
's "Bop Gun (One Nation)".
Music video
Rocky MortonRocky Morton
Rocky Morton is a British director. He was one of the co-creators of Max Headroom and co-director on Super Mario Bros.. Various music videos by Rush, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Orgy and Miles Davis are credited to Morton. He also directed the 1995 UK launch commercial of Sega...
and Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel is an award-winning British film and TV director who first came to prominence as a music video director and the co-creator and director of the pioneering cyber-character Max Headroom...
produced the animated music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
based on the pop art work of James Rizzi
James Rizzi
James Rizzi is an American pop artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He currently resides and works in a studio/loft in the SoHo section of Manhattan.-Education and Technique:...
, featured on the Tom Tom Club album cover.
Singles
- "Genius of Love" / "Lorelei" (Instrumental) UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 1981 (7"/12") - "Genius of Love" / "Lorelei" (Instrumental) NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, 1981 (7"/12") - "Genius of Love" / "Lorelei" (Instrumental) GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 1981 (7") - "Genius of Love" / "Lorelei" (Instrumental) USA, 1981 (7"/12")
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
65 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 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... |
31 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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,... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
External links
- Official Discography by Tom Tom ClubTom Tom ClubTom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
- [ Review] on Allmusic