New Attitude (song)
Encyclopedia
"New Attitude" is a song performed by Patti LaBelle
and written by Sharon Teresa Robinson, Jon Gilutin, and Bunny Hull. It was released in January 1985 and helped launch LaBelle's solo career as a pop music
singer after the singer had spent seven years without a hit following the break-up of Labelle.
. Around the same time, producers of the film, Beverly Hills Cop
, was busy putting together a soundtrack for the film, and called on LaBelle to record two songs for its soundtrack. "New Attitude", a song about a woman changing her outlook on life both emotionally and physically, was composed by Sharon Robinson, Jon Gilutin and Bunny Hull and produced by Harold Faltermeyer
. The song was different from previous LaBelle recordings, which had been mostly pop ballads with occasional stabs at dance music and R&B, focusing on a synthpop
direction. Prior to that, LaBelle had recorded a similar synthpop song, "I'll Never, Never Give Up" from her first gold album, I'm In Love Again
, in 1983. It was LaBelle's first MCA
single, released in January 1985.
and number one on the Hot Dance Music
chart in a remixed form. It also peaked at number three on the Hot R&B Singles
chart. The singer shot her first music video of her career with the song, which was shot at a fashion store.
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and written by Sharon Teresa Robinson, Jon Gilutin, and Bunny Hull. It was released in January 1985 and helped launch LaBelle's solo career as a pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer after the singer had spent seven years without a hit following the break-up of Labelle.
Background and composition
In 1984, Patti LaBelle began taking part in films, participating in her first acting role in the acclaimed film, A Soldier's StoryA Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II...
. Around the same time, producers of the film, Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American comedy-action film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, Lisa Eilbacher, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox...
, was busy putting together a soundtrack for the film, and called on LaBelle to record two songs for its soundtrack. "New Attitude", a song about a woman changing her outlook on life both emotionally and physically, was composed by Sharon Robinson, Jon Gilutin and Bunny Hull and produced by Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
. The song was different from previous LaBelle recordings, which had been mostly pop ballads with occasional stabs at dance music and R&B, focusing on a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
direction. Prior to that, LaBelle had recorded a similar synthpop song, "I'll Never, Never Give Up" from her first gold album, I'm In Love Again
I'm in Love Again
I'm In Love Again is the sixth solo album released by singer Patti LaBelle in late 1983. Featuring the hits "If Only You Knew" and "Love, Need and Want You", this album is credited with reviving the singer's career after years of chart struggles on both the pop and R&B charts.-History:Patti LaBelle...
, in 1983. It was LaBelle's first MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
single, released in January 1985.
Reception
The song climbed to number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
and number one on the Hot Dance Music
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...
chart in a remixed form. It also peaked at number three on the Hot R&B Singles
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,...
chart. The singer shot her first music video of her career with the song, which was shot at a fashion store.
In other media
- The song is used as the opening theme song of each hour for the Dr. Laura Schlessinger show.
- The song was sung by the character Rochelle in the CW network sitcom Everybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
, after stating that Patti LaBelle is her favorite singer. - In the episode of Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
called "The Chipette Story", it is shown to be the song that earned The ChipettesThe ChipettesThe Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
their singing career. - It also appears in an episode of The SimpsonsThe Twisted World of Marge Simpson"The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" is the eleventh episode of the The Simpsons eighth season, which originally aired January 19, 1997. It was written by Jennifer Crittenden and directed by Chuck Sheetz. The episode guest stars Jack Lemmon as Frank Ormand and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony...
where Marge buys a pretzel franchise. - The song also appears in the film Boat TripBoat TripBoat Trip is a 2003 romantic comedy directed by Mort Nathan and starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Horatio Sanz, Vivica A. Fox, Roselyn Sanchez and Roger Moore.- Plot :...
.