Joy (Staxx song)

"Joy" is a 1993 song by British house music studio project Staxx, assembled by producers Simon Thorne and Tom Jones. The vocals is sung by British singer Carol Leeming. It went to number-one on both the US Hot Dance Club Play Chart in February 1994[1] and the Canadian Dance Music Chart in May 1994.

"Joy"
Single by Staxx featuring Carol Leeming
B-side	"Remix"
Released	1993
Genre	Eurodance house
Length	3:37 (Love Joy Serious vocal edit) 3:22 (original edit)
Label	Champion Free Spirit
Songwriter(s)	Simon Thorne Tom Jones
Producer(s)	Simon Thorne Tom Jones
Staxx featuring Carol Leeming singles chronology
"Joy" (1993) "You" (1995)
Music video
"Joy" on YouTube

In 1997, the song was released in a new remix, as "Joy '97", peaking at number 14 in the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from most music critics. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "this smokin' anthem is cast in a mold similar to Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain", wrapping a brain-embedding hook around a rapid, percolating beatbase. (...) Icing on the cake is Carol Leeming's spirited vocal appearance on several mixes."[2] The magazine also commented that the track "has a roaring and frenetic rave-ish undercurrent" and complimented the singer as "a charming presence, playfully wrapping her feline voice around the song's ear-catching chorus and refrain."[3] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty described it as a "delectable dance tune to liven up your current library of down-tempo jams and ballads."[4]

Chart performance

"Joy" was a major hit on the charts in several countries and managed to peak at number-one on both the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the United States and the RPM Dance Chart in Canada. In Europe, the single climbed into the Top 20 in Denmark and the Top 30 in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number 25 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on October 10, 1993.[5] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Joy" reached number 70, but on the European Dance Radio Chart, it was a even bigger hit, peaking at number 6. In Australia, it went to number 90.

Music video

The music video of "Joy" was directed by British director Lindy Heymann.[6] It features singer Carol Leeming and two dancers performing in an empty swimming pool. The video was uploaded to YouTube in July 2009.[7]

Track listing

CD single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Joy" (Love Joy Serious Vocal Edit)	3:37
2.	"Joy" (Original Edit)	3:21
3.	"Joy" (Love Joy Vocal Mix)	6:24
4.	"Joy" (Original Mix)	6:37
5.	"Joy" (Diss-Cuss Vox Mix)	6:40
6.	"Joy" (Stones Club Mix)	4:55
7.	"Joy" (Love Joy Dub)	6:53

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993-1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA Charts)[8] 90 Canada Dance (RPM)[9] 1 Denmark (IFPI) 20 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 70 Europe (European Dance Radio)[11] 6 Netherlands (Tipparade)[12] 17 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 33 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 30 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 25 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[16] 1 Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA Charts) 58 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] 73 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[18] 10 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 14 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[19] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Canada Dance (RPM)[20] 6

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart

References

1. Billboard
2. Flick, Larry (1994-01-08). "Dance Trax: U.K.'s deconstruction Label Builds A Roster With Klass" (PDF). Billboard. p. 23. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
3. "Single Reviews: New and Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
4. "Crossover: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 1994-01-28. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 10 October 1993 - 16 October 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
6. "Lindy Heymann". mvdbase.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
7. "Staxx - Joy OFFICIAL VIDEO". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
8. Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
   • Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
   • 1993 release: "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 05 Jun 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
9. "RPM Dance". RPM (May 23, 1994). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
10. "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
11. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
12. "Staxx - Joy" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
13. "Staxx of Joy - Dutch chart". dutchcharts.nl. 21 January 2015.
14. "Staxx of Joy - Swiss chart". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
15. "Official Charts > Staxx". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
16. "Staxx of Joy - US Dance Club Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
17. "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
18. "Scottish Singles Chart 07 September 1997 - 13 September 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
19. "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (07 September 1997-13 September 1997)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
20. "Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1994". RPM. Retrieved 2019-12-12.