This Is It (Melba Moore song)

"This Is It" is a 1976 disco song written by Van McCoy and performed by Melba Moore for her fifth album of the same name.

"This Is It"
Single by Melba Moore
from the album This Is It
Released1976
Recorded1976, New York
GenreDisco
Length3:33
LabelBuddah
Songwriter(s)Van McCoy
Producer(s)Van McCoy
Melba Moore singles chronology
"Must Be Dues"
(1975)		 "This Is It"
(1976)		 "Lean On Me"
(1976)

Background

Melba Moore would give credit to her husband/manager Charles Huggins, whom she married in September 1974, with getting her signed to Buddah Records in 1975 - ending a four-year recording studio absence - , and with arranging for veteran soul music songwriter/producer Van McCoy to helm Moore's second Buddah album release, which she began recording in January 1976.[1][2] The recruitment of McCoy to helm Moore's album was essentially due to McCoy's success as a producer of disco records, it being hoped that a disco hit would consolidate the somewhat nebulous success Moore had to that point experienced as a recording artist: (Melba Moore quote:)"I just couldn't ignore the [impact] that disco was having on music".[3]

The album's disco-oriented title track was released in March 1976 and became a discothèque favorite: while the "This Is It" single did afford Moore her first major R&B hit, reaching #18 on the Billboard ranking of R&B singles the track failed to provide her with the desired Pop music breakout, rising no higher than #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 ("This Is It" did become a Top Ten hit on the singles chart for the United Kingdom).

Charts
Chart (1976) Peak
position
Sweden [4] 19
UK Singles Chart[5] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 91
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles[6] 18
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[7] 10

Dannii Minogue version
"This Is It"
Single by Dannii Minogue
from the album Get into You
ReleasedJuly 5, 1993
Recorded1992
GenreDance-pop
Length3:40
LabelMCA
Universal Records
Mushroom Records
Radikal Q Records
Songwriter(s)Van McCoy
Producer(s)Tim Lever & Mike Percy for One World Productions
Dannii Minogue singles chronology
"Love's on Every Corner"
(1992)		 "This Is It"
(1993)		 "This Is The Way"
(1993)
Music video
"This Is It" on YouTube

The song was later covered by Australian singer Dannii Minogue on her second album Get into You (1993). The song was produced by Tim Lever and Mike Percy and received a mixed reception from music critics.

About the song

It was released as the album's third single in the third quarter of 1993 and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, becoming Minogue's third top ten single and is regarded as one of her most popular singles. In Australia it reached the top twenty and became an airplay hit earning a gold certification. Despite missing the top ten, the single spent twenty weeks in the ARIA top fifty[8] and was the forty-third highest selling single of the year, the third highest for an Australian artist.[9] Along with the single "Get into You", the song was chosen to be released in Canada and the USA. The single was also featured in the second volume of the Dance Mix USA series, which used the "Dannii Got Murked" remix. This version of the song was used by Network Ten in their idents.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote about the song: "Vivacious and charming Minogue takes another stab at transferring her European success to the States with an earnest reading of a disco nugget made famous by Melba Moore. She skips and spins atop a throbbing boat foundation, swerving around a flurry of chirping background vocals, grand piano lines, and fluttering strings."[10]

Music & Media wrote: "Little sister is wearing big sister's clothes, and they are tight fit for the first time with this cheerful pop/dance song, a cover of Melba Moore's disco hit in the spring of 1976."[11]

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed in Los Angeles, California and featured Minogue and her then-boyfriend actor Julian McMahon on a beach. The dance routine in the video was choreographed by Minogue. The video also featured an appearance from American actress Elise Neal, who later starred in the horror movie Scream 2 alongside Neve Campbell and the Lifetime made-for-television movie Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B in the role of Gladys Knight. It was listed in NME's "50 Worst Music Videos".[12] The Late Show made a parody of "This Is It" called "Holy Shit".

Track listings and formats

Australian CD single (D11390)

  1. "This Is It" (7" version)
  2. "This Is It" (12" Extended version)
  3. "This Is It" (Alternative 12" mix)
  4. "This Is It" (Dannii Got Murked mix)
  5. "This Is It" (Miami Heat mix)
  6. "This Is It" (One World 12" mix)
  7. "This Is It" (A capella version)

Australian Cassingle (C11390)

  1. "This Is It"
  2. "It's Time to Move On"

CD single

  1. "This Is It" (7" version)
  2. "This Is It" (12" Extended version)
  3. "This Is It" (Alternative 12" mix)
  4. "This Is It" (Dannii Got Murked mix)
  5. "This Is It" (Miami Heat mix)This Is It (One World 12" mix)
  6. "This Is It" (A capella version)

UK vinyl single

  1. "This Is It" (Dannii Got Murked mix)
  2. "This Is It" (12" Extended version)
  3. "This Is It" (Miami Heat mix)This Is It (Vapour Rub dub)
  4. "This Is It" (A cappella version)

North American CD single

  1. "This Is It" (Dannii Got Murked mix)
  2. "This Is It" (Extended version)
  3. "This Is It" (Doc & Freestyle Remix)
  4. "This Is It" (Vapour Rub dub)
  5. "This Is It" (Alternative mix)
  6. "This Is It" (Miami Heat mix)

Cassette single/7"

  1. "This Is It" (7" version)
  2. "It's Time to Move On"

Notes: "It's Time to Move On", was a B-side released for the Get into You album and is only found on the cassette single/7". For the North American CD, the tracks received a remaster.

Charts

Belgian version

A Flemish-language rendering entitled "Jij En Ik" was recorded by Petra for her 1997 album Petra.

References
  1. Chicago Tribune 4 July 1975 "Melba Has Plans Galore" by Lynn Van Matre p.3-8
  2. https://nmaam.org/2018/06/27/qa-melba-moore-2/
  3. Miami News 29 March "'Hair' is Here, Melba Moore is Sparkling" by Patricia Smith p.6C
  4. Steffen Hung. "Melba Moore - This Is It". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 377. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 413.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 181.
  8. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  9. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1993". Aria.com.au. 1963-12-14. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  10. "Billboard: Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard magazine. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  11. "Music & Media: New Releases" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  12. NME.COM. "50 Worst Music Videos Ever". NME.COM.
  13. "Discography Dannii Minogue". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  14. "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  15. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (02.09.1993-08.09.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  16. "Search Charts". IrishCharts.ie. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. "1993 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.