"Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" is a song written by Michael Cleveland, sung by American group Indeep, and released as a single in 1982 by Sound of New York and Becket Records. It features vocals from Réjane "Reggie" Magloire and Rose Marie Ramsey. The track appears as the third track of the namesake album released in 1983.

Music and lyrics

The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is bored alone at home. She wants to speak to her man, but cannot reach him and considers leaving him, until a DJ plays a hot song and thereby saves her from a broken heart. In the second verse, she leaves home, but does not reach her destination. The song was mixed by Michael Jay at Eastern Artists Recording Studio, East Orange, New Jersey.

Chart performance

In the US, "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" reached number ten on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and number two on the Billboard Club Singles chart, but could only bubble under the main Billboard Hot 100, where black crossover had become very difficult in the early 1980s as a result of the anti-disco backlash. In February 1983, it peaked at number thirteen in the United Kingdom, and in March 1983 in the Netherlands on national radiostation Hilversum 3 at number two in the Dutch Top 40, Nationale Hitparade and the TROS Top 50. In the European chart on Hilversum 3, the TROS Europarade it reached number 9. In Belgium (Flanders) Ultratop 50 it reached number 2 and even number 1 in the Radio 2 Top 30. It also made number 5 in Switzerland, number 12 in Austria and number 25 in New Zealand. In West Germany, it made it to number 10. Because of the limited success of Indeep's later releases, the group's first single was its only major hit and placed it into the one-hit wonder category of artists.

Reception

Rolling Stone magazine declared the song "one of the greatest songs ever written about being a girl, listening to the radio, or any combination of the two," and, in 2005, editors of Blender magazine placed it at number 406 on its 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born list. The song also provided the inspiration of the title of the book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (2000). In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number five in their list of 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers

Samplings

Other uses