"Rhythm of the Night" is a song by American musical recording group DeBarge, written by Diane Warren and released on February 23, 1985, on the Motown label as the first single from their fourth studio album of the same name. The song was Warren's breakthrough as a songwriter and was the biggest hit recorded by the Motown family singing group, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Overview

History

By 1985, DeBarge had become pop/R&B sensations, with ballads mostly making up the repertoire of their hit catalog, though they were as impressive as live performers, with a mixture of their trademark soft ballads and a collection of dance material. Motown Records sought to produce DeBarge with a dance single, hoping to give them a bigger crossover success, mirroring label-mate Lionel Richie, who like DeBarge, had created his initial fan base on soft songs before the release of "All Night Long", which included a catchy dance beat influenced by calypso. A similar influence would come in the production of "Rhythm of the Night", which featured more of El DeBarge's modal tenor voice with flashes of his trademark falsetto. Richard Perry, the hit producer behind hit recordings for the Pointer Sisters, Harry Nilsson, and Carly Simon, among others, produced the song; the lyrics were written by one of the label's newly hired songwriters, Diane Warren.

Reception

The release of "Rhythm of the Night" coincided with the release of the Motown film The Last Dragon, which featured the song as part of its soundtrack. The free publicity from the song's association with the movie helped boost its popularity. Eventually released as a single, the song produced DeBarge's biggest success yet, with the single reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number one on the US adult contemporary chart, and number four in the UK—their only major hit single in the UK—going gold and boosting similar success for its parent album of the same name. The music video gained the group heavy rotation on MTV and BET and was actually the group's first (and last) real music video, starting a brief period where DeBarge became pop superstars. The song featured in the 2016 film Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. The song also features in the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as a running gag, due to contestant Crystal Methyd's out-of-drag resemblance to El DeBarge. Lyrics and sample from the chorus of "Rhythm of the Night" were adopted in CNCO's song "Pretend".

Personnel

Musicians Production

Official versions

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications