B-side "On Top of the World" Format 7" single, 12" single Genre Funk, post-disco | Released February 1982 Recorded 1981 Length 5:08 | |
"A Night to Remember" is a song by American disco/R&B group Shalamar. It was released in February 1982 as the second single from their sixth studio album Friends (1982), and peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit number 15 on the Club Play Singles chart and number eight on the Black Singles chart. It was a much bigger hit in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart.
Contents
The song was written by Nidra Beard of Dynasty, Dana Meyers and Charmaine Sylvers of The Sylvers. It is also famously associated with the introduction of the Moonwalk dance by Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel on the UK music show Top of the Pops in June 1982.
Track listing
- "A Night to Remember" (Radio Edit) - 3:02
- "Everybody Dance" (Radio Edit) - 3:07
- "A Night to Remember" (Full Length Version) - 5:04
- "Everybody Dance" (Full Length Version) - 5:01
- "A Holy Night" (Unplugged Acoustic) - 3:11
- "A Night to Remember" (Video) - 3:02
911 version
In 1996, English boy band 911 covered "A Night to Remember" (retitled as "Night to Remember") as their debut single and the lead single from their debut album The Journey (1997). It was released on 29 April 1996 and peaked at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart.
Background
Dancers Jimmy Constable and Simon "Spike" Dawbarn were introduced to each other in the early 1990s by another dancer called Clive. Before long, Constable and Dawbarn were both chosen to work as dancers on the late-night ITV music show The Hit Man and Her. In 1995, after seeing how successful Jason Orange, who used to be a dancer on the show, had been with boy band Take That (and having also become more popular than the acts they were dancing for), Constable and Dawbarn decided to put their own group together. At Carlisle's radio station CFM Radio, they found Steve Gilmour, who had previously managed PJ & Duncan and Boyzone, and asked him to be their manager a few months later. Gilmour initially turned them as he did not know anything about management, but as time went on, Constable and Dawbarn continued to gain more and more fans.
Every time their paths crossed, Constable would show Gilmour the fanmail they were receiving and they were also one of the svene acts to be booked at the Sands Centre in Carlisle, again for CFM. Gilmour had finally become convinced and he decided to manage them but they were short of a singer. Lee Brennan, who had been a fan of Dawbarn and Constable on The Hit Man and Her, was recruited following recommendation by Gilmour. After moving into Gilmour's three-bedroom flat in the south side of Glasgow, 911 embarked on a massive tour of schools and under-18 clubs all over the UK in order to build up their growing army of teenage followers, and fast became crowd favourites on road shows during the Summer of 1995. Despite their immense popularity, they were turned down by every record company they turned to.
In April 1996, after being unable to secure a major record deal, 911 and their management team Backlash decided to form their own record label, Ginga Records. The following month, they released a cover of "Night to Remember" as their debut single, and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 38.
Liberty X version
"A Night to Remember" is the second single released from English-Irish pop group Liberty X's third studio album, X (2005). The single was released in the UK on 14 November 2005 as the official 2005 Children in Need charity single, charting and peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart. It was also a minor hit in France, reaching number 29.
Other versions
British singer Maria Lawson covered the track in 1996 and was used by the Gala Bingo advert, after the producers of the advert thought that her version was better than the original. DJ Magic Mike's "Groove On" is a rap over this song and even features Shalamar lead singer Howard Hewett. Mase's "Get Ready" is also in the same style and raps over this song. J-pop singer Sowelu sang a version called "Get Ready Nite 2 Remember" which featured BIG-O. The original song was played at Toni and Todd's wedding reception on the sitcom Girlfriends, with the main cast dancing together down a "Soul Train" line. In the UK this song has also been used for a TV advert featuring the Harvester restaurant chain. In Gibraltar, this song is used at Gala Bingo before every main session.
On 2 April 2003, a rendition of the song was performed by the Top 8 finalists of the second season of American Idol: Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Josh Gracin, Trenyce, Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberly Caldwell and Rickey Smith.
Mary J. Blige recorded a cover of the song on her 2014 soundtrack album Think Like a Man Too (Music from and Inspired by the Film).