Released June 1977 Genre Soul | Format 7" single, 12" single Label ABC | |
B-side "Everything Happens for a Reason" Length 4:13 (Single edit)
11:49 (Album version) | ||
"Float On" is a 1977 hit song by the R&B/soul group The Floaters. The spoken verses combine two popular trends from the time, star signs and video and phone dating, in lines such as Aquarius and my name is Ralph / Now I like a woman who loves her freedom. The song was co-written by James Mitchell of The Detroit Emeralds group.
Released from their self-titled debut album, it became one of the biggest singles of the year, spending six weeks at number one on the U.S. Hot Soul Singles chart. "Float On" was also a crossover hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, but with no other Hot 100 hits, The Floaters became a one-hit wonder on that chart. "Float On" also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, and number five on the Irish Singles Chart. The song was covered by two hip-hop bands: Stetsasonic on its album In Full Gear (1988), and Dream Warriors on its album The Master Plan (1996), the latter of which was released as a single.
Also in 1977, Cheech and Chong released a parody of the song called "Bloat On". It was later included on their 1980 album Let's Make a New Dope Deal.
The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury's Crème Eggs.