Cherish (Kool & the Gang song)
| "Cherish" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kool & the Gang | ||||
| from the album Emergency | ||||
| B-side | "Ladies' Night" | |||
| Released | May 10, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop, Smooth R&B, Adult contemporary | |||
| Length |
4:45 (Album) 3:58 (Single) | |||
| Label | De-Lite Records | |||
| Writer(s) |
Robert Earl Bell Curtis "Fitz" Williams | |||
| Kool & the Gang singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Cherish" is the title of an RIAA million-selling Gold-certified single by American R&B band Kool & the Gang. It held the #1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks running. It would ultimately rank as the genre's biggest hit of the 1980s.
This was the third single released from the band's Double Platinum-certified album, Emergency. The song is a romantic ballad that proved to be extremely popular when it was released and has since been a wedding song staple of sorts.
The song was composed in the key of D ♭ major.
Different remixes
There are several different mixes of "Cherish." The original album version (length: 4:47) begins with the sound of a wave crashing on the beach followed by a (solely) keyboard intro. The entire first verse is sung without drums and percussion, which do not begin until the first chorus.
The single (and video) version of "Cherish" (length: 3:58) adds additional "beach" effects at the beginning and combines an acoustic guitar with the original keyboard introduction. Additional drumming, which this time starts right as J.T. Taylor begins singing the first verse, is also added throughout the song. Whereas the chorus is repeated (sung twice) after the first verse in the album version, it is only sung one time on the single.
There is also an extended 12-inch version of "Cherish" (length: 5:43) which includes the same flourishes that were added to the single/video version of the tune, plus saxophone parts during various sections of the song (introduction, bridge, etc.), including a whole additional sax interlude after the first chorus.
Furthermore, there is an edited mix of this 12-inch version (length: 4:22), where the bridge that appears in all of the other versions of the song is replaced by the same saxophone interlude that is included in the full 12-inch version.
Appearances in other media
The song was featured in a 1985 episode of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. as well as an early 1986 episode of One Life to Live.
The song was featured in a season seven episode of The Facts of Life.
The song was featured in the 2009 film 17 Again.[1]
Chart performance
"Cherish" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1985, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks, behind "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits.[2] It was a number-one hit on both the R&B[2] and adult contemporary charts in the U.S., spending one week atop the R&B chart and six weeks atop the AC chart. In the UK, the song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.[3]
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
| Preceded by "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young |
Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single August 24, 1985- September 28, 1985 |
Succeeded by "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston |
| Preceded by "Dancing in the Street" by Mick Jagger and David Bowie |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single October 19, 1985 |
Succeeded by "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits |
Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn version
| "Cherish" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn | ||||
| from the album What's My Name? | ||||
| Released | October 13, 1997 | |||
| Format | CD maxi | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Universal | |||
| Writer(s) | Ronald Bell, James Taylor, Kool & the Gang | |||
| Producer(s) | Bülent Aris, Toni Cottura | |||
| Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Samples (and lyrics) from this song were used in Pappa Bear's song of the same name in 1997. This version is largely unknown in America where the film clip is set but experienced excellent chart success in Europe and Australia.
Track listing
CD maxi
- Cherish (Radio) 3:52
- Cherish (Extended) 5:37
- One 4 Da Money 5:02
- Xtra Large 4:10
Charts
| Chart (1997-98) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 47 |
| German Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[8] | 2 |
| Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart | 4 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 39 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 20 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 7 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
Other cover versions
- The song was covered in 2006 by British glamour model Katie Price and her then husband, pop singer Peter Andre. The track is included on their 2006 album of duets A Whole New World.
- In 2008, R&B singer Alexander O'Neal covered the song on his album, Alex Loves.
- Contemporary Christian artist The Katinas covered the song on their 2013 album Love Chapter where it was titled "Cherish The Love".
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1985 (U.S.)
References
- ↑ Walker, Lex. "17 Again Soundtrack Contest!". www.justpressplay.net. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- 1 2 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 287. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- ↑ "Song information".
- ↑ Australian-charts.com Archived October 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.0619&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062
- ↑ http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1985.shtml
- ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
- ↑ Hitparade.ch Archived January 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
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