Groove Is in the Heart (1990)

"Groove Is in the Heart" is a song by American dance band Deee-Lite, released in July 1990 by Elektra Records as their debut single, as well as the lead single from their first album, World Clique (1990). Written and produced by the band, it was a hit in many countries, reaching number one in Australia and on both the Canadian RPM and US Billboard dance charts. Today it is widely recognized as a classic of its genre. It was accompanied with a psychedelic 60s-themed music video directed by Hiroyuki Nakano.

Composition

Though the album version was not recorded until 1990, the song was originally written in the late 1980s; it was performed live as early as 1989. The backing track was built around many samples, primarily the main riff from Herbie Hancock's track "Bring Down the Birds" from the Blowup soundtrack and Vernon Burch's "Get Up", which provided the drum track and also formed the basis for the breakdown featuring a slide whistle. Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins provided guest vocals, and the rap is provided by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. The repeated motif "I, I-I-I-I-I" is performed with the first word of a sample of Eva Gabor saying "I get allergic smelling hay" from the theme song of Green Acres.

Critical reception

Upon the release, J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun found that "Groove Is in the Heart" "bounces happily from rap to funk to house without losing either momentum or its sense of humor." Bill Coleman from Billboard magazine wrote, "Sometimes you can believe the hype. Hot New York City underground dance trio more than lives up to prerelease push with this sizzling groove'n'sample funk jam, kicked into gear by the sultry and charismatic vocal presence of future diva Lady Miss Kier." He also added, "'Groove' is, well, very groovy. A house-paced track with a hip-hop sensibility." Bevan Hannan from The Canberra Times described the song as "good fun". David Giles from Music Week named it a "fine single". He added, "Pure Seventies funk with a Nineties groove." Helen Mead from NME stated that it is "playfully funky". A reviewer from People Magazine noted it as "hopping". Ross Grady from The Rice Thresher said it is "one of the creamiest slabs of vinyl ever to come from the house music scene." Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits wrote that the "ripping floor filler" has "got the samples and twiddly electronoises so necessary for dancefloor success nowadays, but there's also a hummable melody and sense of humour about it all." NME and The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll named "Groove Is in the Heart" the best single released in the year 1990.

Chart performance

An immediate smash in nightclubs, the song went to number one on the US Dance Club Play chart and also reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number one in Australia for a week in November 1990 and was also a number-one hit in Luxembourg, while it reached number two in New Zealand.

In the UK, the record was equally popular and was released as a double A-side with "What Is Love" with the subtitle "Peanut Butter mix", in which the song was heavily edited and completely omitted the contributions by Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip. The single eventually reached number two during September 1990. Its placing second was due to a rule instituted in the UK Singles Chart in the 1980s, which settled any "ties" over chart positions due to equal sales: the single with sales that had increased most from the previous week would reside above the other, controversially giving "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band the top place. Following complaints from Deee-Lite's record company, WEA, the rule, of which this song had been the only victim, was scrapped and joint positions were once again allowed. However, it turned out that the 2,595 panel sales that both records achieved for this week of September 15, 1990, had been rounded up, with chart compilers Gallup later releasing the data that showed that the Steve Miller Band hit was indeed a fraction ahead, Deee-Lite having been narrowly defeated by 44,118 to 44,110 copies. "The Joker" spent a second week at the number-one spot and thereafter convincingly outsold "Groove Is in the Heart".

In mainland Europe, the single entered the top 10 in Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, on which it peaked at number five in September 1990. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland while entering the top 30 in Austria. "Groove Is in the Heart" earned a gold record in the US, after 500,000 singles were sold. In Australia and the UK, it earned a platinum record, when 70,000 and 600,000 units, respectively, were sold.