Inner City
Encyclopedia
Inner City is an American
house
and techno
group, formed in Detroit, Michigan
in 1987. The group is composed of the record producer
and composer Kevin Saunderson
and the Chicago
, Illinois
native Paris Grey
. Saunderson is renowned as one of the Belleville Three — along with Juan Atkins
and Derrick May) — high school friends who later originated the Detroit Techno
sound.
Inner City topped dance charts
in America
and the UK
eight times, hit the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
nine times, and sold around six million records. The group is best known for its early dancefloor-pop music crossover tracks "Big Fun" (UK #8, US Dance #1) and "Good Life" (UK #4, US Dance #1). Other hits include "Do You Love What You Feel" (UK #16, US Dance #1) and "Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'" (UK #12, US Dance #8). The music video
s to these songs received significant airplay throughout the world. Later work introduced a hybrid of techno, jazz and swing beats with a more soulful sound in the vein of downtempo British groups such as Soul II Soul
and Massive Attack
. The group recorded three albums for Virgin/EMI Records and one single for Columbia/SME Records.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
group, formed in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1987. The group is composed of the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and composer Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Belleville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins...
and the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
native Paris Grey
Paris Grey
Paris Grey is an American singer, most known for her work with the Detroit-based techno-music producer Kevin Saunderson, as Inner City...
. Saunderson is renowned as one of the Belleville Three — along with Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins is an American musician. He is widely credited as the originator of techno music, specifically Detroit techno along with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson...
and Derrick May) — high school friends who later originated the Detroit Techno
Detroit techno
Detroit techno is an early style of electronic music beginning in the 1980s. Detroit, Michigan has been cited as the birthplace of techno music. Prominent Detroit Techno artists include Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson...
sound.
Inner City topped dance charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
eight times, hit the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
nine times, and sold around six million records. The group is best known for its early dancefloor-pop music crossover tracks "Big Fun" (UK #8, US Dance #1) and "Good Life" (UK #4, US Dance #1). Other hits include "Do You Love What You Feel" (UK #16, US Dance #1) and "Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'" (UK #12, US Dance #8). The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s to these songs received significant airplay throughout the world. Later work introduced a hybrid of techno, jazz and swing beats with a more soulful sound in the vein of downtempo British groups such as Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
and Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
. The group recorded three albums for Virgin/EMI Records and one single for Columbia/SME Records.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Paradise Paradise (Inner City album) Paradise is the debut album by Detroit-based house music duo Inner City, released in 1989. The album was a great success in the UK and in US clubs, and was one of the first house-music albums to cross over to the mainstream charts, particularly in Europe... (renamed Big Fun in the U.S.) |
3 | 162 |
| 1989 | Paradise Remixed | 17 | - |
| 1990 | Fire | - | - |
| 1992 | Praise | 52 | - |
| 1993 | Testament '93 | 33 | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Big Fun" | 8 | - | 1 |
| 1988 | "Good Life" | 4 | 73 | 1 |
| 1989 | "Ain't Nobody Better Ain't Nobody Better "Ain't Nobody Better" is a 1989 single by Inner City. The single was the third consecutive number one on the dance charts. The single also made it into the top ten on the UK singles chart. However, "Ain't Nobody Better" failed to place on the soul singles chart and on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.... " |
10 | - | 1 |
| 1989 | "Do You Love What You Feel Do You Love What You Feel (Inner City song) "Do You Love What You Feel" is a 1989 single by Inner City. The single is not to be confused with the 1979 crossover song of the same name by Rufus and Chaka Khan. The single continued Inner City's success on both the American dance play and UK charts... " |
16 | - | 1 |
| 1989 | "Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin' Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin' Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin is the fifth single by American dance group Inner City and became their fifth consecutive UK Top 20 hit, charting at #12. As well... " |
12 | 76 | 8 |
| 1990 | "(That Man) He's All Mine" | 42 | - | 15 |
| 1991 | "Let It Reign" | 51 | - | - |
| 1991 | "Till We Meet Again" | 47 | - | - |
| 1992 | "Pennies From Heaven" | 24 | - | 1 |
| 1992 | "Follow Your Heart" | - | - | 2 |
| 1992 | "Hallelujah '92" | 22 | - | - |
| 1992 | "Praise" | 59 | - | - |
| 1992 | "Till We Meet Again" (remix) | 55 | - | - |
| 1993 | "Back Together Again" | 49 | - | - |
| 1994 | "Do Ya" | 44 | - | 5 |
| 1994 | "Share My Life" | 62 | - | 24 |
| 1995 | "Ahnonghay" | - | - | - |
| 1995 | "Your Love" | 28 | - | - |
| 1996 | "Do Me Right" | 47 | - | - |
| 1999 | "Good Life (Buena Vida)" (PIAS PIAS -Abbreviations:* PIAS Entertainment Group** Pln, Sam, an independent record label based in London and owned by the PIAS Entertainment Group** PIAS Recordings, an international recoro known as Play it Again, Sam Records... re-recording) |
10 | - | - |
| 2000 | "Good Love" | - | - | - |
| 2001 | "Pump It Up Dub" (with E-Dancer) | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "Say Something" | - | - | - |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- [ AllMusic guide about Inner City]
- Inner City's MySpace Fan Page