"
Ride on Time" is a
1989This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
song recorded by band
Black BoxBlack Box was an Italian house music group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The members of the group included a trio made up of a club DJ , a classically trained clarinet teacher , and a keyboard and electronic music "wiz"...
. It was later released on their debut LP
DreamlandDreamland is the debut studio album of Italo house band Black Box. It was released in May 1990 on RCA Records, and was preceded in 1989 by the international hit single, "Ride On Time." The album was certified gold in both the U.S...
. The song was a chart success in many countries and a number-one hit in the UK
and Ireland.
Music and lyrics
The song was written and produced by the Italian production team Groove Groove Melody, consisting of DJ Daniele Davoli, programmer Mirko Limoni and musician Valerio Semplici. The team worked with French model Katrin Quinol, who was the face and image for the group Black Box. In the video and in live performances Quinol lip-synced to the original vocals.
The song sampled
Loleatta HollowayLoleatta Holloway was an American singer, mainly known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation", both of which have been sampled extensively.-Biography:...
's 1980 disco hit "
Love Sensation"Love Sensation" is the title of a 1980 song performed by American R&B singer Loleatta Holloway, taken from her album of the same name. The song was produced and written by Dan Hartman, arranged by Norman Harris, and mixed by Tom Moulton. It was a hit on the U.S...
" and attracted some controversy for the uncredited use of Holloway's vocals from that song. Holloway's counsel engaged in a press attack on Black Box, successfully securing a settlement that paid the singer an undisclosed sum; the group had legally cleared the samples with
Salsoul RecordsThis article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of...
, who had released the original track, but Holloway was in arrears for advances from the label and thus was not recompensed by Salsoul.
For the re-release of the song,
Heather SmallHeather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
re-recorded the vocals.
The song's title derives from a sample of Holloway singing the lyrics "thank you baby, 'cause you're
right on time". Daniele Davoli explained in Channel 4 documentary Pump Up The Volume that because of his limited knowledge of English at the time, he thought that Loleatta Holloway sang "
ride on time" instead of "right on time"
Chart performances
"Ride on Time" became a massive hit in Italy and then worldwide, after legal rights were obtained in all territories. The song spent six weeks at No.1 in the
United KingdomThe 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...
, ultimately becoming the biggest selling single of the year.
It fared less well in the United States, where it failed to chart as a pop record, although it did reach No.39 on the
Hot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. It was the first high-profile example of an Italo-House record. The genre is noteworthy for extreme amounts of "borrowing", usually in single phrases, sometimes in couplets, the lyrical "hooks" from other compositions.
Track listings
UK CD maxi & 12" maxi (1989)
- "Ride on Time" (massive mix) — 6:37
- "Ride on Time" (Epsom mix) — 5:25
- "Ride on Time" (Ascot mix) — 2:57
German CD maxi & 12" maxi (1989)
- "Ride on Time" (the original) — 6:27
- "Ride on Time" (garage trip) — 6:05
- "Ride on Time" (piano version) — 2:53
UK 7" single (1989)
- "Ride on Time" (massive mix) — 4:10
- "Ride on Time" (Epsom mix) — 2:57
German 7" single (1989)
- "Ride on Time" (the original) — 3:55
- "Ride on Time" (piano version) — 2:53
German CD maxi (2003)
- "Ride on Time" (radio cut) — 3:06
- "Ride on Time" (extended club mix) — 5:54
- "Ride on Time" (Voltaxx dub remix) — 5:57
- "Ride on Time" (original version) — 6:27
- "Ride on Time" (exacto mix) — 6:38
- "Ride on Time" (Snapshot remix) — 6:38
- "Ride on Time" (Jay Jay radio cold mix) — 3:45
Certifications
| Country |
Certification |
Date |
Sales certified |
| France |
Silver |
1989 |
200,000 |
| Sweden |
Gold |
November 27, 1990 |
10,000 |
| UK |
Platinum |
October 1, 1989 |
600,000 |
Charts
| Chart (1989–1990) |
Peak
position |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart |
2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart |
8 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart |
3 |
| German Singles Chart |
5 |
| Irish Singles Chart |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart |
5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart |
2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart |
5 |
| 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 ...
|
1 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music Club Play |
39 |
| End of year chart (1989) |
Position |
| 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 ...
|
1 |
| End of year chart (1990) |
Position |
| Australian Singles Chart |
14 |
| Swiss Singles Chart |
25 |