Somebody's Watching Me

"Somebody's Watching Me"
Side-A label of U.S. 12-inch vinyl single
Single by Rockwell
from the album Somebody's Watching Me
B-side	"Somebody's Watching Me (Instrumental)"
Released	1984
Format	7" single cassette single
Genre	Synth-funk[1]
Length	4:59 (Album version) 4:00 (Single version) 3:33 (Radio version)
Label	Motown M 1702
Writer(s)	Kennedy "Rockwell" Gordy
Producer(s)	Curtis Anthony Nolen
Rockwell singles chronology
"Somebody's Watching Me" (1984) "Obscene Phone Caller" (1984)
Music video "Somebody's Watching Me" on YouTube

"Somebody's Watching Me" is a song by American singer Rockwell from his debut studio album Somebody's Watching Me (1984). It was released as Rockwell's debut single and lead single from the album in January 14, 1984, by Motown. It features former Jackson 5 members Michael Jackson (vocals in the chorus) and Jermaine Jackson (additional backing vocals).^[2]

"Somebody's Watching Me" became a commercial success internationally, topping the charts in Belgium, France and Spain. "Somebody's Watching Me" also peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Rockwell is the son of Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Jr. At the time of the recording, Rockwell was estranged from his father and living with Ray Singleton, his father's ex-wife. Singleton served as executive producer on the project and would occasionally play some demo tracks to Berry. The elder Gordy was less than enthusiastic about Rockwell's music until he heard the single with a familiar voice featured prominently on background vocals.^[2][3]

Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, the song featured backing vocals by Michael Jackson and Alan Murray on percussion.^[2][4]

Due in part to the popularity of the music video, the song is sometimes used for Halloween celebrations, with cover versions found in various collections of Halloween music.

Music video

The single's music video underscores the song's paranoid tone with a haunted house-inspired theme, including imagery of floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing Psycho.

Plot

The video opens with Rockwell coming home to discover that the wrong newspaper has been delivered to his doorstep. As he takes a quick shower, he begins to have strange visions (in a manner recalling The Dead Zone) of himself being pursued around his house by assorted ghoulish appartions, of the looming figure of a cadaverous-looking man, and of finding a tombstone engraved with his own name. His shower is interrupted when he hears something outside and goes out on his balcony to investigate. He is shocked to see the man from his visions standing at his gate, but as he struggles to get a better look in spite of the sun in his face he is greatly relieved to see that he is merely a mailman, come to deliver the correct newspaper. As the mailman walks up the path towards the front porch, however, a brief close-up of his arm reveals that he is, in fact, a zombie. Rockwell emerges onto the porch to receive the paper, which the mailman genially hands over. As the mailman brings his other arm around to strike, Rockwell has just enough time to notice that he is not human...

Production

The mailman who appears in the music video for "Somebody's Watching Me" also stars in the video for "Obscene Phone Caller." This was a low-budget video produced by The Wolfe Company, directed by Francis Delia; cinematography by Dominic Sena; production manager, Jason Braunstein; and production coordinator, Jon Leonoudakis. Leonoudakis appears in the video as the visual metaphor "watching" Rockwell through the porthole of the front door.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 12 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 14 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 1 Canada (CHUM)[8] 5 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 2 France (IFOP)[10] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[12] 6 Italy (FIMI)[13] 14 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 5 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 7 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[18] 5 Spain (AFYVE)[19] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 3 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 2 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 1 US Cash Box[25] 2 US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard)[26] 3 US Top Tracks (Billboard)[26] 31

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[27] 13 Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)[28] 28 France (IFOP)[29] 46 Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 46 Italy (FIMI)[13] 84 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[31] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 46 US Billboard Hot 100[33] 26 US Cash Box[34] 21 US Top Black Singles (Billboard)[33] 12 Sales and certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Canada (Music Canada)[35] Gold 50,000^^ France 354,000[36] United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 1,000,000^^ United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 500,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

DJ BoBo version: "Somebody Dance with Me"

DJ BoBo based his 1992 single "Somebody Dance with Me" on "Somebody's Watching Me" with new lyrics and rap. The DJ BoBo single peaked at no. 1 in Sweden and Switzerland, no. 3 in Austria, Netherlands and Norway, at no. 4 in Germany and no. 13 in Australia.

In 2012, a remix of the hit was made by Remady titled "Somebody Dance With Me (Remady 2013 Mix)" by DJ BoBo featuring Manu-L. Released early in 2013, it charted in Swiss Hitparade reaching no. 4. The mix was made on the 20th anniversary of the initial hit by DJ BoBo in November 1992.

Beatfreakz version

"Somebody's Watching Me"
Single by Beatfreakz
Released	April 24, 2006 (UK) June 9, 2006 (US)
Format	CD single
Genre	Dance, house
Length	2:48
Producer(s)	Beatfreakz
Beatfreakz singles chronology
"Somebody's Watching Me" (2006) "Superfreak" (2006)
Music video "Somebody's Watching Me" on YouTube

In 2006, Dutch dance group Beatfreakz recorded a pseudo-cover of the song which sampled the chorus but omitted the verses. Their version peaked at no. 1 in Spain, no. 3 in the UK Singles Chart, no. 3 in the German Official Dance Chart, no. 4 in Russia, no. 5 in Ireland, no. 7 in Finland and New Zealand, no. 12 in the Dutch Top 40, no. 18 in France, no. 36 in the Belgium Ultratop 50, and no. 38 in Australia.

Track listing

CD single

1. Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Edit]
2. Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Club Mix]
3. Somebody's Watching Me [E-Craig's 2006 Remix]
4. Somebody's Watching Me [DeNnis Christopher Remix]
5. Somebody's Watching Me [Ian Carey Club Mix]

Chart performance

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[38]	38
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[39]	6
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[40]	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Flanders)[41]	17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Wallonia)[42]	17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[43]	28
France (SNEP)[44]	18
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[45]	7
Germany (Official German Charts)[46]	41
Ireland (IRMA)[47]	5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[48]	12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[49]	21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[50]	7
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[51]	28
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[52]	65
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[53]	3

Other cover versions

• A cover of the song by Morris Day (lead singer of The Time) was included on The Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits, the soundtrack album for the 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film The Haunted Mansion.
• Finnish power metal band Warmen included a cover of the song on their 2005 album Accept the Fact. Their version featured melodic death metal singer Alexi Laiho.
• Danish industrial metal band Raunchy covered the song for their 2008 album Wasteland Discotheque.
• Electro/hip hop artist/DJ/producers, Mysto & Pizzi, recorded a cover of the song for a series of GEICO television commercials.^[54]

Sampling

• TRU incorporated the lyrics and main melody of the chorus into their 1997 single "I Always Feel Like (Somebody's Watching Me)".^[55]
• Jamaican dancehall group T.O.K. sampled the song with additional rap lyrics for their 2001 album My Crew, My Dawgs as a hidden track.
• Christian pop artist tobyMac sampled the chorus for his song "Somebody's Watching" from his 2001 album Momentum.^[56]
• In 2001, French hip hop group Fonky Family sampled the song in "Art de Rue".^[57]
• R&B artist Ciara incorporated a portion of "Somebody's Watching Me" for her 2006 hit single "Get Up".
• Hip hop group The Pack incorporates parts of the song, including the chorus, in their single "I'm Shinin'" from their 2007 album Based Boys.^[58]
• In 2008, Internet celebrity Jeffree Star used the chorus of the song in his own track "Starstruck" which features the band Danger Radio.
• In 2009, Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo released a song entitled "Who's Watching" (from the album "Sin Is Wack") that samples both the melody and parts of the chorus, which he altered to produce a seemingly entirely different song.
• For the 2011 Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, the background vocals from this song found their way into a medley that included "Is It Scary?", "Threatened", and "Thriller." It was released on Michael Jackson's album Immortal in 2011.
• In Nephew's 2012 album, they sample the song in the chorus of their song "Åh Gud (Jeg Håber Du Holder Øje Med Mig)". The title literally means: Oh God (I Hope That You Are Watching Me.)
• In 2016, Canadian singer-songwriter Virginia to Vegas sampled the song on his single "Lights Out".

Appearances in other media

• It was featured in the pilot episode of the hit 1980s TV show, Miami Vice.
• The Mysto & Pizzi cover version was featured in a series of commercials for GEICO that began airing in December 2008 and throughout 2009. The campaign, created by The Martin Agency,^[59] consisted of various advertisements in which people would happen upon Kash, a stack of money with googly eyes, while the song is played in the background.
• The song was used as Number Four's ringtone in the film adaptation of I Am Number Four.
• The song was featured in the classic skateboarding film Round 2 Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song.
• The song was used in The Cleveland Show's series 3 episode 6 "Sex and the Biddy".
• A remixed clip of the song is used in promotional sequences for the upcoming ABC television show, The Glass House.
• The song appears in the Season 1 episode "Everybody Hates Playboy" of Everybody Hates Chris, as Chris and Greg plan to steal the titular magazine back from the assistant principal's office.
• The song was featured in Ellen's Halloween dance mix.
• The song was also featured in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008).
• The song was comically sung in a television commercial for NHL 08.

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1984 (U.S.)
• Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984
• List of number-one singles of 1984 (France)
• List of number-one singles of 1984 (Spain)

References

1. Huey, Steve. "Rockwell – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 18, 2014. Son of Berry Gordy who scored a number two Hot 100 hit with the 1983 synth-funk single "Somebody's Watching Me."
2. Somebody's Watching Me (Media notes). Rockwell. Hollywood, California: Motown Records. 1984.
3. Gordy Singleton, Raynoma (1990). "Super Three". Berry, Me and Motown (1st ed.). Chicago: Contemporary Books. pp. 297–299. ISBN 0-8092-4340-7. As they finished mixing down the record, I could barely wait to rush it over and play it for Berry.
4. Higginson, Cheryl (May 1, 1984). "Rockwell Rockets Up The Popular Charts". Luddington Daily News.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
7. "Ultratop.be – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
8. Rockwell at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6316." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
10. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 80's" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Somebody's Watching Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
13. "I singoli più venduti del 1984" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
16. "Charts.org.nz – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". VG-lista. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
18. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (R)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
22. "Archive Chart: 1984-03-03" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
23. "Rockwell – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Rockwell. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
24. "Rockwell – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Rockwell. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
25. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 24, 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 30, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
26. "BB-1984-03-10" (PDF). Billboard. March 10, 1984. pp. 22, 57. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
27. "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
28. "Top Singles – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
29. "TOP – 1984" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
30. "Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
31. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
33. "BB-1984-12-22" (PDF). Billboard. December 22, 1984. pp. 14, TA–19, TA–21. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
34. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 30, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
35. "Canadian single certifications – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Music Canada.
36. "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
37. "American single certifications – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
38. "Australian-charts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
39. "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
40. "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
41. "ultratop.be – 50 DANCE 03/06/2006" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
42. "ultratop.be – 50 DANCE 03/06/2006" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
43. "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
44. "Lescharts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
45. "Beatfreakz: Somebody's Watching Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
46. "Offiziellecharts.de – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
47. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Somebodys Watching Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
48. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
49. "Dutchcharts.nl – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
50. "Charts.org.nz – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
51. (Romanian) Issue nr: 23/2006 (12 Iunie – 18 Iunie 2006) at the Wayback Machine (archived June 13, 2006). see last week position. Romanian Top 100.
52. "Swisscharts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
53. "Archive Chart: 2006-05-13" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
54. "GEICO - The Remake of Somebody's Watching Me...". January 27, 2009.
55. "TRU's I Always Feel Like... sample of Rockwell feat. Michael Jackson's Somebody's Watching Me". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
56. "tobyMac feat. Joanna Valencia's Somebody's Watching sample of Rockwell feat. Michael Jackson's Somebody's Watching Me". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
57. Jean (July 29, 2015). "Isleym : Premier album 'Où ça nous mène' en 2014". Evous (in French). Retrieved March 5, 2016.
58. "The Pack's I'm Shinin' sample of Rockwell feat. Michael Jackson's Somebody's Watching Me". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
59. Parpis, Elefteria (December 25, 2008). "Kash Debuts for Geico". Adweek. Retrieved December 19, 2008.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics