The Power (Snap! song)

"The Power"
Single by Snap!
from the album World Power
B-side	Remix
Released	1990
Format	CD maxi 7" single 12" maxi
Genre	Eurodance[1]
Length	3:47
Label	Ariola Arista
Writer(s)	Benito Benites John "Virgo" Garrett III Toni C.
Producer(s)	Snap!
Snap! singles chronology
"The Power" (1990) "Ooops Up" (1990)
Music sample "The Power"

"The Power" is a song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in 1990 and reached number one in the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, "The Power" managed to reach number two for one week, behind "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey.^[2] It is particularly known for its hook "I've got the power!"

Background

Written by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) and produced by Snap!, it was the group's third single. Featuring a rap by Turbo B and vocals by Penny Ford (lip-synced in the music video by Jackie Harris), the single became a massive international hit.

The song opens with the somewhat enigmatic line in Russian: "Американская фирма Transceptor Technology приступила к производству компьютеров «Персональный спутник»" (meaning "The American company Transceptor Technology has started production of the 'Personal Companion' computer"). "Personal Companion" was a computer-like device for the blind and visually impaired. Released in 1990, it was controlled by voice and could, among other functions, automatically download articles from USA Today by a built-in modem. It was made by Transceptor Technologies of Ann Arbor, Michigan.^[3]

The song contains samples from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G, "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown,^[4] and "King Of The Beats" by Mantronix.

Power Jam was the first name under which German producers Michael Münzing (Benito Benites) and Luca Anzilotti (John Virgo Garrett III) were noticed for their 1990 Hit "The Power".

The first version of "The Power" was an amalgam of many samples. The beats were taken from Mantronix's "King Of The Beats Lesson #1" (from their 1990 album "This Should Move Ya"), the vocals were taken from "Let The Words Flow" by rapper Chill Rob G and from "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown. The record became instantly popular in both Europe and North America. However, all of the samples used were unauthorized. In Germany, Arista Records had a deal with Stu Fine, former owner of Wild Pitch Records, but Arista did not have the same type of deal for a legal US release. Chill Rob G consented to a US release (which he thought could be lucrative) and consequently Arista Records was pressured to prepare the song for release in the US. Because it was not legally possible for Arista to simply reissue the European single, it was decided to re-record the entire track with new lyrics by rapper Durron Butler AKA Turbo B. and additional vocals by Penny Ford. The samples were then all legally cleared and the song was finally re-released under the new name Snap!, despite the fact that Jocelyn Brown had commenced legal action because of the unauthorized sampling of her vocals.^[4]

Track listings

1990 version 12" maxi "The Power" (ful mix) (6:00) "The Power" (switch mix) (6:21) "The Power" (potential mix) (5:42) 7" single "The Power" (3:47) "The Power" (dub) (5:35) CD version "The Power" (ful mix) (6:00) "The Power" (jungle fever mix) (7:23) "The Power" (potential mix) (5:42) "The Power" (7" version) (3:44)

1996 version "The Power '96" (silk 7") (3:53) "The Power '96" (E=mc2 12") (6:44) "The Power '96" (original dub 12") (4:57) "Ex-Terminator" (from the class 'X) (5:21)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 13 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 3 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[8] 2 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[9] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 16 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 3 France (SNEP)[13] 15 Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 5 Italy (FIMI)[16] 4 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[20] 3 Spain (AFYVE)[21] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 2 US Billboard Hot Black Singles[25] 4 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[25] 1 US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[25] 1 US Billboard Hot Rap Singles[25] 1 US Cash Box[26] 2 Chart (1996) (The Power '96) Peak position Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] 12 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 40

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Australia (ARIA)[29] 65 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[30] 13 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[31] 27 Canada (RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks)[32] 3 Italy (FIMI)[16] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[36] 26 US Cash Box[37] 31 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Germany (BVMI)[38] Gold 250,000^^ Netherlands (NVPI)[39] Gold 75,000^^ Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Platinum 50,000^^ Sweden (GLF)[41] Gold 25,000^^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42] Gold 25,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 200,000^^ United States (RIAA)[44] Platinum 1,000,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Covers, samples and remixes

• The song was covered in 2002 by German band H-Blockx. Turbo B featured in the song taking turns to rap lyrics with H-Blockx's then frontman Dave Gappa. Of note, Turbo B replaces the word 'Snap!' with 'H-blockx' in the line "If they are Snap! don't need the police to try to save them". The single charted at number 48 in Germany, number 51 in Austria and number 34 in Australia.^[45]
• In 2003, the song was remixed by Motivo, with added Indian vocals from Joshilay and released as Snap! Vs. Motivo – The Power (of Bhangra). This version was a minor hit, reaching Number 34 in the UK and Number 36 in Ireland.
• In 2010, Swizz Beatz sampled the song on the second half of Kanye West's official remix to his single Power featuring Jay-Z.
• In 2013, Lena Philipsson covered the song during the 70th birthday celebration of Queen Silvia of Sweden.

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1990 (U.S.)

References

1. Amter, Charlie (9 November 2010). "'Euro-hop' music invades America". CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2014. Eurodance ruled the airwaves in the 1980s and early 1990s, when acts like Germany's Snap! stormed the upper echelons of U.S. pop charts with hits such as "The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer."
2. "August 11, 1990 – The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
3. Feinsilber, Mike (20 June 1989). "For the Blind, a Device That Obeys Spoken Commands and Speaks Back" (Press release). Associated Press. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
4. "Jocelyn Brown discusses her voice behind SNAP's record "The Power" on BBC1 TV Interview". YouTube. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
5. "Australian-charts.com – Snap! – The Power". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Snap! – The Power" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
7. "Ultratop.be – Snap! – The Power" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
8. "Radio2 top 30: 12 mei 1990" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
9. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7978." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1321." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
11. MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info.
12. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
13. "Lescharts.com – Snap! – The Power" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Snap! – The Power". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Snap!". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
16. "I singoli più venduti del 1990" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Snap - The Power search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Snap! – The Power" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
19. "Charts.org.nz – Snap! – The Power". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Snap! – The Power". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
21. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
22. "Swedishcharts.com – Snap! – The Power". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
23. "Swisscharts.com – Snap! – The Power". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
24. "Archive Chart: 1990-03-31" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
25. "Snap! – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
26. CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending AUGUST 18, 1990 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 October 2012). Cash Box magazine.
27. "Snap: The Power 96" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – Snap! feat. Einstein – The Power '96". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
29. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
30. "Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
31. "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
32. "Dance/Urban – Volume 53, No. 6, December 22 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
33. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
34. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
35. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
36. "Top 100 Hits for 1990". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
37. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1990 at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
38. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap; 'The Power')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
39. "Dutch single certifications – Snap – The Power" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
40. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
41. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
42. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Snap; 'The Power')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
43. "British single certifications – Snap – The Power". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Power in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
44. "American single certifications – Snap – The Power". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
45. "australian-charts.com – H Blockx feat. Turbo B – The Power". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2014.