Snap! - "The Power"

[johnnywest]

Fun song from the summer of '90.

I believe that some of the same lyrics in the rap were used in "Strike It Up" by Black Box.

[tico]

Classic!

[derek]

I heard this on the radio today...SUCH a classic 90s jam...I don't remember it when it came out, but it's one of those songs that you KNOW are from the 90s. Nicely produced. :)

[cartman2002]

The Power reached #2 in the Hot 100 in 1990 and was actually a remake of a US rap hit

[unicorns]

JAM!

I'VE GOT THE POWER

[B-Boy]

Loved it then and love it now.

The "power" sample comes from Jocelyn Brown's "Love's Gonna Get You".

[shocker]

Who was the female vocalist who shouted "I got the POWER!" in this song? It sounded a little like Martha Wash, who was the singer on C&C Music Factory's dance hits - especially noted for shouting "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW" on "Gonna Make You Sweat".

[oscillations.]

The video is forty shades of glorious.

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2008 3:29:17 GMT -5 shocker said:

Who was the female vocalist who shouted "I got the POWER!" in this song? It sounded a little like Martha Wash, who was the singer on C&C Music Factory's dance hits - especially noted for shouting "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW" on "Gonna Make You Sweat".

The vocalist was Penny Ford, who also sang the vocals on "Rhythm Is A Dancer" and a few other Snap releases. Her sister is disco singer Sharon Redd. She also sang back-up in the 80's for groups like The Gap Band. She released two solo albums, 1985's Pennye and 1993's self-titled album featuring her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreamin'" and "I Lose Control" which was penned by Mariah Carey.

[B-Boy]

Sept 19, 2008 19:59:28 GMT -5 @rebirthxperience said:

Aug 25, 2008 3:29:17 GMT -5 shocker said:

Who was the female vocalist who shouted "I got the POWER!" in this song? It sounded a little like Martha Wash, who was the singer on C&C Music Factory's dance hits - especially noted for shouting "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW" on "Gonna Make You Sweat".

The vocalist was Penny Ford, who also sang the vocals on "Rhythm Is A Dancer" and a few other Snap releases. Her sister is disco singer Sharon Redd. She also sang back-up in the 80's for groups like The Gap Band. She released two solo albums, 1985's Pennye and 1993's self-titled album featuring her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreamin'" and "I Lose Control" which was penned by Mariah Carey.

I thought Penny Ford did the ad-libbing and "it's getting kinda heavy or hectic" line. The "I GOT THE POWER" is actually sample from an older song called "Love's Gonna Get You".

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2008 22:46:40 GMT -5 B-Boy said:

Sept 19, 2008 19:59:28 GMT -5 @rebirthxperience said:

The vocalist was Penny Ford, who also sang the vocals on "Rhythm Is A Dancer" and a few other Snap releases. Her sister is disco singer Sharon Redd. She also sang back-up in the 80's for groups like The Gap Band. She released two solo albums, 1985's Pennye and 1993's self-titled album featuring her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreamin'" and "I Lose Control" which was penned by Mariah Carey.

I thought Penny Ford did the ad-libbing and "it's getting kinda heavy or hectic" line. The "I GOT THE POWER" is actually sample from an older song called "Love's Gonna Get You".

I know it's sampled from Jocelyn Brown's song, but the only vocalist I was sure is on this song is Penny Ford. Maybe it's both of them.

[johnnywest]

What a great song! I miss that summer.

[♛ The Manticore ☯]

One of the most memorable hooks of all time.

I've got the power

[Me. I Am Justin...]

Sept 19, 2008 19:59:28 GMT -5 @rebirthxperience said:

Aug 25, 2008 3:29:17 GMT -5 shocker said:

Who was the female vocalist who shouted "I got the POWER!" in this song? It sounded a little like Martha Wash, who was the singer on C&C Music Factory's dance hits - especially noted for shouting "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW" on "Gonna Make You Sweat".

The vocalist was Penny Ford, who also sang the vocals on "Rhythm Is A Dancer" and a few other Snap releases. Her sister is disco singer Sharon Redd. She also sang back-up in the 80's for groups like The Gap Band. She released two solo albums, 1985's Pennye and 1993's self-titled album featuring her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreamin'" and "I Lose Control" which was penned by Mariah Carey.

Wow, I'm gonna have to invest in that second Pennye album for that MC track. I have and love her first one.

Anyway, I've always loved this song.

[LBTrocks]

It's an okay song. I know I'm probably in the minority, but there's just not quite enough to it to hold my interest.

[B-Boy]

Here's a brief, but complicated history lesson.

The original version of this song actually featured uncleared vocal samples of Chill Rob G's "Let The Words Flow" and was popular over in Germany. And for the umpteenth time I GOT THE POWER was Jocelyn Brown's vocals from "Love's Gonna Get You". Snap! released it under the Power Jam moniker. Because Arista Records couldn't release it in the U.S., they hired Turbo B and Penny Ford for the rap and adlibs respectively.



Chill Rob G recorded his own version and released it as a single. The album version features a vocalist singing the titular phrase instead of using a direct sample.

[disman00911]

Classic 90s dance record even though gets overplayed in commercials and sporting events.  Often heard this song on B96 and later on defunct Energy 92.7/92.5 when I was younger.  Also, I didn't know there were two versions until much later as I was always used to the Turbo G rap version of this song.

[Sir Benji]

Both versions of this song are classic but the original Chill Rob G 12" version will ALWAYS be the superior version of this song. His version is the one that I heard on the radio as a kid. I had always assumed the more popular Snap version was a remix until I found out about the song's history many years later.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Ohh...I remember this!! A freaking classic. Iconic beats. It has gotten a bit overplayed in commercials since then tho.