"Centipede" is the debut single by American singer

Rebbie Jackson Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson-Brown (; born May 29, 1950) is an American singer, actress, and the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her siblings during shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM ...

and the title track from her debut album ''Centipede''. The song was written and produced by Jackson's younger brother

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. He and

The Weather Girls The Weather Girls are an American female duo whose best-known line-up comprised Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. Formed in 1976 in San Francisco, California, The Weather Girls members began their musical career as Two Tons O' Fun, the female ba ...

also sang backing vocals on the song.

Background

The song was written and produced by Jackson's younger brother

. He and

also sang backing vocals on the song. The 12" single includes an extended mix and an instrumental version. On the back of the single, Michael Jackson dedicated the song "to my mannequin friends" The song was later re-released on ''

The Rebbie Jackson Collection ''The Rebbie Jackson Collection'' is a compilation album by American singer Rebbie Jackson. The compilation was issued in 1996 throughout Europe due to Jackson's popularity in the rare groove scene in the 90's. It includes songs from her three ...

'' and the original 12" version was included on her 1998 comeback album ''

Yours Faithfully ''Yours Faithfully'' is the fourth and most recent studio album by American R&B singer Rebbie Jackson. Her song, "Centipede", originally released in 1984, was re-released on May 14, 1998. Background After seven years of inactivity, Jackson ret ...

''.

Release and reception

Released in the late summer of 1984, the single climbed high on the Billboard R&B charts, peaking at number 4 there and at number 24 in the main

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. It was Jackson's highest charting single to date and her only single to enter the Hot 100, although she had several more hits on the R&B chart throughout the decade. The single was Gold-certified by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

, selling 500,000 copies in the USA.

Charts

Certifications

Personnel

*Lead vocals:

*Background vocals:

( Izora Rhodes,

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco sin ...

) *Arranger:

*John Barnes: Synthesizers and Drum Programming *David Williams: Guitar *Jerry Hey: Flugelhorn

Samples

*"Centipede" was sampled in

Brand Nubian Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees ( Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs (DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for All ...

's song "Let's Dance", found on their 1998 album '' Foundation''.

References

{{authority control Rebbie Jackson songs 1984 debut singles Songs written by Michael Jackson Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson 1984 songs Columbia Records singles