Finally (CeCe Peniston Song)

"Finally" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in September 1991 by A&M Records as her debut single from her first album of the same name (1992). Co-written by her, it received critical acclaim, becoming Peniston's first (and biggest) hit song, peaking at number five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 1992. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. In addition, a dance remix of the song, the "Choice Mix", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1992. The remix appeared on many dance music compilations in the early '90s. Its music video was directed by Claude Borenzweig. ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Billboard'' magazines ranked "Finally" among the best pop and dance songs of all time in 2022 and 2023.

Background and release

Peniston grew up in Phoenix and began writing pop songs during school. The words of "Finally" were purportedly penned during a chemistry class, while thinking about dating in college. In 1989 and 1990, she won the Miss Black Arizona pageant, and took the Miss Galaxy pageant a short time later.

Her music career began in January 1991, when Felipe "DJ Wax Dawg" Delgado, her friend and a record producer based also in Phoenix, asked Peniston to record back-up vocals for Tonya Davis, a rapper known as Overweight Pooch.

Though Overweight Pooch's album flopped on the market, Manny Lehman (a DJ and executive producer) had noticed the powerful voice of the back-up vocalist, Peniston. He offered Delgado a chance to produce a track for Peniston to cultivate her potential as a solo artist. Delgado called hometown friend and music producer, Rodney K. Jackson, to help co-produce Peniston's single, which would become "Finally".

Peniston was 21 years old when "Finally" was released. When asked about the song in a 2012 interview, Peniston said,

Composition

The remix of this song is based on the piano riff from the house music classic "Someday" by CeCe Rogers from 1987. The song is performed in the key of B minor with a tempo of 120 beats per minute, following a chord progression of G – G/A – Bm, and Peniston's vocals span from B₃ to D₅. In 2017, Peniston told about recording the song,

Chart performance

The song was released in September 1991, when it became an instant dance anthem, peaking in October at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the United States for two weeks, while achieving respectable chart success overseas the following year. The song was re-released in the United Kingdom, where it reached a new peak of number two in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on March 22, 1992. It was held off reaching the top spot by Shakespears Sister's "Stay". "Finally" also charted at number-one in Zimbabwe and on the ''RPM'' Dance/Urban chart in Canada, and number 8 in Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, the song reached number 3 in Belgium and number 5 in the Netherlands and Ireland. Following the single's success, Peniston completed her first album, ''Finally'', in two months.

Critical reception

Upon the release, J.D. Considine from ''The Baltimore Sun'' praised the song as "a delightful surprise, marrying a muscular, insinuating groove to Peniston's soulful, insistent vocals." Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' magazine complimented it as "a delicious peak-hour houser that is in a vein similar to Alison Limerick's 'Where Love Lives'. Peniston wraps her lovely alto around a hook that seeps into the brain and body and never lets go." He also remarked that Peniston "proves her potential as a future diva on this brain-embedding, spine-stirring house anthem." Amy Linden from ''Entertainment Weekly'' commented, "The slammin’ house/pop single of the moment? It's CeCe Peniston's 'Finally,' and its sheer joy and verve." She explained further, "Grooving in the fabulousness of her newfound Mr. Right, and sorta amazed that it all happened, she wails deliciously, making you believe that true love will conquer all and that someday your prince (or princess) will come." Dave Sholin from the ''Gavin Report'' described it as a "bright and infectious" debut release and concluded, "I had a preview of this song back in July and have been in love with it ever since!" Dennis Hunt from ''Los Angeles Times'' viewed it as "lively".

Pan-European magazine ''Music & Media'' stated that "this newcomer gives further evidence that dance is still developing into a more song-oriented direction. The violins give the tune the ambiance of ' Backstabbers' by the O'Jays." Andy Beevers from ''Music Week'' complimented it as an "extremely classy and catchy garage-styled debut", naming it Pick of the Week in the category of Dance. A reviewer from ''People Magazine'' felt that it's "overflowing with verve and loaded up with joyous girlie glee", noting the "ecstatic, beat-heavy power" of the track. James Hamilton from the ''Record Mirror'' Dance Update labeled it as "cheerful wailing" and a "ex–Miss America's catchy Crystal Waters–type US pop smash" in his weekly dance column. Adam Higginbotham from '' Select'' declared "Finally" as "a superb slice of feel-good pop music. From its bassline – purloined from Ce Ce (no relation) Rogers' classic garage tune 'Someday' – to the inanely cheery lyrics." Tom Doyle from ''Smash Hits'' viewed it as a "rousing house song". Steve Pick from ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' wrote, "This is a catchy disco number, building energy through repetition of the simple hookline and a solid bass/drum throb. Get on the dance floor to this one, and you'll move."

Retrospective response

Bill Lamb from About.com featured "Finally" in their list of "The Top 100 Best Party Songs", describing it as an "upbeat, celebratory song about love". Steven E. Flemming, Jr. from Albumism noted that it "skillfully melded the insistent grace of all that’s right about dance production values with grand vocals." AllMusic editor Craig Lytle felt that the song and its follow-up, " We Got a Love Thang", "employ that rapid dancehall groove better known as house music". Stopera and Galindo from ''BuzzFeed'' remarked, "When it comes to ‘90s dance songs you’d be hard-pressed to find another song that so perfectly incorporates other music genres that made the decade so great – i.e., R&B, house, and pop – which is what makes “Finally" the quintessential ‘90s dance song. And honestly, it's a feel-good hit! Just try being in a bad mood after listening to it!" A writer from ''Complex'' said that "this was the sound of the early 1990s, when everything was turning colorful and bright." Pop Rescue called it "a great track, with that fantastic hand-clap, bassline and piano opening", adding that Peniston's vocals are "sublime".

Music video

A music video was made for "Finally", directed by Claude Borenzweig. It is very simple, showing Peniston performing the song within a variety of shapes and colors, sometimes with a guy dancing. The video was later made available by Vevo on YouTube in 2009.

Impact and legacy

''DJ Magazine'' ranked "Finally" number 64 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes" in 1998.
VH1 ranked it number 29 in their list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs" in 2000

MTV Dance ranked the song number 28 in their list of "The 100 Biggest '90s Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.MTV Dance. December 27, 2011. Heart TV ranked "Finally" number three in their list of "55 Biggest '90s Club Classics" in March 2017. Heart TV. March 3, 2017. ''Slant Magazine'' ranked it number 37 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" in 2020. ''The Guardian'' ranked it number 66 in their "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!" in 2022. Alexis Petridis wrote, "House music as pure pop-soul, "Finally" was a hymn to an idealised boyfriend sung by a former Miss Black Arizona." Petridis, Alexis (November 17, 2022). "The 70 Greatest No 2 Singles – Ranked!". ''The Guardian''. Same year, ''Pitchfork'' ranked it number 87 in their countdown of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s" in 2022. In October 2023, ''Billboard'' magazine listed "Finally" number 447 in their "Best Pop Songs of All Time". The magazine praised its "magic moment"; "Peniston sings the word “finally” about 20 times in this song, but it’s lucky no. 13 where she destroys the word on the break, growling it out and turning a song about meeting the man of your dreams from a cloying concept into a hard-won victory cry."

Accolades

Music awards and nominations

ASCAP Awards

''Billboard'' Music Video Awards

BMI Awards

VH1 Awards

Winter Music Conference Awards

Track listings and formats

* US cassette single
# "Finally" (7-inch Mix) – 4:27
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08

* US CD single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (12-inch Mix without Rap) – 7:07
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04

* US 12-inch and CD maxi-single
# "Finally" (12-inch Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (Momo Mix) – 7:02
# "Finally" (7-inch Mix) – 4:27
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (Journey Mix) – 7:02
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08

* European and UK 7-inch, CD and cassette French single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (7-inch Mix without Rap) – 4:05

* Australian CD and cassette single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04

* Dutch and UK 7-inch single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (7-inch PKA Mix) – 3:58

* Australian, European and UK 12-inch singles
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (Somedub Mix) – 7:07

* UK 12-inch single
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (12-inch PKA Mix) – 7:08
# " We Got a Love Thang" (The Factory Jam) – 7:08

* UK CD single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (Somedub Mix) – 7:07

* European and UK CD maxi-single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (Somedub Mix) – 7:07
# "Finally" (7-inch Mix without Rap) – 4:05

* UK CD maxi-single
# "Finally" (7-inch Choice Mix) – 4:08
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:04
# "Finally" (12-inch PKA Mix) – 7:08
# "Finally" (7-inch PKA Mix) – 3:58
# "Finally" (Somedub Mix) – 7:07

Credits and personnel

Management
* Executive producers – Manny Lehman, Mark Mazzetti
* Recording studio – Aztec Studios, Phoenix, Arizona
* Publishing – Wax Museum Music, Mainlot Music ( BMI), Polygram Music

Production
* Writers – Cecilia Peniston (lyrics), Felipe Delgado, Rodney K. Jackson, and Elbert Lee Linnear (music)
* Producers – Delgado, Rodney Jackson (co-producer); David Morales and Philip Kelsey (remix)
* Remixing – Morales, Kelsey
* Engineering – David Sussman; Kelsey (remix)

Personnel
* Vocals – Peniston
* Percussion – Morales
* Piano – Eric Kupper (acoustic piano, acoustic and solo)
* Keyboards – Rodney K. Jackson
* Programming (music), Programming – Delgado
* Cover art – Simon Fowler (photographer), Simon Fowler, Peggy Sirota
* Design – Sarah Southin, Len Peltier

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Reissues

"Finally '97"

In 1997, "Finally" was remixed by Eric Kupper to enhance the overseas issue of Peniston's album ''Finally (CeCe Peniston album), Finally'', which was re-released in Europe and Japan along with her greatest collection, ''The Best Of CeCe Peniston'' . The new remixed version of the song titled "Classic Funk Mix" (or "Finally '97") successfully re-entered the British charts, peaking on September 13 at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart,For peak positions of "Finally" single in UK, choose the singles link, or a Official Charts link depending on a release and/or peak date to view full runs of the single(s) in England.
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meaning Peniston had three chart entries with one and the same title (in March 92, in September 97).

Additional credits

* Recording studio – Hysteria Recording
* Publishing – PolyGram Music
* Producer, engineering, programming, keyboards, guitar and bass – Eric Kupper
* Remixing – Kupper, George Mitchell and Steven Doherty
* Design – Alex

Track listings and formats

* French CD single
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Radio Mix) – 3:26
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Mix) – 7:13

* European CD maxi-single
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Radio Mix) – 3:26
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Mix) – 7:13
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Mix) – 8:00
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Dub) – 5:28

* Italian 12-inch vinyl single
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Mix) – 8:00
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Dub) – 5:28
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Mix) – 7:13
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Radio Mix) – 3:26

* European and UK CD maxi-single (1)
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Radio Mix) – 3:26
# "Finally" (Choice' Mix) – 4:09
# "We Got a Love Thang" (Silky 7-inch) – 4:28
# "Hit by Love" (LP Version) – 4:34

* European and UK CD maxi-single (2)
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Radio Mix) – 3:26
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Mix) – 7:13
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Mix) – 8:00
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Dub) – 5:28
# "Finally" (Sharp's System Vocal) – 8:16
# "Finally" (Sharp's Funky Mirror Ball Dub) – 6:00

* UK 12-inch double vinyl
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Mix) – 8:00
# "Finally" (Sharp's System Vocal) – 8:16
# "Finally" (Acappella)
# "Finally" (Nasty Funk Dub) – 5:28
# "Finally" (Sharp's Funky Mirror Ball Dub) – 6:00
# "Finally" (Classic Funk Mix) – 7:13
# "Finally" (12-inch Choice Mix) – 7:05

Charts

"Finally 2008"

In mid-2008, the song was remixed by Kam Denny, an Australian DJ and producer, and Paul Zala, an electrohouse DJ based in Melbourne. Subtitled as "Kam Denny & Paul Zala Remix", or rather "Vandalism Remix", the promotional single was released in Australia on Bimbo Rock, a local indie dance/electro label formed by TV Rock. The new adaptation gained underground house music popularity and entered the local ARIA Charts, Club Tracks Chart, topping for four weeks at number one.

Additional credits

* Producers and remixing – Kam Denny and Paul Zala

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

"Finally 2011"

For the 20th anniversary of "Finally", Peniston made a number of additional remixes of the song for Paul Oakenfold, featuring Joyriders, and supported also by music video. Originally, the song was to be attached to her cancelled studio album ''CeCe.''

Additional credits

* Executive producer – Paul Oakenfold
* Vocals – Peniston (re-recorded)
* Performer – Joyriders
* Producers and remixing – Roman Hunter, Digitalchord, Zen Freeman, Remy Le Duc, Mikael Nordgren , Chuckii Booker
* Vocal production – Kevin Lewis

Track listings and formats

Release 1
# "Finally" (Roman Hunter Airplay Mix) – 2:58

Release 2
# "Finally" (Roman Hunter Remix) – 7:03
# "Finally" (Digitalchord Remix) – 7:00
# "Finally" (Zen Freeman & Remy Le Duc Remix) – 6:03
# "Finally" (Tiger Stripes Remix) – 7:22
# "Finally" (DJ Cii Remix) – 2:31

''Deep House Selection, Volume 6 (The Finest Deep House Tunes)''
# "Finally" (Tiger Stripes Radio Edit) – 3:15

In popular culture

The song features in the 1994 Australian drag-comedy ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'', with the main characters Lip sync, lip-synching to the song during a Drag show, performance.

For her ninth tour ''Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour'' that resumed on November 11, 2006, at Sydney Entertainment Centre (ended on January 23, 2007), Kylie Minogue used elements of Peniston's song when performing her 2000 comeback single "Spinning Around", co-written by Paula Abdul.

In July 2014, British singer Matt Fishel included a cover version of the song on his Music download, virtual Extended play, EP ''Cover Boy (EP), Cover Boy''. The accompanying video won the category for Best Lyric Video at the 2014 LGBT-based RightOutTV Music & Video Award.

In 2015, the song was also used in an advertisement for Ariel (detergent), Ariel detergent in the Philippines with modified lyrics to promote the product. The commercial has since Internet meme, spawned parodies poking fun at the camp (style), campy nature of the commercial and the song used, with numerous people and fictional characters lip-syncing to the tune.

See also

* ''The Best Dance Album in the World... Ever!''
* Dance Dance Revolution
* List of number-one dance singles of 1991 (U.S.)
* List of UK top-ten singles in 1992

References

General
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Specific

External links

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1991 songs
1991 debut singles
1992 singles
1997 singles
2008 singles
2011 singles
CeCe Peniston songs
Number-one singles in Zimbabwe
Songs written by CeCe Peniston
A&M Records singles
Perfecto Records singles
Polydor Records singles
Songs written by Felipe Delgado (record producer)
Music videos directed by Claude Borenzweig