"Heartbeat" is a song by American

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

singer

Taana Gardner Taana Gardner (born September 3, 1960) is an American disco and post-disco singer who found her success through West End Records since 1979. She is also a former member of the Aural Exciters. Early life Born in Newark, New Jersey (where she c ...

, released in 1981 by

West End Records West End Records is an American music record label based in New York City. Led by co-founder Mel Cheren, West End was one of the most prominent labels in dance music's history, along with Prelude Records, Salsoul Records, and Casablanca Records. ...

. It was arranged by Dennis Weeden and Kenton Nix, and released with the more famous club mix created by

Larry Levan Lawrence Philpot (July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992), known as Larry Levan ( ), was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the moder ...

. The single peaked at No. 10 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart and No. 6 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. In 1998, it had sold over 800,000 copies. In 2022, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked "Heartbeat" number 63 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".

Composition

"Heartbeat" is a

post-disco Post-disco is a term and genre to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1986, imprecisely beginning with the backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to civil unrest and a riot in Chicago known as the Dis ...

song, which runs for 9 minutes and 34 seconds for the 12-inch "Club version" mixed by Levan. It is set in

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

and has a tempo of 100 beats per minute. Despite praise for its "hip-shaking, booty-bumpin' beats and rhythms" and

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

-laden lyrics, it was considered peculiar at the time due to its slow tempo, "dizzy" vocal delivery and dissonant accompaniment. Danny Krivit recalls "When

evan Evan is a Welsh language, Welsh masculine given name, derived from ''Iefan'', a Welsh form of the name John (name), John. Similar names that share this origin include Euan, Ivan (name), Ivan, Ian, and Juan. "John" itself is derived from the ancie ...

put Heartbeat"on, a full club of people left the room to get food. There was not one person left on the floor."Brewster, Bill (Jan 14, 2014). ''Last Night a DJ Saved My Life''. p. 301. Grove Pres. . Levan, known for his musical idiosyncrasies, kept playing the record at the

Paradise Garage Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a New York City discotheque notable in the history of dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. The club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody, and ...

even several times in an evening until weeks later "no one asoff the floor when they played Heartbeat"" Because of its atypical "dance music-hostile" tempo numerous DJs find it unsuitable for dancefloors even today.

Reception

In his consumer guide for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

reviewed the song's

12-inch The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...

release in 1981 and gave it an A rating, indicating "a great record both of whose sides offer enduring pleasure and surprise." He dubbed it a "classic

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...

" and "the hottest r&b record in the city right now for two self-evident reasons", stating:

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Andy Kellman found the song's rhythm "instantly memorable" and recognized its widespread sampling by hip hop producers, stating "Though hip hop fans are just as familiar with that bass line – often put to great use after its original recording — as

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

fans are familiar with the guitar riffs of '

Purple Haze "Purple Haze" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967, in the United Kingdom. The song features his inventive guitar playing, which uses the signature Hendrix chord a ...

,' no song that has referenced 'Heartbeat' comes close to matching it." Kellman also writes that the song's "greatness comes down to Gardner's vocals just as much as that rhythm", stating:

Legacy

In October 2000,

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

ranked "Heartbeat" number 90 in their list of "100 Greatest Dance Songs". In 2019, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' ranked it among "The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know". In 2020, ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' ranked it number 12 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". In 2022, ''

'' ranked it number 63 in their list of the "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".

Track listing

*US: West End / WES-22132

Influence

"Heartbeat" has been extensively sampled in

Hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

: *

Treacherous Three The Treacherous Three was a pioneering American hip hop group that was formed in 1978 and consisted of DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special K and Spoonie Gee (who left in the late 1970s), with occasional contributions from DJ D ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for 1981 Rap song "Feel the Heartbeat".http://www.whosampled.com/.../The-Treacherous-Three-Feel-the-He... On "Enjoy Records". *

T-Ski Valley T-Ski Valley is an American rapper who had several hits during the 1980s. His song " Catch the Beat" was an early rap favorite in the US in 1981. He had a hit in the UK in 1983 with " Valley Style" which spent six weeks in the UK disco chart, and ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for his 1981 Rap song " Catch The Beat". On "

Grand Groove Records T-Ski Valley is an American rapper who had several hits during the 1980s. His song "Catch the Beat (rap song), Catch the Beat" was an early rap favorite in the US in 1981. He had a hit in the UK in 1983 with "Valley Style" which spent six weeks in ...

". *

De La Soul De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for the remixed version of 1989 single "

Buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) * Buddy Cage (1946–2020), American pedal steel guitarist, member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage *Buddy Holly (1936–1959), artistic ...

". *

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for "Radio" (1988). *

Ini Kamoze Ini Kamoze ( , born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican reggae artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the signature song " Here Comes the Hotstepper". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for his song " Here Comes The Hotstepper", a #1 song on the American pop charts in December 1994. *

D'Influence D'Influence (also D-Influence and D*Influence) is a British production team and acid jazz band. Formerly of The Echo Label, they founded their own label, Freakstreet Records. Original members include Kwame Kwaten, Sarah-Ann Webb, Ed Baden-Powell, ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for their remix of "Crazy" by

Mark Morrison Mark Anthony Joseph Morrison (born 3 May 1974) is a British singer, best known for his 1996 platinum hit song " Return of the Mack", which was immediately met with success upon its release in several European countries. In the following year, ...

, which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart in 1996. *

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild (or simply Musiq; pronounced "music") is an American singer-songwriter. His music blends Rhythm and blues, R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, ...

sampled De La Soul's "

(Native Tongues Decision Remix)", and interpolations from the composition "Heartbeat (Kenton Mix)" for his song " B.U.D.D.Y.". * Norwegian pop singer Annie based her song "I Will Get On" on Gardner's song "Heartbeat". * DMX sampled "Heartbeat" for the song entitled "It's All Good (Love My Niggas)" (1998). *

Mack 10 Dedrick D'Mon Rolison (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He was a member of hip hop supergroup Westside Connection along with WC and Ice C ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for his 1998 song, "LBC and the ING", which features

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

on the album '' The Recipe''. * JX sampled "Heartbeat" for "There's Nothing I Won't Do" (1996). * Nationwide Rip Ridaz sampled the whole song on the track titled "Better Watch Your Back (Fucc Slob)". *

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl "Coko" Gamble, Tamara "Taj" George, and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B ...

sampled "Heartbeat" for the " You're the One" Allstar Remix. * The song appeared in the film 3 Strikes and the film True Love. *

araabMUZIK Abraham Orellana (born June 16, 1989), better known as his stage name AraabMuzik ( ; stylized as araabMUZIK), is an American record producer and DJ. He made a name for himself by performing beats and instrumentals live and in real time on a Ak ...

sampled and remixed "Heartbeat" on his 2013 instrumental compilation album " The Remixes, Vol. 1". * The song has also been featured on the oldies Funk station "Space 103.2" in the big hit video game

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

. * Dutch house duo Homework sampled "Heartbeat" on their 2011 track Hudson Square. * Blacksmith sampled "Heartbeat" on their 1998 remix of

Tina Moore Tina Moore (born October 17, 1970, in Racine, Wisconsin) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B musician. She scored two top 20 hit singles in the UK in 1997 with "Never Gonna Let You Go (Tina Moore song), Never Gonna Let You Go" (#7) and "Nobody ...

- Nobody Better (Blacksmith R'n'B Rub). * Shinehead sampled "Heartbeat" on his 1992 "Try My Love" *

Heavy D & the Boyz Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...

sampled “Heartbeat” on their song “Something Goin’ On” from their 1994 album “Nuttin’ But Love”

Cover versions

* In 1990,

Seduction In sexuality, seduction means enticing someone else into sexual intercourse or Human sexual activity, other sexual activity. Strategies of seduction include conversation and Sexual script theory, sexual scripts, paralanguage, paralingual featur ...

(featuring April Harris on lead vocals) recorded the song peaking at number two on the US dance chart. This version also peaked at number twenty-one on the soul chart and number thirteen on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the 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), o ...

Charts

Taana Gardner version

Seduction version

References

{{authority control 1981 singles 1990 singles Post-disco songs 1981 songs West End Records singles Seduction (group) songs