"Hollywood Swinging" is a 1974 song by R&B/

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

from their album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It was written by

Robert "Kool" Bell Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang. ...

, Ronald Bell, George M. Brown, Robert "Spike" Mickens,

Claydes Charles Smith Claydes "Charles" Smith (born Claydes Eugene Smith; September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang. Biography Early life Born in Jersey City, New Je ...

, Dennis R. Thomas and Rick A. Westfield. "Hollywood Swinging" was the group's first number one R&B single, reaching that position in June 1974. The single was a successful crossover hit, peaking at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart as well. In 2015

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

stated that Chic's 1979 song "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

" was partly inspired by "Hollywood Swinging". Rodgers is the cousin of Robert Mickens.

Track listing

De-Lite Records De-Lite Records, whose formal name was De-Lite Recorded Sound Corporation, was a record label specializing in R&B music from 1969 to 1985; Island Records now manages the De-Lite catalog. History De-Lite Records was founded in 1967 by Fred Vigori ...

– DE-561:

Critical reception

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said "These guys have to be funk personified. Make way for their next million seller." Daryl Easlea of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

wrote "Hollywood Swinging packs appropriate punch". Andrew Hamilton of

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 ...

called Hollywood Swinging "a slightly faster than mid-tempo song with whistles, festive ambiance and lead vocals by keyboardist Ricky West."

Charts

Certifications

Notable appearances in other media

"Hollywood Swinging" appears in the game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' as well as the game's

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

during the dance sequences in the mission "Life's a Beach". It also appears in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning documentary '' O.J.: Made in America'' in a montage detailing

Simpson Simpson may refer to: * Simpson (name), a British surname Organizations Schools *Simpson College, in Indianola, Iowa *Simpson University, in Redding, California Businesses *Simpson (appliance manufacturer), former manufacturer and brand of w ...

's rise to fame in the late 1970s. The song is included in commercials for

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), doing business as New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Su ...

’s “We Got Now” advertising campaign. It was one of the official theme songs of

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

WrestleMania 39 WrestleMania 39, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2023 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 39th annual WrestleM ...

, hosted at

SoFi Stadium SoFi Stadium ( ) is a domed multi-purpose stadium in Inglewood, California, U.S., a suburb of Los Angeles. SoFi occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack and neighbors the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome. Opened in September 2020, the ...

Covers and samples

The song has been sampled in several rap songs, including: * "

Let Me Clear My Throat "Let Me Clear My Throat" is a song by American hip-hop artist DJ Kool. It was released in April 1996 as the third and final single from his album of the same name. It was recorded live at the Bahama Bay club in Philadelphia.DJ Kool John W. Bowman Jr. (born March 20, 1958), better known by his stage name DJ Kool, is an American rapper who produced several popular rap singles in the late 1980s. As a performer, he is best known for his 1996 hit single " Let Me Clear My Throat" ...

* " Another Slob Bites the Dust" by Bloods & Crips * " Compton Swangin'" by

B.G. Knocc Out Al Hasan Naqiyy (born Arlandis Tremel Hinton; born January 23, 1975), known professionally as B.G. Knocc Out, is an American West Coast rapper. Raised in Compton and Watts, California, he became involved in gang life before entering the rap scene ...

Dresta Andre DeSean Wicker (born April 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Gangsta Dresta, is an American rapper. He is best known for collaborating with Eazy-E on the 1993 single "Real Muthaphuckkin G's". He is the older brother of rapper B.G ...

* "

Feel So Good "Feel So Good" is a song by American rapper Mase, released by Arista and Bad Boy Records on October 14, 1997 as both his debut single and the lead single for his debut album, ''Harlem World'' (1997). The song also acted as lead single for the s ...

" by

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean Combs, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 ...

* " Money in the Ghetto" by

Too $hort Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...

* "Inglewood Swangin'" by

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 ...

* "Got 2 Go" by Redhead Kingpin featuring Kwame * "Bag of Glue" by

the Rubberbandits The Rubberbandits are an Irish comedy hip-hop duo from Limerick. They consist of Blindboy Boatclub (real name Dave Chambers) and Mr Chrome (sometimes Bobby Chrome; real name Bob McGlynn). During performances and interviews, they conceal their i ...

* "2 Step" by

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...

Brian Culbertson Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/ R&B/funk musician and producer. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano and trombone. Early life and career Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he wa ...

featuring

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, ...

and

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright (born August 30, 1957) is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for the albums ''24/7 (Gerald Albright and Norman Brown album), 24/7'' in 2012 and ''Slam Dunk'' in 2014 and was nominated for ''New Beginnings (Gerald Albr ...

covered "Hollywood Swinging" on Culbertson's 2008 album '' Bringing Back the Funk''. In 1982 the Big Boys released the ''Fun, Fun, Fun...'' EP containing a cover of "Hollywood Swinging". The group Brockhampton covered "Hollywood Swinging" in 2022 for the soundtrack of the animated film '' Minions: The Rise of Gru'', which consisted primarily of contemporary artists covering 1970s music.

Jamiroquai versions

A version of "Hollywood Swinging" was originally recorded by British

acid jazz Acid jazz (also known as club jazz, psychedelic jazz, or groove jazz) is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul music, soul, and hip hop music, hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1 ...

band

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai ( ) are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

in 1997. The group released the recording, alongside three other tracks, on an exclusive Japanese

MiniDisc MiniDisc (MD) is an erasable magneto-optical disc-based data storage format offering a capacity of 60, 74, or 80 minutes of digitized audio. Sony announced the MiniDisc in September 1992 and released it in November of that year for sale i ...

entitled "Hollywood Swinging", which was available from November 6, 1997. This version also appeared on the group's compilation album, ''

In Store Jam ''In-Store Jam'' is the second compilation album released by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai. Released as a promotional album in 1997, the record features a selection of tracks from all three of the group's early studio albums, as well as ...

'', which was only available for purchase in the US. In 2004, Kool & the Gang re-recorded "Hollywood Swinging" as a collaboration with the group, releasing it on December 8, 2005. The song was released as a single from their album of re-recorded songs, '' The Hits: Reloaded'', and was released on several different formats. Despite strong radio airplay, the song failed to chart anywhere.

Track listing

1997

Japanese mini single # "Virtual Insanity" (Radio Edit) – 3:54 # "When You Gonna Learn" (Didgeridoo) – 3:48 # "Too Young to Die" (Radio Edit) – 3:19 # "Hollywood Swinging" – 4:47

2005

Spanish CD single # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28 European CD single # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (

Ralphi Rosario Ralphi Rosario is an American house musician and founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group Hot Mix 5. Biography When Hot Mix 5 was formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX (now WVAZ), Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in ...

's Old School Vocal) – 7:30 # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Hollywood Rock Dub) – 9:10 UK CD single # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28 # "Cherish" (feat. Ashanti) # "Get Down on It" (feat.

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

) # "Ladies Night" (feat.

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

Spanner Banner Joseph Bonner, also commonly known by the nickname Spanner Banner, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is one of the Bonner brothers, all of whom are successful reggae artists, including Pliers, Richie Spice, and Snatcha Lion. Biogr ...

) UK 12" vinyl # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28 # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Old School Vocal) – 7:30 # "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Hollywood Rock Dub) – 9:10

References

{{authority control Songs about Los Angeles 1974 singles Kool & the Gang songs 1973 songs De-Lite Records singles Edel AG singles Songs written by Claydes Charles Smith Songs written by Ronald Bell (musician) Songs written by Robert "Kool" Bell