"Joy" is the debut single by British

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

studio project Staxx, assembled by

producers Producer(s), The Producer(s), or co-producer(s) may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *Producer, a stakeholder of economic production * Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes t ...

Simon Thorne and Tom Jones. It was released in 1993 by Champion Records and Free Spiritand, and features British singer

Carol Leeming Carolann Coleen Leeming (born 27 November 1957) is a British and Jamaican descent multi-disciplinary artist, writer, singer and musician who is noted for her poetry, plays and musical work. She is best known for her choreopoetry. Leeming's literar ...

, becoming a number-one hit on both the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

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 and the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Dance/Urban chart. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 25. In 1997, the song was re-released in a new remix, reaching number 14 in the UK. The accompanying music video was directed by British director Lindy Heymann, featuring Leeming and two female dancers performing in an empty

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

Chart performance

"Joy" was a club staple and a notable hit on the charts in several countries, peaking at number-one on both the US ''

chart in February 1994 and the Canadian ''

'' Dance/Urban chart in May 1994. In Europe, it was a top-20 hit in Denmark (20), and a top-30 hit in Switzerland (30), and the UK. In the latter, it peaked at number 25 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on October 10, 1993. On the ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' Dance Singles chart, it hit number two, behind

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Ruther ...

's "

Relax Relax or RELAX may refer to: Albums * ''Relax'' (album), by Das Racist, 2011 * ''Relax'', by Blank & Jones, 2003 * ''Relax'', by Los Piratas, 2003 Songs * "Relax" (Deetah song), 1998 * "Relax" (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song), 1983 * "Relax ...

". In the Netherlands, "Joy" was a top-40 hit, reaching number 33. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

, it reached its highest position as number 70, after debuting at number 97 on 23 October 1993, when the single charted in the UK. Later, in February 1994, "Joy" peaked at number six on the

European Dance Radio Chart The European Dance Radio Chart (also known as European Dance Radio Top 25) was a weekly chart compiled by pan-European magazine ''Music & Media''. After dance music had played a more dominant role on the magazine's Eurochart Hot 100 in the beginni ...

. Elsewhere, the song was a top-90 hit in Australia, reaching number 90 on the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

singles chart. In 1997, "Joy" was released in a new remix, this time peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, number five on the

UK Dance Singles Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...

and number two on the ''Record Mirror'' Club Chart.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' magazine wrote, "This smokin' anthem is cast in a mold similar to

Culture Beat Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1 ...

's ' Mr. Vain', wrapping a brain-embedding

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 ...

around a rapid, percolating beatbase. ..Icing on the cake is

's spirited vocal appearance on several mixes." In the magazine's single review, he also noted that it "has a roaring and frenetic

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

-ish undercurrent", complimenting the singer as "a charming presence, playfully wrapping her feline voice around the song's ear-catching

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

and refrain." Maria Jimenez from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' remarked that the track "is spreading like musical wildfire."

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...

from ''

s ''RM'' Dance Update described it as a "typically excellent Carol Leeming wailed and scatted catchy

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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 ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

with so many "joy"-ful influences that it's instantly familiar". Wendi Cermak from ''The Network Forty'' named it a "delectable dance tune to liven up your current library of

down-tempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

jams and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

." David Petrilla from '' The Weekender'' concluded that "this song deserves all the attention it will get. It's upbeat, happy, well produced and performed. 'Joy' has what it takes to enjoy a long stay in most DJs play stacks. I wouldn't be surprised if it even crosses over to radio, but remember you heard it first on the dance floor!" On the 1997 remix, Flick from ''Billboard'' named it a "cute

Euro-NRG Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich ...

ditty" and a "wonderfully bright and anthemic jam". He added, "Leeming has a sassy vocal style to offset the oh-so-happy music. She knocks off a few festive vamps and refrains that should stick to the brains of programmers within seconds." Chris Finan from the ''RM'' Dance Update gave it a score of four out of five, writing, "Far and away a cracking record in its own right,

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

relives the moment with some deft reworkings by Grand Larceny and Monde. The best way to update this would have been to stick closely to all the hooks that made it the first time and that's exactly what's been done. Mondo just updates the tune, retaining the complete Carol Leeming vocal and using similar synth hooks over the top. An old favourite that will probably become a new favourite."

Track listing

* 12", UK (1993) :A. "Joy" (Love Joy Vocal Mix) :B1. "Joy" (Original Mix) :B2. "Joy" (Love Joy Stringapella) * 12" (Diss-Cuss Remix), Italy (1993) :A1. "Joy" (Diss-Cuss Vox Remix) – 6:40 :A2. "Joy" (Joy Radio Edit) – 3:38 :B1. "Joy" (Original Mix) – 5:52 :B2. "Joy" (Love Joy 12" Vocal Mix) – 6:20 * CD single, UK (1993) #"Joy" (Love Joy Serious Vocal Edit) – 3:37 #"Joy" (Original Edit) – 3:21 #"Joy" (Love Joy Vocal Mix) – 6:24 #"Joy" (Original Mix) – 6:37 #"Joy" (Diss-Cuss Vox Mix) – 6:40 #"Joy" (Stones Club Mix) – 4:55 #"Joy" (Love Joy Dub) – 6:53 * CD maxi, Germany (1993) #"Joy" (Love Joy Serious Vocal Edit) – 3:40 #"Joy" (Original Radio Edit) – 3:22 #"Joy" (Love Joy Serious Vocal Mix) – 6:25 #"Joy" (Stones Club Mix) – 4:53 * 12", UK (1997) :A. "Joy" (Mondo's Pussycat Vocal) :B1. "Joy" (Lovejoy Vocal 12") :B2. "Joy" (Grand Larceny Mix) * CD single, UK (1997) #"Joy" (Mondo's Pussycat Radio Edit) – 3:49 #"Joy" (Lovejoy Vocal Edit) – 3:38 #"Joy" (Mondo's Pussycat Vocal 12") – 7:34 #"Joy" (Lovejoy Vocal 12") – 6:25 #"Joy" (Mondo's Topless Vocal 12") – 6:58 #"Joy" (Grand Larceny Mix) – 8:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1993 songs 1993 debut singles 1997 singles Champion Records singles Music videos directed by Lindy Heymann Staxx songs