"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by

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 ...

, and performed by American singer

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982 by

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

from Ross's Gold-certified album ''

Silk Electric ''Silk Electric'' is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1982 by RCA Records. It was Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the decade. It reached No. 27 on the US ''Billboar ...

''. The single reached number No. 7 in '' Cash Box'' magazine and No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Soul chart. The

sexy Sexy is an adjective to describe a sexually appealing person (or thing), primarily referring to physical attractiveness. It may also refer to: * Sexual arousal, the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity * Sexual a ...

song, which was rumoured to be named after Jackson's pet snake, was written for Ross and her "desire" for a muscle-bound lover. The track featured prominent background vocals by

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth and latest

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

. (Although Ross has never won a competitive Grammy, she was awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from

NARAS The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

in 2012.) The song was originally intended to be an R&B answer to the massive

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

hit "Physical".

Music video

The single's erotic

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body. The video features a young

Gil Birmingham Gil Birmingham (born July 13, 1953) is an American actor known for his role as Tribal Chairman Thomas Rainwater in the Paramount Network's television series ''Yellowstone''. He is also known for his portrayal of Billy Black in ''The Twilight Saga ...

('' The Twilight Saga'' film series) in one of his first-ever media appearances.

Track listing

* UK vinyl, 12" (12CL 268) # "Muscles" – 4:36 # "I Am Me" – 3:50 * US vinyl, 12", promo (JD-13382) # "Muscles" – 6:38 # "I Am Me" – 3:50 * US vinyl, 7" (PB 13348) # "Muscles" – 3:59 # "I Am Me" – 3:50 * US vinyl, 7", Gold Standard Stereo (GB-13798) # "Muscles" – 3:59 # "Pieces of Ice" – 3:57 * FR vinyl, 7" (2C 008-86609) # "Muscles" – 3:59 # "I Am Me" – 3:50 * NE vinyl, 12" (052Z-86609) # "Muscles" – 4:35 # "I Am Me" – 3:47 * NE vinyl, 7" (1A 006-86609) # "Muscles" – 3:59 # "I Am Me" – 3:50

Personnel

*Diana Ross – lead vocals *

– producer, uncredited background vocals *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' '' Come Away with Me''. Biograp ...

at Sterling Sound, NYC – mastering *

– additional backing vocals *Bill Wolfer – synthesizer *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthes ...

– synthesizer *

Ray Chew Ray Chew is an American musician who specializes in keyboards and contemporary and orchestral arranging. He is the music director of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2014–present). Chew was music director for Fox's American Idol from 2010 to 20 ...

– keyboards *

Eric Gale Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. ''Early life and career'' Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, Gale grew up in a diverse household. His paternal grandfather was from Yorks ...

– guitar *

Yogi Horton A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

– drums *

Neil Jason Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish '' Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...

– bass *Denzil Miller – keyboards *Jeff Mironov – guitar *

Jonathan Moffett Jonathan Phillip "Sugarfoot" Moffett (born November 17, 1954) is an American drummer, songwriter and producer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Beginning in 1979, Moffett collaborated with the Jackson family, particularly Michael Jackson, over the co ...

– drums *Julia Tillman Waters – additional backing vocals *Greg Smith – synthesizer *Maxine Willard Waters – additional backing vocals * David Williams – guitar *

Nathan Watts Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) * Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David a ...

– bass

Charts

Cover versions

*The song was recorded in 1997 by producer/DJ

Peter Rauhofer Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his re ...

recording as

Club 69 Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his rem ...

and was a featured single on the Club 69 album ''Style''. The vocals on this version of "Muscles" are performed by singer-songwriter, Suzanne Palmer.

Samples

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 and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

sampled "Muscles" for her

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

"Diamonds" but it was not included in the final cut of her album ''

The Notorious K.I.M. ''The Notorious K.I.M.'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Atlantic Records and was her first album on her new label Queen Bee Entertainment. It debuted at number four on the US ''Billbo ...

'' *

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...

also sampled "Muscles" for the title track of his album ''

The Inspiration ''Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Young Jeezy. It was released on December 12, 2006, by Corporate Thugz Entertainment (CTE), and Def Jam South Recordings. Production was handled by Shawty Red ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1982 singles Diana Ross songs Songs written by Michael Jackson Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson 1982 songs RCA Records singles