"Square Rooms" is a song by American singer and actor

Al Corley Alford Corley is an American actor, singer, and producer. Corley is best known as the first actor to play Steven Carrington in the 1980s soap opera ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty'' and for his 1984 hit single "Square Rooms". Career In the l ...

. It was the first single from his debut album of the same name. First released in 1984; the song was a hit single in Continental Europe, and had a moderate success in the United States in 1985.

Background and writing

After two seasons playing one of the leading characters in the American TV series, ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'', Al Corley left the nighttime soap opera to become a singer. The media-savvy singer affected the brooding look and attitude popular among pop stars and GQ models at the time: pouty, dark glances and tousled hair. His choice of image worked best in France, where his television performances elicited the unbridled enthusiasm of teenage girls. However, according to Elia Habib, a French charts specialist, his success was not only based on his physical appearance. Indeed, "Square Rooms"' music had a large popular appeal and had a production designed for the dance floor. It was produced and composed by the German musician

Harold Faltermeyer Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer (born 5 October 1952) is a German musician, composer and record producer. Faltermeyer is best known for composing the " Axel F" theme for the feature film '' Beverly Hills Cop'', an influential synth-pop hit in the ...

, who had previously arranged "

Self Control Self-control is an aspect of inhibitory control, one of the core executive functions. Executive functions are cognitive processes that are necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals. Defined more independen ...

", a worldwide pop and dance-floor smash for

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking a ...

in 1984 which featured a similar vocal hook. Faltermeyer would achieve his greatest personal success later the same year, composing, performing and producing the score to ''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...

'', a 1984 film directed by

Martin Brest Martin Brest (born August 8, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. After his feature debut, ''Going in Style'' (1979), he directed the action comedies ''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984) and ''Midnight Run'' (1988), which were ...

, including its hit instrumental theme composition "

Axel F "Axel F" is an electronic instrumental track by German musician Harold Faltermeyer. The track served as the theme tune to the film '' Beverly Hills Cop'', its eponymous character, and the film franchise it is based on, and became an interna ...

Chart performance

"Square Rooms" was released first in Switzerland, where it peaked at number six on October 21, 1984, and staying in the top 30 for ten weeks. The single debuted at number 47 on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

on January 5, 1985, and topped the chart for five nonconsecutive weeks, from March 9 to April 13, 1985. After its peak, it lingered on the charts until its 27th week, on July 20, 1985. The song reached number 12 in Italy, number 13 in Germany, and number 15 in Austria. "Square Rooms" was released last in Corley's native US, where the single reached number 80 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on June 1, 1985, as well as number 26 on the ''Billboard'' dance chart the week of June 22, 1985.

Formats and track listings

*The 12-inch (long) version includes an entire additional verse prior to the first chorus. This verse is excised in both the single and album versions of the song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Covers

A French cover version was recorded by France Lise under the title "On vit à deux".

References

{{Authority control 1984 songs 1984 debut singles Al Corley songs American synth-pop songs Hi-NRG songs Mercury Records singles Music videos shot in France SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Harold Faltermeyer