"The Message" is a song by British

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

Cymande Cymande (pronounced ) are a British funk group that was originally active in the early 1970s. The band name derives from a calypso word for "dove", which symbolises peace and love; "Dove" is also the title of one of their best-known songs. Wi ...

from their self-titled debut studio album ''

''. Written by the group's members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, it was recorded at

De Lane Lea Studios Warner Bros. De Lane Lea Studios is a recording studio, based in Soho, London. The studios have mainly been used for dubbing feature films and television programmes. Major artists including the Animals, the Beatles, Herman's Hermits, Soft Machi ...

in London, produced by John Schroeder, and released as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

through

Janus Records Janus Records was a record label owned by GRT Records, also known as General Recorded Tape. The label was in operation from 1969 to 1979. History Janus was founded in July 1969, as a joint venture of GRT and British label Pye Records. In its ...

in 1972. Released as a

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, the song peaked at No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 22 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in the United States. The song can be heard in

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

's 2002 film ''

25th Hour ''25th Hour'' is a 2002 American drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Edward Norton. Adapted by David Benioff from his 2001 debut novel '' The 25th Hour'', it tells the story of a man's last 24 hours of freedom as he prepares to go to ...

'' and

Seth Gordon Seth Lewis Gordon is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor. He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Staff 1% for Developme ...

's 2011 film ''

Horrible Bosses ''Horrible Bosses'' is a 2011 American black comedy crime film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein, from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, ...

''. British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

group

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tu ...

recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song for their 1988 studio album '' Distant Thunder''. A cover of the song was performed by

jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from ...

trumpeter

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and Bl ...

, and released on his 1973 album, '' The Last Tango = Blues''.

Track listing

Personnel

* Ray King – vocals, percussion * Peter Serreo –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

* Michael "Bami" Rose –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

, flute,

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

* Pablo Gonsales –

Conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s * Sam Kelly – drums * Joey Dee – vocals, percussion * Derek Gibbs –

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

and

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

* Steve Scipio – bass, songwriter * Patrick Eaton Patterson – guitar, songwriter * John Schroeder – producer

Charts

Sampled credits

The song was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

by several

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

recording artists, including: *

Ruthless Rap Assassins The Ruthless Rap Assassins were a British hip hop group from Hulme, Manchester, England. The group was formed by MC Kermit La Freak (later simply Kermit - real name Paul Leveridge) and brothers Dangerous Hinds (real name Anderson Hinds) and Danger ...

in "And It Wasn't a Dream" from ''Killer Album'' (1990) *

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), better known by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. A lead member of Mr. Magic's hip hop collective Juice Crew, he is best known for his guest appearance alo ...

in "Me and the Biz" from '' Take a Look Around'' (1990) *

MC Solaar Claude Honoré M'Barali (; born 5 March 1969), professionally known as MC Solaar (), is a French rapping, rapper of Senegalese people, Senegalese and Chadian people, Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop musi ...

in "

Bouge de là "Bouge de là" (French, meaning: "move from there" or "get out of here", also translated as "take a hike") is the debut single by MC Solaar. It samples "The Message" by Cymande, a band formed in London in the early 1970s. This was the first single ...

" from ''

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo ''Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo'' is the debut studio album by French rapper MC Solaar. The album title is a pun on the French version of the Biblical proverb "'" (he who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind, Hosea 8:7). It was released in 19 ...

'' (1991) *

King Tee Roger McBride (born December 14, 1968), better known by his stage name King T (formerly known as King Tee), is an American West Coast hip hop rapper from Compton, California. Emerging as one of Compton's earliest hip hop artists, he was signed t ...

in "On tha Rox" from '' Tha Triflin' Album'' (1993) *

GRITS Grits (stylized as GRITS) is an American Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Their name is an acronym, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In the Spirit". GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter ...

in "Fragmentation" from ''

Factors of the Seven ''Factors of the Seven'' is the second studio album released by GRITS, in 1998. Critical reception Awarding the album a ten from Cross Rhythms, Mike Rimmer writes, "No danger of that here with this top notch performance. You've got to resp ...

'' (1998)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Message Cymande Song British funk songs 1972 singles Song recordings produced by John Schroeder (musician) 1972 songs