| "Float On" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by The Floaters | |
| from the album Floaters | |
| B-side | "Everything Happens for a Reason" |
| Released | June 1977 |
| Genre | Soul |
| Length | 4:13 (Single edit) 11:49 (Album version) |
| Label | ABC |
| Songwriter(s) | Marvin Willis, Arnold Ingram, James Mitchell |
| Producer(s) | James Mitchell, Marvin Willis |
"Float On" is a 1977 song by the R&B/soul group The Floaters. The spoken verses combine two popular trends from the time, star signs and video and phone dating, in lines such as Aquarius and my name is Ralph / Now I like a woman who loves her freedom. The song was co-written by James Mitchell of The Detroit Emeralds group.
Released from their self-titled debut album, it became one of the biggest singles of the year, spending six weeks at number one on the U.S. Hot Soul Singles chart. "Float On" was also a crossover hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Andy Gibb's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and The Emotions' "Best of My Love",[1] but with no other Hot 100 hits, The Floaters became a one-hit wonder on that chart. "Float On" also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart,[2] and number five on the Irish Singles Chart.
Stetsasonic covered the song on its album In Full Gear (1988).[3] The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury's Crème Eggs.[4] A song from Dream Warriors' 1996 album The Master Plan, also titled "Float On", sampled multiple elements of the 1977 song. Full Force released their own version in 2001.
Parodies
The track became a source of parody. Artists who recorded a spoof include:
- English comedy band The Barron Knights on their 1977 UK hit single "Live in Trouble".[5]
- Cheech & Chong on their 1977 US hit single "Bloat On".
- Sesame Street did a style parody of the song in 1977 called "Gimme Five", sung by human characters David (Northern Calloway), Bob (Bob McGrath), Gordon (Roscoe Orman) and Luis (Emilio Delgado).
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Kent Music Report [6] | 16 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] | 5 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[8] | 4 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] | 2 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[12] | 13 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 2 |
| US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[15] | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[16] | 36 |
See also
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 208.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 343. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Stetsasonic". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- ^ "Cadbury's Creme Eggs advert - Float On". YouTube. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Barron Knights parody". Listology.com. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 114. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "The Floaters – Float On" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-10-08. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Float On". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "The Floaters – Float On" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "The Floaters – Float On". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "The Floaters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "The Floaters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Floaters Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Floaters – Float On" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
External links
- Song Review on the Allmusic website