| "Let the Music Play" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byShannon | ||||
| from the albumLet the Music Play | ||||
| Released | September 19, 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | ||||
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| Label | ||||
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| Shannon singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Let The Music Play" onYouTube | ||||
"Let the Music Play" is a song recorded by American singerShannon and released on September 19, 1983, as both her debut single and thelead single from her 1984debut studio album of the same name. Written byChris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm, and produced by Barbosa and Mark Liggett, "Let the Music Play" was the first of Shannon's four number ones on the USDance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot in October 1983.[6] It also became a successful crossover hit in the US, peaking at number two on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (behindPatti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew") and number eight on theBillboard Hot 100 in February 1984.[7] It was Shannon's onlytop 40 hit in the US.
"Let the Music Play" was ranked 43rd on the 2009VH1 Special100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s,[8] whileRolling Stone andBillboard featured it in their lists of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time"[9] and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time"[10] in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
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The original version of the song was produced byChris Barbosa and Mark Liggett. Barbosa wrote and arranged the original demo track of "Let the Music Play" with Rob Kilgore playing all instruments. It featured a series of keyboard chords and drum patterns produced by "reverb-gating" aRoland TR-808 drum machine. Specifically, areverberation affect was added to the kick and snare drum sounds, then, anoise gate was used to shorten the length of reverberation "tail" in a way that, while not sounding like a natural acoustic reverberation, adds a synthetically propulsive feel. Further, it was one of the first tracks to sync together a TR-808 and aRoland TB-303 bassline, famous in later years as the instrument responsible for creatingacid house. The TB-303 plays the bassline for the entire song; in this case, the filter is not adjusted, which was typical for acid house. This technical achievement made the production even more groundbreaking and it resulted in a unique sound, called "The Shannon Sound", which eventually became known asfreestyle.
The vocal on the chorus is by session guitarist/vocalistJimi Tunnell, who is uncredited.[11]
"Let the Music Play" is adance-pop and freestyle song with synthesizer and drum machine-produced rim shot percussion sounds and kick-drum/snare-drum interaction. The song's tempo is 116beats per minute and is in the key ofC minor.[12]
The accompanying music video for "Let the Music Play", directed by British directorNigel Dick and released in November 1983, starts with Shannon in a dressing room applying make-up as if she is getting ready for a performance. She then proceeds to the stage of an empty theater where she proceeds to dance and sing the song. Interspersed throughout these scenes are shots of male and female dancers fashioned in dress shirts and bow ties warming up. The dancers join Shannon by the second chorus of the song and near the end, one of the dancers proceeds to take her in his arms and dance with her. The video ends with the dancers doing a choreographed routine while Shannon continues singing.[13][14]
American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriterArmand van Helden picked "Let the Music Play" as one of his "classic cuts" in 1995, adding, "A very powerful record. The first strong vocals overelectro music. The first big hit that I can remember that struck me and paved the way forfreestyle. Back then it waship hop, but not consideredrap."[15]VH1 ranked the song number 24 in their list of the "100 Greatest Dance Songs" in 2000.Blender ranked it number 465 in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005.[16]Slant Magazine ranked it number 54 in its "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list in 2006, adding, "AlongsideMadonna's 'Holiday', D.C.-bornjazz vocalist Brenda Shannon Greene's 'Let the Music Play' helped redefinedance music in the anti-disco early-'80s, setting the stage for the troubled genre for the next decade. Producers Mark Liggett andChris Barbosa, considered one of the founding fathers of Latin freestyle, merged the then-hipelectro-funk sound with Latin rhythms, unwittingly creating the world's first freestyle song."[17]
VH1 ranked the song number 42 in their "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s" in 2009.[8]ThoughtCo ranked it number nine in their list of "25 Best Dance Pop Songs of All Time" in 2018.[18]Slant Magazine ranked it number nine in their ranking of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" in 2020.[19]Rolling Stone ranked "Let the Music Play" number six in their list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" in 2022.[9]Billboard ranked it number 417 in their "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in October 2023, saying, "The seductive and wildly ahead of its time club perennial that preached to girls out on the dancefloor that all they needed to get the guy they wanted was to leave it up to the DJ."[10] In March 2025, the magazine ranked it number 63 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".[20]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[48] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| "Let the Music Play" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byMary Kiani | ||||
| from the albumLong Hard Funky Dreams | ||||
| Released | April 1, 1996 | |||
| Label | 1st Avenue,Mercury Warehouse Records, Leeds UK | |||
| Songwriters | Chris Barbosa,Ed Chisolm | |||
| Mary Kiani singles chronology | ||||
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In 1996,Mary Kiani covered "Let the Music Play" as her third solo single. The song was remixed in a variety of styles, notably by Paul Oakenfold ofPerfecto andSteve Rodway ofMotiv8. A video of the song was also released.
These are the main formats and track listings of the single release of Mary Kiani's "Let the Music Play".
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| UK CD single MERCD456 | ||
| 1. | "Let the Music Play" [Radio Mix] | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Let the Music Play" [Perfecto Radio Mix] | 5:40 |
| 3. | "Let the Music Play" [Motiv8 Club Mix] | 6:32 |
| 4. | "Let the Music Play" [Mr. Spring Contrary Mary Mix] | 5:34 |
| 5. | "Let the Music Play" [Perfecto Vocal Mix] | 8:00 |
| 6. | "Let the Music Play" [Argonauts Kiani Do This Mix] | 5:42 |
| 7. | "Let the Music Play" [Mr. Spring Club Edit] | 4:29 |
| UK 12" MERX456 | ||
| A1. | "Let the Music Play" [Motiv8 Club Mix] | 6:33 |
| A2. | "Let the Music Play" [Union Jack Mix] | 6:27 |
| B1. | "Let the Music Play" [Perfecto Vocal Mix] | 8:01 |
| B2. | "Let the Music Play" [Perfecto Dub Mix] | 5:00 |
| UK 12" MERX457 / Fubar12 | ||
| A1. | "Let the Music Play" [Casio Brothers Mix] | |
| A2. | "Let the Music Play" [George Bowie Mix] | |
| B1. | "Let the Music Play" [Steve Kerr Mix] | |
| B2. | "Let the Music Play" [Tom Wilson & David Livingston Mix] | |
