"Hollywood Swinging"
One of side-A labels of US single
Single by Kool & the Gang
from the album Wild and Peaceful
B-side"Dujii"
ReleasedApril 6, 1974[1]
Recorded1973
GenreFunk[2]
Length4:35
LabelDe-Lite Records
Songwriter(s)Bell, Bell, Brown, Mickens, Smith, Thomas, Westfield
Producer(s)
Kool and the Gang singles chronology
"Jungle Boogie"
(1973) 		"Hollywood Swinging"
(1974) 		"Higher Plane"
(1974)

"Hollywood Swinging" is a 1974 song by R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang from their album Wild and Peaceful. It was written by Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, George M. Brown, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Claydes Charles Smith, Dennis R. Thomas and Rick A. Westfield.

"Hollywood Swinging" was the group's first number one R&B single, reaching that position in June 1974. The single was a successful crossover hit, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart as well.[3]

In 2015, Nile Rodgers stated that Chic's 1979 song "Good Times" was partly inspired by "Hollywood Swinging". Rodgers is the cousin of Robert Mickens.[4]

Track listing

De-Lite Records – DE-561:[5]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hollywood Swinging" (From the album Wild and Peaceful)Kool and the Gang & Rick Westfield4:35
2."Dujii" (From the compilation album Kool Jazz)Rick Westfield6:02

Critical reception

Record World said "These guys have to be funk personified. Make way for their next million seller."[6]

Daryl Easlea of the BBC wrote "Hollywood Swinging packs appropriate punch".[7] Andrew Hamilton of Allmusic called Hollywood Swinging "a slightly faster than mid-tempo song with whistles, festive ambiance and lead vocals by keyboardist Ricky West."[8]

Charts

Chart (1974) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 6
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[10] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notable appearances in other media

"Hollywood Swinging" appears in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as well as the game's soundtrack during the dance sequences in the mission "Life's a Beach".[12] It also appears in the Academy Award-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America in a montage detailing Simpson's rise to fame in the late 1970s.[13] The song is also one of the official themes for the WWE Premium Live Event WrestleMania 39.

Covers and samples

The song has been sampled in several rap songs, including:

Brian Culbertson featuring Musiq Soulchild and Gerald Albright covered "Hollywood Swinging" on Culbertson's 2008 album Bringing Back the Funk.[16] In 1982 the Big Boys released the Fun, Fun, Fun... EP containing a cover of "Hollywood Swinging".

The group Brockhampton covered "Hollywood Swinging" in 2022 for the soundtrack of the animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru, which consisted primarily of contemporary artists covering 1970s music. [17]

Jamiroquai versions

"Hollywood Swinging"
Single by Kool & the Gang featuring Jamiroquai
from the album In Store Jam and The Hits: Reloaded
B-side
Released
  • November 6, 1997 (Jamiroquai)
  • December 8, 2005 (Kool & the Gang featuring Jamiroquai)
Recorded
  • 1997 (Jamiroquai)
  • 2004 (Kool & the Gang featuring Jamiroquai)
Genre
Length
  • 4:47
  • 4:28
LabelEdel Records
Songwriter(s)Bell, Bell, Brown, Mickens, Smith, Thomas, Westfield
Producer(s)Jason Kay
Jamiroquai singles chronology
"(Don't) Give Hate a Chance"
(2005) 		"Hollywood Swinging"
(0000001) 		"Runaway"
(2006)

A version of "Hollywood Swinging" was originally recorded by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai in 1997. The group released the recording, alongside three other tracks, on an exclusive Japanese MiniDisc entitled "Hollywood Swinging", which was available from November 6, 1997. This version also appeared on the group's compilation album, In Store Jam, which was only available for purchase in the US. In 2004, Kool & the Gang re-recorded "Hollywood Swinging" as a collaboration with the group, releasing it on December 8, 2005, having recorded it in 2004. The song was released as a single from their album of re-recorded songs, The Hits: Reloaded, and was released on several different formats. Despite strong radio airplay, the song failed to chart anywhere.

Track listing

1997

Japanese mini single

  1. "Virtual Insanity" (Radio Edit) – 3:54
  2. "When You Gonna Learn" (Didgeridoo) – 3:48
  3. "Too Young to Die" (Radio Edit) – 3:19
  4. "Hollywood Swinging" – 4:47

2005

Spanish CD single

  1. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28

European CD single

  1. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Old School Vocal) – 7:30
  2. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Hollywood Rock Dub) – 9:10

UK CD single

  1. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28
  2. "Cherish" (feat. Ashanti)
  3. "Get Down on It" (feat. Blue & Lil' Kim)
  4. "Ladies Night" (feat. Sean Paul & Spanner Banner)

UK 12" vinyl

  1. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) – 4:28
  2. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Old School Vocal) – 7:30
  3. "Hollywood Swinging" (feat. Jamiroquai) (Ralphi Rosario's Hollywood Rock Dub) – 9:10

References

  1. ^ "Hollywood Swinging/Dujii". Rate Your Music. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  2. ^ "100 Greatest Funk Songs". Digital Dream Door. August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1992-2004. Record Research. p. 332.
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Nile Rodgers Discusses Legendary Bassline of "Good Times," Sampling & FOLD! Festival". YouTube.
  5. ^ "Hollywood Swinging/Dujii". Discogs. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 13, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  7. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2009). "Kool & The Gang Wild And Peaceful Review". bbc.co.uk. BBC.
  8. ^ Hamilton, Andrew. "Kool & the Gang: Wild and Peaceful > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Kool The Gang Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Kool & the Gang Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "American single certifications – Kool & The Gang – Hollywood Swinging". Recording Industry Association of America.
  12. ^ Scheper, Judith. "10 Best songs from GTA San Andreas". We Speak Music. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "O.J.: Made in America (TV Mini-Series 2016– ) - IMDb". IMDb.
  14. ^ "Kool and the Gang: Hollywood Swinging". the-breaks.com.
  15. ^ Powell, Jon (October 14, 2022). "2 Chainz wants you to "2 Step" to his latest single". Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  16. ^ "Kool and the Gang: Hollywood Swinging". secondhandsongs.com.
  17. ^ "Brockhampton Covers Kool & The Gang's "Hollywood Swinging"". HotNewHipHop. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
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