" Le Freak" is a funk-disco song by American disco band Chic, released in September 1978 by Atlantic Records as the first single from their second album, C'est Chic (1978). It was written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and became the band's third single and first US Billboard Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song.[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1979] and number 21 on the magazine's top 100 songs of the first 55 years of the Hot 100.
Lyrics
The lyrics mention "Stompin' at the Savoy", a 1933 song composed by
Edgar Sampson. They also invite the listener to "Come on down to 54", referencing Studio 54, which was a popular New York City nightclub at the time.
This song is written in the key of A minor.
History
This song commemorates Studio 54 in New York City for its notoriously long customer waiting lines, exclusive clientele, and discourteous doormen. According to guitarist
Nile Rodgers, the song was devised during New Year's Eve 1977, as a result of his and bassist
Bernard Edwards' being refused entrance to Studio 54, where they had been invited by
Grace Jones, due to her failure to notify the nightclub's staff. He said the lyrics of the refrain were originally "Fuck off!" rather than "Freak out!";
for the documentary
How to Make It in the Music Business, he said that "fuck off" was what the doorman had said to him when he slammed the door on them; first it was changed to "freak off" after Rodgers mused that they would not be able to say "fuck off" on the radio, but that sounded "terrible", so he changed it to "freak out".
"Le Freak" was the first song to score the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 three separate times. It spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks at the position.
In 1987, an acid house-styled re-mix was issued under the title "Jack Le Freak". It reached number 18 in the United Kingdom, becoming Chic's last top 40 hit to date in that country. This remix was done by British producer Phil Harding, who had access to the original DAT tapes for "Le Freak". Due to him producing a similar remix for Mel and Kim's "F.L.M." (known as the "Two Grooves Under One Nation" remix, which samples "Le Freak") that same year, he included a cappella samples taken from their songs "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)", "Respectable" and "F.L.M." during the breakdown.
MC Lyte sampled the song "Woo Woo (Freak Out)" featuring Nicci Gilbert of the group Brownstone, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Woo and was also included on her album Seven & Seven, titled "Woo Woo (Party Time)", which released three months later.
Reception and legacy
Upon the release,
Cash Box described it as "a handclapping
disco song bolstered by solid bass work and airy vocals."
In 2000, VH1 ranked "Le Freak" No. 26 in their list of "100 Greatest Dance Songs".
In 2012,
Rolling Stone ranked it No. 10 in their list of "The Best Disco Songs of All Time".
In 2013, the song was ranked No. 21 on
Billboard magazine's top 100 songs of the first 55 years of the Hot 100 chart.
In 2015, the 1978 recording of the song by Chic on
Atlantic Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 2022,
Rolling Stone ranked "Le Freak" No. 81 in their "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" list.
In 2024,
Forbes ranked it No. 27 in their list of "The 30 Greatest Disco Songs of All Time".
Track listing and formats
-
Atlantic 7" 3519, September 21, 1978
- A. "Le Freak" (7" Edit) – 3:30
- B. "Savoir Faire" – 4:57
-
Atlantic promo 12" DSKO 131, 1978 / Atlantic 12" DK 4700, 1978
- A. "Le Freak" – 5:23
- B. "Savoir Faire" – 4:57
-
Atlantic 12" DK 4620, 1978 / Atlantic Oldies promo 12" DSKO 178, 1979
- A. "Le Freak" – 5:23
- B. "You Can Get By" – 5:36
Personnel
- Production staff
-
Nile Rodgers - producer
-
Bernard Edwards - producer
-
Bob Clearmountain - engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
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| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 1 |
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Canada Top Singles ( RPM) | 1 |
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM) | 1 |
Canada Dance Songs ( RPM) | 1 |
Canada Top 15 12inch ( RPM) | 1 |
France (SNEP)[ You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Chic"] | 2 |
Ireland (IRMA) | 20 |
|
|
|
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South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 1 |
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UK Singles (OCC) | 7 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard) | 48 |
US Hot Soul Singles ( Billboard) | 1 |
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard)
(with "I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer") | 1 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
|
|
Ireland (IRMA) | 13 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 19 |
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard) | 15 |
US Dance/Electronic Singles Sales ( Billboard) | 21 |
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Year-end charts
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Canada Top Singles ( RPM) | 132 |
All-time charts
Certifications
In popular culture
This song was used in a 2010 film
Toy Story 3 scene in which Ken models his outfits for Barbie.
This song was also used in the 2010 film
Diary of a Wimpy Kid during the Mother and Son Sweetheart Dance scene. It was also heard in the 2004 film
Shrek 2, when the fairytale creatures were partying in Shrek's Swamp. This song also appears in the 1995 film
Heavyweights during one of Tony Perkis’ exercise regimens with the struggling campers. It is also used in Walmart commercials. The song also appears in the video game
Just Dance (2009).
It is also parodied in Great Wolf Lodge commercials as part of their "Wolf Out!" advertising campaign.
Bibliography
