This song will always remind me of 1990. They played this song like crazy back then. And I ain't gone lie it seem like the whole earth and atmosphere changed when 1989 was over and it was 1990 and this song was a anthem of that year. Great reaction!
A very powerful reaction 🏋🏾♂! Jesse James was a famous outlaw cowboy from 1800s in the US. The Power was released as the lead single from Snap!'s 1990 debut album: World Power. It was written by Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti and Toni C. It was produced by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. It sampled: Some Love by Chaka Khan (1978), King Of The Beats by Mantronix (1988), Love's Gonna Get You by Jocelyn Brown (1985) and Let The Words Flow by Chill Rob G (1989). The song reached #1 on the Rap chart, #1 on the Dance chart and #2 on the Hot 100. It was also a #1 hit in the UK, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Canada, Spain, Netherlands and Greece. The music video was directed by Jonathan Bate. The woman singing in the video is not Penny Ford, who performed on the song. The German producers went back to the American army base and found a woman named Jackie Harris to mime her words. The broadcast at the beginning of the song translates to: "The American company Transceptor Technologies has started production of the Personal Companion computer". Snap! was created by the German production duo of Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. They were the first to use sampled dance tracks augmented by a soulful female singer and a male rapper - collectives like C + C Music Factory and The KLF followed this formula. "The Power" was a massive hit; it was based on the rap from Chill Rob G's "Let The Words Flow" and a sample of Disco singer Jocelyn Brown's song: "Love's Gonna Get You", which is where the song's lyric: "I've got the power", comes from. With the track laced and the samples in place, the German producers went looking for a good female Soul singer to fill out the vocals and contribute to the rest of the album. They tried to get Chaka Khan, who had no interest, but she suggested Penny Ford, who was Chaka Khan's vocal director and main backup singer. Penny Ford took the gig, flew to Germany, and spent three days in 1989 singing lots of vocals for the producers to work with, and improvising lyrics along the way. In a Songfacts interview with Penny Ford, she said: "It was more or less them picking me up by the scruff of my neck like a pit bull and throwing me in the booth with a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of champagne and turning the mic on. That's how it happened. (laughing) And I'd just create. I just sang the first thing that came off the top of my head, because I didn't understand that music, and I didn't think I'd ever have to hear it again". The first version of this song used Chill Rob G's vocals from an a cappella version of "Let The Words Flow," but the producers replaced him with a rapper named Turbo B (Durron Maurice Butler), who they found at an American army base in Germany. Turbo B recreated Chill Rob G's rhymes and added some of his own, including the lyric: "I will attack", part and, ironically, the lyric: "copywritten lyrics so they can't be stolen", line. The song became a big hit in Europe, and Chill Rob G released his own version of the song: "The Power", in America. Not long after, Snap! signed a deal with Ariola Munich, which was a subsidiary of the mighty Arista Records, and released their version in America as well, which quickly passed Chill Rob G's version on the radio because Arista Records had a lot more promotional muscle than Chill Rob G's record label Wild Pitch Records with radio stations. If you've noticed that some people got screwed along the way, you're right. Chill Rob G has said that he never got paid for the use of his words in the song, and because Jocelyn Brown didn't write "I'm Gonna Get You", she didn't get paid for her vocal sample. Penny Ford, however, did get paid and earned a songwriting credit for her improvised lyrics. That's because they needed her for appearances and because Penny Ford is very astute when it comes to the business of music, something she learned from her family: Her father produced James Brown, her brother co-founded Kool & The Gang and her sister was the popular R&B singer Sharon Redd. OK, what other Dance act created by German producers took America by storm around this time? That's right, "Milli Vanilli", whose frontmen didn't sing on their records and got caught when their backing track skipped at a concert, resulting in a big scandal that hit just as Snap! was picking up steam with a video starring a non-singer. Penny Ford told Songfacts what happened next: "Well, they said they couldn't find me, because I was away at that time, I was doing work with Mick Jagger, I was still running around with Chaka doing some stuff. They said they couldn't sign me, so they just pulled some girl off the army base and had her mime my voice. But we were with the same company as Milli Vanilli - Ariola Munich. And the fallout from Milli Vanilli had just started to happen, so they found me in a hurry, because they didn't want the same to happen to Snap! (laughs) They found me then, huh?". Penny Ford was in London and having a very bad day when she found out that the single: "The Power", had taken off. Says Penny Ford: "I was ironing a shirt, and the television said, 'And the new number one record is 'The Power' by Snap!' and there's my voice. And my life changed that day. I think I got my mom on one phone and my lawyer on the other. At that point, they needed to figure out how to work that other girl that they had mime my voice on 'The Power' video out and me in. So that's when that process started". The process meant creating a legitimate face for Snap! to represent the group and perform their songs without lip-synching. Penny Ford was introduced to Turbo B, and they were dispatched to America to perform at a variety of events: radio station concerts, festivals, clubs, TV appearances, etc. It was Penny Ford, Turbo B, two dancers and a backing track on the road, and it got to be too much for Penny Ford. She explained: "I had 14 years experience in the business, Turbo B had none. And he was a nightmare for everybody, and especially me and basically he threatened my life and at some point I just said forget him. And I walked away. Which was the stupidest thing that I could have ever done, because I walked away from a lot of money, too. But it was chaotic. Because it was a massive responsibility, this song. It was such a big hit all over the world and it was touching people in such a positive way, and it could have been used for so much more good than evil. And he kind of screwed it up, that part of it. And I left and moved back to America, thought I was gonna have to start all over again. I started writing with some friends of mine, some substantial songs, and Randy Jackson, who is now Mr. American Idol, heard it and thought, This girl can do that and she can do this? So he gets me signed up to Columbia Records". Penny Ford later signed with Sony Records, which meant she could no longer sing for Snap! and the German producers asked her to find her own replacement. Says Penny Ford: "They called me back. And they paid me a whole lot of money to pick somebody and bring 'em back over here (Germany). Because by that time I had signed with Sony, which meant contractually I could no longer sing for them, because they were BMG. But I was not signed to Sony as a writer. So I could still write for them. So I'm not sure how it sorted out, but the girl that came after me, she was interviewing me in the same way that you are right now for a magazine, and she said she was also a songwriter. Her name is Thea Austin, and she asked me if I would listen to her song. And I don't make a point of listening to everybody's songs, I just can't listen to them all. But I listened to this song and I liked it and I wanted it for my album. So I needed to get rid of her so she didn't need that song anymore. So I asked her if she had a passport. She did, and she happens to come from the same small little ghetto outside of Pittsburgh that Turbo B did. And three days later she was on a plane coming over here making another massive hit song for Snap! - 'Rhythm Is A Dancer'." *****CONTINUE BELOW*****
At one point, Snap! was protested by gay rights advocates. Penny Ford told Songfacts the story: "We were asked to do 'The Power' on something extra one night after we had done the show already. Everybody was loving us, America loved us, and it was going crazy. We were on Arista, so we had Clive Davis at our back, it was just going amazingly. And the promoter asked us if we could do 'The Power' at this one place for a benefit. And I didn't see anything wrong with it. I wasn't so tired, and Turbo and the guys were still looking for girls that night, because that's what they'd do. And so we said Okay. We went into this club, it was very dimly lit. Turbo B, mind you, is pretty much from the projects outside of Pittsburgh. He didn't come from affluence, let's just say that. At that time I was traveling with an assistant, I had a female assistant. And the club appears to be half women, half men. And when they turn the lights up, my assistant and I were the only women in there. It was a drag queen event. Turbo B had never been in a room full of drag queens, and he lost it. It was an important AIDS benefit, and we got done doing 'The Power', and he was scared, and he said, 'I want to talk to the owner'. And I said, 'Don't talk to the owner, let's go to the hotel and call the owner', because I saw trouble a-brewin'. And the owner came up to thank us for doing the show, and Turbo B said, 'If you ever book me in a place like this ever again, I'll kill you'. The owner, instead of saying, 'Well, I'm sorry you were offended,' puts his hands on his hips and tells Turbo B, 'This is a gay club seven nights a week'. So up he went by his neck, and then I saw drag queens diving from everywhere to protect him, and I ran. (Laughing) I left. I went down the back stairwell like Cinderella at two minutes to twelve. Here's the rub: At the bottom of the stairwell were these doors that you go through to go out. I bust through the doors, there's the paparazzi, and everybody wanted to do an interview. This was a very important AIDS benefit, and Clive Davis is our record company president, mind you. Can you see the connection of really bad things happening? (laughing) So I had to stand down there and give interviews like nothing was going on upstairs. I couldn't tell all these gay people downstairs that there are gay people upstairs being attacked. It was just when they started to make hate crimes against gays a federal offense, and it was interesting. And then we went on the road with Soul II Soul, and there were at least 250 people, gay people I would assume, picketing every show. They formed an organization called Zap Snap! And they marched outside of every show. And that was another reason why I decided to leave Snap! Because my sister was a serious, staunch gay advocate, and it was like a blow to my family to have me out there being represented with a gay basher. So that's what started Turbo B's decline". The song was hit in 1990 when Will Smith's sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air went on the air, and it's part of the storyline in the second episode of season one: "Bang The Drum, Ashley". When Will Smith starts singing the song, his aunt Vivian identifies it and says: "Snap is a great band". Will Smith's cousin Carlton Banks retorts: "Well, when Crackle and Pop cut a disc, then call me". Later, Will Smith teaches Ashley Bank's violin-lesson carpool the song, and they enter the lesson singing it, to the horror of the instructor. It has been featured in some other television shows including 📺: Pose ("Never Knew Love Like This Before" - 2019), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ("Kimmy Disrupts the Paradigm!" - 2018), Fresh Off The Boat ("Michael Chang Fever" - 2016), Portlandia ("The Story of Toni & Candace" - 2015), Family Guy ("Into Fat Air" - 2012) and Glee ("Audition" - 2010). In the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, Tyra Banks hears "The Power" in a diner and has the owner turn it up so she can dance to it ("that is a jam!"). The song was included on the movie soundtrack, which went on to sell over 4 million copies in America. It has also been used in some other movies including 📽: Hudson Hawk (1991), Hangin' With The Homeboys (1991), The Perfect Weapon (1991), Under Siege (1992), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), Three Kings (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), The Pacifier (2005), Made Of Honor (2008) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017). The song is also featured in the 1996 video game 🎮: Mode. The Power Legacy 🛡: In 2010, Pitchfork included the song in their list of "Ten Actually Good 90s Jock Jams". In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked "The Power" number 38 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". In 2019, Billboard placed it at number 179 in their list of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". In July 2020, digital publication The Pudding carried out a study on the most iconic songs from the '90s and songs that are most known by Millennials and the people of Generation Z. "The Power" was the seventh song with the highest recognizability rate. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 188 in their list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Snap! Info 📰: Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of lineup changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters, and rappers Thea Austin (born June 10, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Durron "Turbo B" Butler (born April 30, 1967, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Niki Haris (born April 17, 1962, in Benton Harbor, Michigan), and Penny Ford (born June 11, 1964, in Cincinnati, Ohio). Their best-known hits are the songs: "The Power" (1990) and "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (1992), both of which reached No. 1 in multiple countries. Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing started working together in 1985 in the group Off (Organisation For Fun), with Sven Väth. They recorded two albums: Organisation For Fun (1988) and Ask Yourself (1989), and a series of singles, including: "Electrica Salsa", until 1990. The two also created the side project 16 BIT in 1986 and had success with their first single: "Where Are You?". In 1987, they released the album: Inaxycvgtgb, for BMG Records. Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing formed Snap! in 1989, under the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit song: "The Power", which was fronted by American rapper Turbo B and singer Penny Ford, peaked at #2 in Germany in April 1990 and spent five weeks in that position, eventually going Gold for sales of 250,000 units. The single topped the charts in the United Kingdom and picked up a Silver award for sales of 200,000 units. In the U.S., it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum for 1,000,000 units. Jackie Harris was used to mime Penny Ford's vocals in the "The Power" music video and left the group shortly after, and Penny Ford became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single: "Ooops Up", a re-working of the Gap Band's 1980 hit song: "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Ooops!)", with which Penny Ford was a former backing singer. "Oops Up" was another #2 hit song in Germany, spending nine weeks in the position. The single entered the top 5 in the UK, picking up another Silver award, and it was awarded a Gold certification in the U.S. Further hits followed, with the oriental-sounding: "Cult Of Snap", which charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 8 in the UK, and "Mary Had A Little Boy", which reached to No. 4 in Germany, and again No. 8 in the UK. The band's first album: World Power, reached No. 7 in Germany, No. 10 in the UK, and No. 30 in the U.S. The album went Platinum in Germany and Gold in the UK and U.S. Snap!'s second album: The Madman's Return (1992), did well in the charts, peaking at No. 3 in Germany and entering the top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Around the time of its release, Turbo B decided to leave the project due to disagreements with the production duo. The album went Gold in Germany and the UK, for sales of 250,000 units and 100,000 units, respectively. *****CONTINUE BELOW*****
In 1991, American singer, composer, songwriter, and dancer Thea Austin joined Snap!'s lineup and helped write the song: "Rhythm Is A Dancer", which was initially planned to be the lead single from the second album but was pushed back, and the song: "Colour Of Love", was released in its place. This track managed to peak at No. 9 in Germany but stalled at #No. 54 in the UK. "Rhythm Is A Dancer", which used a sample from the song: "Automan", by early 1980s American electronic hip hop band Newcleus, was issued as the second single, in July 1992, and went on to become Snap!'s biggest hit to date, shooting to No. 1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 5, collecting another Gold for sales of 500,000 units. At home in Germany, the single went Platinum for 500,000 units and picked up a Gold in the UK for sales of 400,000 units. The third single: "Exterminate", charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 2 in the UK and went Gold in the band's home country. One more single was released, titled: "Do You See The Light", and featured Niki Haris. Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti recruited Washington, D.C. born singer Summer (Paula Brown) to front the act for the third album: Welcome To Tomorrow (1994). Snap! moved towards a progressive House music sound and released the first single, called: "Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)", in September 1994. The track peaked at No. 4 in Germany and No. 6 in the UK. The second single: "The First The Last Eternity (Till The End)", was a moderate hit in the UK but reached No. 7 in Germany. Snap! released two more singles from the album: "The World In My Hands" and "Rame", both of which experienced moderate chart entries. In 1996, the group officially disbanded after releasing a greatest hits compilation album called: "Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap!". The album included a new version of their two biggest hit songs: "The Power '96" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer '96". The group returned in 2000 with a new track entitled: "Gimme A Thrill", complete with rap lyrics performed by Turbo B and vocals from the band's newest singer, Maxayn. It did not attract much attention and peaked only at No. 11 in the German dance charts. A new album, called: One Day On Earth, was planned for release around this time but was canceled. The original group members remained active in the music industry making new music and performing live on stage with other groups and as solo artists in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2003, Penny Ford appeared on an episode of the US television program: Judge Mathis, suing a producer/boyfriend. One of her witnesses was Chaka Khan. Though the latter did not appear, she spoke to Judge Mathis via telephone. In 2006, Penny Ford returned as the original and official singer of the group Snap! Snap still performs their music live on stage in 2023 with a group lineup consisting of: Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti, Stoli Michaels, Penny Ford and Jesse Kolb. Snap! Group Members (Classic Lineup) 👨🏿🎤👩🏾🎤👩🏾🎤👩🏽🎤👨🏻🎤👨🏻🎤: Turbo B Penny Ford Thea Austin Jackie Harris Luca Anzilotti Michael Münzing Snap Albums 📀: World Power (1990) The Madman's Return (1992) Welcome To Tomorrow (1994) One Day On Earth (2000) *Unreleased Penny Ford Albums 📀: Pennye (1984) Penny Ford (1993) Turbo B Albums 📀: Make Way For The Maniac (1993) Alpha Centory w/ Centory (1994) Michael Münzing And Luca Anzilotti Albums 📀: Inaxycvgtgb w/ 16 BIT (1987) Organisation For Fun w/ Off (1988) Ask Yourself w/ Off (1989) Some more good songs by Snap! 🎶: Rhythm Is A Dancer, Mary Had A Little Boy, Ooops Up, Cult Of Snap, Believe The Hype, I'm Gonna Get You (To Whom It May Concern), Wave, Madman's Return, Colour Of Love (Massive Version), Believe In It, Ex-Terminator, Who Stole It?, Angel, See The Light, Blasé Blasé, Money Dance, Groove Sanctified, TV, Homeboyz, One Day On Earth, It's A Miracle (People Need To Love One Another), Dream On The Moon, Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready?), Only Human, Witness The Strength, Money, Sample City, It's Not Over, The First The Last Eternity (Till The End), Gimme A Thrill, Where Are The Boys Where Are The Girls?, Master Plan, The World In My Hands (We Are One), Money, SNAP! 4ever, Keep It Up, The Power (Of Bhangra), Jumping! Do You See The Light (Looking For), Green Grass Grows (Earth Follows), Beauty Queen, Rame (Beloved), Hit Me On The Hip, Exterminate! and Don't Be Shy. Fun Fact 🕵🏾♀: Penny Ford has worked with a number of music groups-artists outside of Snap! including: Soul II Soul, The Gap Band, Klymaxx, Chaka Khan and The S.O.S Band.
Penny Ford doesn't sing the line "I've got the power" it was sampled from another singer called Jocelyn Brown from her record "Love's Gonna Get You"it was used by KRS ONE Boogie Down Productions on their single "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)" and was the basis for the UK top 3 hit "I'm Gonna Get You" by Bizarre Inc. featuring Angie Brown.
Jocelyn Brown got ripped off quite a lot during the sampling era is the late 80s and early 90s. It was always such a shame that she had to fight to be credited, as did several other female artists at that time. Black Box, "Ride on Time" for example. 🤨
Nice react! This song was the top dog back in the day, the band is from germany with americans Turbo B and Penny Ford who fronted the band. Penny also was in The Gap Band, Klymaxx and Soul II Soul. They had about three other singles after this which was also successful but not as big as the power,
There were two(2) Power songs out at the same time. Same beat, same chorus, but the other was by a real rapper named Chill Rob G. Its a little more Street. That's was the version that you probably actually heard. You should react to that version. It is the original.
This song will always remind me of 1990. They played this song like crazy back then. And I ain't gone lie it seem like the whole earth and atmosphere changed when 1989 was over and it was 1990 and this song was a anthem of that year. Great reaction!
I remember. I graduated High School that year.
ua-cam.com/video/L6IdoK-FvcQ/v-deo.html
This track and Rythm is a dancer were massive back in the day.
One of my favorite songs ever
This was my JAM back in my high school days. I got two of their albums.
A very powerful reaction 🏋🏾♂! Jesse James was a famous outlaw cowboy from 1800s in the US. The Power was released as the lead single from Snap!'s 1990 debut album: World Power. It was written by Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti and Toni C. It was produced by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. It sampled: Some Love by Chaka Khan (1978), King Of The Beats by Mantronix (1988), Love's Gonna Get You by Jocelyn Brown (1985) and Let The Words Flow by Chill Rob G (1989). The song reached #1 on the Rap chart, #1 on the Dance chart and #2 on the Hot 100. It was also a #1 hit in the UK, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Canada, Spain, Netherlands and Greece.
The music video was directed by Jonathan Bate. The woman singing in the video is not Penny Ford, who performed on the song. The German producers went back to the American army base and found a woman named Jackie Harris to mime her words. The broadcast at the beginning of the song translates to: "The American company Transceptor Technologies has started production of the Personal Companion computer".
Snap! was created by the German production duo of Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. They were the first to use sampled dance tracks augmented by a soulful female singer and a male rapper - collectives like C + C Music Factory and The KLF followed this formula. "The Power" was a massive hit; it was based on the rap from Chill Rob G's "Let The Words Flow" and a sample of Disco singer Jocelyn Brown's song: "Love's Gonna Get You", which is where the song's lyric: "I've got the power", comes from.
With the track laced and the samples in place, the German producers went looking for a good female Soul singer to fill out the vocals and contribute to the rest of the album. They tried to get Chaka Khan, who had no interest, but she suggested Penny Ford, who was Chaka Khan's vocal director and main backup singer. Penny Ford took the gig, flew to Germany, and spent three days in 1989 singing lots of vocals for the producers to work with, and improvising lyrics along the way.
In a Songfacts interview with Penny Ford, she said: "It was more or less them picking me up by the scruff of my neck like a pit bull and throwing me in the booth with a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of champagne and turning the mic on. That's how it happened. (laughing) And I'd just create. I just sang the first thing that came off the top of my head, because I didn't understand that music, and I didn't think I'd ever have to hear it again".
The first version of this song used Chill Rob G's vocals from an a cappella version of "Let The Words Flow," but the producers replaced him with a rapper named Turbo B (Durron Maurice Butler), who they found at an American army base in Germany. Turbo B recreated Chill Rob G's rhymes and added some of his own, including the lyric: "I will attack", part and, ironically, the lyric: "copywritten lyrics so they can't be stolen", line.
The song became a big hit in Europe, and Chill Rob G released his own version of the song: "The Power", in America. Not long after, Snap! signed a deal with Ariola Munich, which was a subsidiary of the mighty Arista Records, and released their version in America as well, which quickly passed Chill Rob G's version on the radio because Arista Records had a lot more promotional muscle than Chill Rob G's record label Wild Pitch Records with radio stations.
If you've noticed that some people got screwed along the way, you're right. Chill Rob G has said that he never got paid for the use of his words in the song, and because Jocelyn Brown didn't write "I'm Gonna Get You", she didn't get paid for her vocal sample. Penny Ford, however, did get paid and earned a songwriting credit for her improvised lyrics. That's because they needed her for appearances and because Penny Ford is very astute when it comes to the business of music, something she learned from her family: Her father produced James Brown, her brother co-founded Kool & The Gang and her sister was the popular R&B singer Sharon Redd.
OK, what other Dance act created by German producers took America by storm around this time? That's right, "Milli Vanilli", whose frontmen didn't sing on their records and got caught when their backing track skipped at a concert, resulting in a big scandal that hit just as Snap! was picking up steam with a video starring a non-singer. Penny Ford told Songfacts what happened next: "Well, they said they couldn't find me, because I was away at that time, I was doing work with Mick Jagger, I was still running around with Chaka doing some stuff. They said they couldn't sign me, so they just pulled some girl off the army base and had her mime my voice. But we were with the same company as Milli Vanilli - Ariola Munich. And the fallout from Milli Vanilli had just started to happen, so they found me in a hurry, because they didn't want the same to happen to Snap! (laughs) They found me then, huh?".
Penny Ford was in London and having a very bad day when she found out that the single: "The Power", had taken off. Says Penny Ford: "I was ironing a shirt, and the television said, 'And the new number one record is 'The Power' by Snap!' and there's my voice. And my life changed that day. I think I got my mom on one phone and my lawyer on the other. At that point, they needed to figure out how to work that other girl that they had mime my voice on 'The Power' video out and me in. So that's when that process started".
The process meant creating a legitimate face for Snap! to represent the group and perform their songs without lip-synching. Penny Ford was introduced to Turbo B, and they were dispatched to America to perform at a variety of events: radio station concerts, festivals, clubs, TV appearances, etc. It was Penny Ford, Turbo B, two dancers and a backing track on the road, and it got to be too much for Penny Ford.
She explained: "I had 14 years experience in the business, Turbo B had none. And he was a nightmare for everybody, and especially me and basically he threatened my life and at some point I just said forget him. And I walked away. Which was the stupidest thing that I could have ever done, because I walked away from a lot of money, too. But it was chaotic. Because it was a massive responsibility, this song. It was such a big hit all over the world and it was touching people in such a positive way, and it could have been used for so much more good than evil. And he kind of screwed it up, that part of it. And I left and moved back to America, thought I was gonna have to start all over again. I started writing with some friends of mine, some substantial songs, and Randy Jackson, who is now Mr. American Idol, heard it and thought, This girl can do that and she can do this? So he gets me signed up to Columbia Records".
Penny Ford later signed with Sony Records, which meant she could no longer sing for Snap! and the German producers asked her to find her own replacement. Says Penny Ford: "They called me back. And they paid me a whole lot of money to pick somebody and bring 'em back over here (Germany). Because by that time I had signed with Sony, which meant contractually I could no longer sing for them, because they were BMG. But I was not signed to Sony as a writer. So I could still write for them. So I'm not sure how it sorted out, but the girl that came after me, she was interviewing me in the same way that you are right now for a magazine, and she said she was also a songwriter. Her name is Thea Austin, and she asked me if I would listen to her song. And I don't make a point of listening to everybody's songs, I just can't listen to them all. But I listened to this song and I liked it and I wanted it for my album. So I needed to get rid of her so she didn't need that song anymore. So I asked her if she had a passport. She did, and she happens to come from the same small little ghetto outside of Pittsburgh that Turbo B did. And three days later she was on a plane coming over here making another massive hit song for Snap! - 'Rhythm Is A Dancer'."
*****CONTINUE BELOW*****
At one point, Snap! was protested by gay rights advocates. Penny Ford told Songfacts the story: "We were asked to do 'The Power' on something extra one night after we had done the show already. Everybody was loving us, America loved us, and it was going crazy. We were on Arista, so we had Clive Davis at our back, it was just going amazingly. And the promoter asked us if we could do 'The Power' at this one place for a benefit. And I didn't see anything wrong with it. I wasn't so tired, and Turbo and the guys were still looking for girls that night, because that's what they'd do. And so we said Okay. We went into this club, it was very dimly lit. Turbo B, mind you, is pretty much from the projects outside of Pittsburgh. He didn't come from affluence, let's just say that. At that time I was traveling with an assistant, I had a female assistant. And the club appears to be half women, half men. And when they turn the lights up, my assistant and I were the only women in there. It was a drag queen event. Turbo B had never been in a room full of drag queens, and he lost it. It was an important AIDS benefit, and we got done doing 'The Power', and he was scared, and he said, 'I want to talk to the owner'. And I said, 'Don't talk to the owner, let's go to the hotel and call the owner', because I saw trouble a-brewin'. And the owner came up to thank us for doing the show, and Turbo B said, 'If you ever book me in a place like this ever again, I'll kill you'. The owner, instead of saying, 'Well, I'm sorry you were offended,' puts his hands on his hips and tells Turbo B, 'This is a gay club seven nights a week'. So up he went by his neck, and then I saw drag queens diving from everywhere to protect him, and I ran. (Laughing) I left. I went down the back stairwell like Cinderella at two minutes to twelve. Here's the rub: At the bottom of the stairwell were these doors that you go through to go out. I bust through the doors, there's the paparazzi, and everybody wanted to do an interview. This was a very important AIDS benefit, and Clive Davis is our record company president, mind you. Can you see the connection of really bad things happening? (laughing) So I had to stand down there and give interviews like nothing was going on upstairs. I couldn't tell all these gay people downstairs that there are gay people upstairs being attacked. It was just when they started to make hate crimes against gays a federal offense, and it was interesting.
And then we went on the road with Soul II Soul, and there were at least 250 people, gay people I would assume, picketing every show. They formed an organization called Zap Snap! And they marched outside of every show. And that was another reason why I decided to leave Snap! Because my sister was a serious, staunch gay advocate, and it was like a blow to my family to have me out there being represented with a gay basher. So that's what started Turbo B's decline".
The song was hit in 1990 when Will Smith's sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air went on the air, and it's part of the storyline in the second episode of season one: "Bang The Drum, Ashley". When Will Smith starts singing the song, his aunt Vivian identifies it and says: "Snap is a great band". Will Smith's cousin Carlton Banks retorts: "Well, when Crackle and Pop cut a disc, then call me". Later, Will Smith teaches Ashley Bank's violin-lesson carpool the song, and they enter the lesson singing it, to the horror of the instructor.
It has been featured in some other television shows including 📺: Pose ("Never Knew Love Like This Before" - 2019), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ("Kimmy Disrupts the Paradigm!" - 2018), Fresh Off The Boat ("Michael Chang Fever" - 2016), Portlandia ("The Story of Toni & Candace" - 2015), Family Guy ("Into Fat Air" - 2012) and Glee ("Audition" - 2010).
In the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, Tyra Banks hears "The Power" in a diner and has the owner turn it up so she can dance to it ("that is a jam!"). The song was included on the movie soundtrack, which went on to sell over 4 million copies in America.
It has also been used in some other movies including 📽: Hudson Hawk (1991), Hangin' With The Homeboys (1991), The Perfect Weapon (1991), Under Siege (1992), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), Three Kings (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), The Pacifier (2005), Made Of Honor (2008) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017).
The song is also featured in the 1996 video game 🎮: Mode.
The Power Legacy 🛡:
In 2010, Pitchfork included the song in their list of "Ten Actually Good 90s Jock Jams".
In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked "The Power" number 38 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s".
In 2019, Billboard placed it at number 179 in their list of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s".
In July 2020, digital publication The Pudding carried out a study on the most iconic songs from the '90s and songs that are most known by Millennials and the people of Generation Z. "The Power" was the seventh song with the highest recognizability rate.
In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 188 in their list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".
Snap! Info 📰:
Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of lineup changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters, and rappers Thea Austin (born June 10, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Durron "Turbo B" Butler (born April 30, 1967, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Niki Haris (born April 17, 1962, in Benton Harbor, Michigan), and Penny Ford (born June 11, 1964, in Cincinnati, Ohio). Their best-known hits are the songs: "The Power" (1990) and "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (1992), both of which reached No. 1 in multiple countries.
Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing started working together in 1985 in the group Off (Organisation For Fun), with Sven Väth. They recorded two albums: Organisation For Fun (1988) and Ask Yourself (1989), and a series of singles, including: "Electrica Salsa", until 1990. The two also created the side project 16 BIT in 1986 and had success with their first single: "Where Are You?". In 1987, they released the album: Inaxycvgtgb, for BMG Records.
Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing formed Snap! in 1989, under the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit song: "The Power", which was fronted by American rapper Turbo B and singer Penny Ford, peaked at #2 in Germany in April 1990 and spent five weeks in that position, eventually going Gold for sales of 250,000 units. The single topped the charts in the United Kingdom and picked up a Silver award for sales of 200,000 units. In the U.S., it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum for 1,000,000 units.
Jackie Harris was used to mime Penny Ford's vocals in the "The Power" music video and left the group shortly after, and Penny Ford became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single: "Ooops Up", a re-working of the Gap Band's 1980 hit song: "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Ooops!)", with which Penny Ford was a former backing singer. "Oops Up" was another #2 hit song in Germany, spending nine weeks in the position. The single entered the top 5 in the UK, picking up another Silver award, and it was awarded a Gold certification in the U.S. Further hits followed, with the oriental-sounding: "Cult Of Snap", which charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 8 in the UK, and "Mary Had A Little Boy", which reached to No. 4 in Germany, and again No. 8 in the UK. The band's first album: World Power, reached No. 7 in Germany, No. 10 in the UK, and No. 30 in the U.S. The album went Platinum in Germany and Gold in the UK and U.S.
Snap!'s second album: The Madman's Return (1992), did well in the charts, peaking at No. 3 in Germany and entering the top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Around the time of its release, Turbo B decided to leave the project due to disagreements with the production duo. The album went Gold in Germany and the UK, for sales of 250,000 units and 100,000 units, respectively.
*****CONTINUE BELOW*****
In 1991, American singer, composer, songwriter, and dancer Thea Austin joined Snap!'s lineup and helped write the song: "Rhythm Is A Dancer", which was initially planned to be the lead single from the second album but was pushed back, and the song: "Colour Of Love", was released in its place. This track managed to peak at No. 9 in Germany but stalled at #No. 54 in the UK. "Rhythm Is A Dancer", which used a sample from the song: "Automan", by early 1980s American electronic hip hop band Newcleus, was issued as the second single, in July 1992, and went on to become Snap!'s biggest hit to date, shooting to No. 1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
In the U.S., it peaked at No. 5, collecting another Gold for sales of 500,000 units. At home in Germany, the single went Platinum for 500,000 units and picked up a Gold in the UK for sales of 400,000 units. The third single: "Exterminate", charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 2 in the UK and went Gold in the band's home country. One more single was released, titled: "Do You See The Light", and featured Niki Haris.
Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti recruited Washington, D.C. born singer Summer (Paula Brown) to front the act for the third album: Welcome To Tomorrow (1994). Snap! moved towards a progressive House music sound and released the first single, called: "Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)", in September 1994. The track peaked at No. 4 in Germany and No. 6 in the UK. The second single: "The First The Last Eternity (Till The End)", was a moderate hit in the UK but reached No. 7 in Germany. Snap! released two more singles from the album: "The World In My Hands" and "Rame", both of which experienced moderate chart entries.
In 1996, the group officially disbanded after releasing a greatest hits compilation album called: "Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap!". The album included a new version of their two biggest hit songs: "The Power '96" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer '96".
The group returned in 2000 with a new track entitled: "Gimme A Thrill", complete with rap lyrics performed by Turbo B and vocals from the band's newest singer, Maxayn. It did not attract much attention and peaked only at No. 11 in the German dance charts. A new album, called: One Day On Earth, was planned for release around this time but was canceled.
The original group members remained active in the music industry making new music and performing live on stage with other groups and as solo artists in the 2000s and 2010s.
In 2003, Penny Ford appeared on an episode of the US television program: Judge Mathis, suing a producer/boyfriend. One of her witnesses was Chaka Khan. Though the latter did not appear, she spoke to Judge Mathis via telephone.
In 2006, Penny Ford returned as the original and official singer of the group Snap!
Snap still performs their music live on stage in 2023 with a group lineup consisting of: Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti, Stoli Michaels, Penny Ford and Jesse Kolb.
Snap! Group Members (Classic Lineup) 👨🏿🎤👩🏾🎤👩🏾🎤👩🏽🎤👨🏻🎤👨🏻🎤:
Turbo B
Penny Ford
Thea Austin
Jackie Harris
Luca Anzilotti
Michael Münzing
Snap Albums 📀:
World Power (1990)
The Madman's Return (1992)
Welcome To Tomorrow (1994)
One Day On Earth (2000) *Unreleased
Penny Ford Albums 📀:
Pennye (1984)
Penny Ford (1993)
Turbo B Albums 📀:
Make Way For The Maniac (1993)
Alpha Centory w/ Centory (1994)
Michael Münzing And Luca Anzilotti Albums 📀:
Inaxycvgtgb w/ 16 BIT (1987)
Organisation For Fun w/ Off (1988)
Ask Yourself w/ Off (1989)
Some more good songs by Snap! 🎶: Rhythm Is A Dancer, Mary Had A Little Boy, Ooops Up, Cult Of Snap, Believe The Hype, I'm Gonna Get You (To Whom It May Concern), Wave, Madman's Return, Colour Of Love (Massive Version), Believe In It, Ex-Terminator, Who Stole It?, Angel, See The Light, Blasé Blasé, Money Dance, Groove Sanctified, TV, Homeboyz, One Day On Earth, It's A Miracle (People Need To Love One Another), Dream On The Moon, Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready?), Only Human, Witness The Strength, Money, Sample City, It's Not Over, The First The Last Eternity (Till The End), Gimme A Thrill, Where Are The Boys Where Are The Girls?, Master Plan, The World In My Hands (We Are One), Money, SNAP! 4ever, Keep It Up, The Power (Of Bhangra), Jumping! Do You See The Light (Looking For), Green Grass Grows (Earth Follows), Beauty Queen, Rame (Beloved), Hit Me On The Hip, Exterminate! and Don't Be Shy.
Fun Fact 🕵🏾♀: Penny Ford has worked with a number of music groups-artists outside of Snap! including: Soul II Soul, The Gap Band, Klymaxx, Chaka Khan and The S.O.S Band.
@Sheraytv The 80s and 90s generation were the best, here in Brazil this sound is popular even today...
Beautiful reacction 💪
The original song is by a rapper named Chill Rob G.
Penny Ford doesn't sing the line "I've got the power" it was sampled from another singer called Jocelyn Brown from her record "Love's Gonna Get You"it was used by KRS ONE Boogie Down Productions on their single "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)" and was the basis for the UK top 3 hit "I'm Gonna Get You" by Bizarre Inc. featuring Angie Brown.
Jocelyn Brown got ripped off quite a lot during the sampling era is the late 80s and early 90s. It was always such a shame that she had to fight to be credited, as did several other female artists at that time.
Black Box, "Ride on Time" for example. 🤨
Nice react! This song was the top dog back in the day, the band is from germany with americans Turbo B and Penny Ford who fronted the band. Penny also was in The Gap Band, Klymaxx and Soul II Soul. They had about three other singles after this which was also successful but not as big as the power,
AMAZING BAND SNAP
Snap was a german music project. The power is one of the best dance tracks in the last 40 years👌🕺💃
Great reaction, thanks👍
🔥
There were two(2) Power songs out at the same time. Same beat, same chorus, but the other was by a real rapper named Chill Rob G. Its a little more Street. That's was the version that you probably actually heard. You should react to that version. It is the original.
"The Power" is STILL my jam!!
Jesse James aka a legendary wild west era bandit. He is saying that in lyrics he is like Jesse James.
So much drama behind this song... But the lady on the hook was the MVP... God Bless her even if she never got the real shine
🌹❤️🌹
Amaaaaazing😅
Pittsburgh represent!
Это просто бомбаааа❤❤❤❤
made in germany. the sound of frankfurt.the rapper turbo b got kicked out after that project
Original is original but Power of Bangra is great
Made in Germany! ♥
Chill Rob G - The Power ( original )
jesse james was an old west train robber