Float On (The Floaters song)

"Float On" is a 1977 hit 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.

"Float On"
Single by The Floaters
from the album Floaters
B-side"Everything Happens for a Reason"
ReleasedJune 1977
GenreSoul
Length4:13 (Single edit)
11:49 (Album version)
LabelABC
Songwriter(s)Marvin Willis, Arnold Ingram, James Mitchell
Producer(s)James Mitchell, Marvin Willis

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. The song was covered by two hip-hop bands: Stetsasonic on its album In Full Gear (1988),[3] and Dream Warriors on its album The Master Plan (1996), the latter of which was released as a single.

Also in 1977, Cheech and Chong released a parody of the song called "Bloat On". It was later included on their 1980 album Let's Make a New Dope Deal

It was also parodied on Sesame Street as Gimme 5, sung by Bob, David, Luis and Gordon, dressed in tuxedoes.

The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury's Crème Eggs.

Charts
Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report [4] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 5
Canada RPM Top Singles[6] 4
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 1
South Africa (Springbok)[10] 13
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 36

See also
  • List of number-one R&B singles of 1977 (U.S.)

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 208.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 343. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Stetsasonic". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  4. 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.
  5. "Ultratop.be – The Floaters – Float On" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-10-08. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Float On". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Floaters – Float On" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  9. "Charts.nz – The Floaters – Float On". Top 40 Singles.
  10. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. "The Floaters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  12. "The Floaters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "The Floaters Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Floaters – Float On". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2020-03-03.


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