Workaholic (song)

"Workaholic" is a song recorded by Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited.[1] It was released in April 1992 as the third single from their debut album, Get Ready!. The album version was an instrumental track but the released version featured a chorus from Anita Doth and, outside the UK, verses from Ray Slijngaard. The single scored chart success in many countries, with its highest peaks coming in Finland, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe, where it hit number-one in August 1992.

"Workaholic"
Standard artwork
Single by 2 Unlimited
from the album Get Ready!
Released20 April 1992
Recorded1991
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Jean-Paul De Coster
  • Lieve De Cock
  • Ray Slijngaard
Producer(s)
  • Phil Wilde
  • Jean-Paul De Coster
2 Unlimited singles chronology
"Twilight Zone"
(1992)		 "Workaholic"
(1992)		 "The Magic Friend"
(1992)
Music video
"Workaholic" on YouTube

Content

The opening segment of the song features bells ringing in descending followed by ascending order (replicating the Westminster chime effect). It is the same segment that is played at Yankee Stadium in New York City whenever baseball's New York Yankees score a run and at multiple NHL arenas, such as the Staples Center's Los Angeles Kings, when a penalty is called against the visiting team. It is also used when the Los Angeles Lakers score a 3 Point Basket.

Controversially, on the album version of the song, there was a quote: "Who the fuck are you?" at the beginning of the track. However, in the radio edit and the music video, the entire quote is omitted. A version also included in the album, labelled as an "instrumental" version (although it is not such, it retains all of Ray and Anita's vocals) removes the quote and surrounding lines, moving the first "The workaholic" to before the bell intro.

The opening phrase in the song, "Ok, let's go to work" comes from the 1987 film Wall Street.

Critical reception

In his review of the Get Ready! album, Bevan Hannah from The Canberra Times described the song as a "faster version" of "Get Ready for This".[2] Evening Herald commented, "Expect 2 Unlimited's next single Workaholic, to be massive".[3] James Hamilton from Record Mirror called it a "galloping commercial raver", like "an updated Boney M for the Nineties".[4] Johnny Dee from Smash Hits gave the track 4 out of 5, stating that it is a "zippy, loopy, stormtrooper overdrive that is guaranteed to cause twisted ankles and sislocated shoulders should you decide on a spot of aerobicising during its lightning fast four minutes."[5]

Chart performance

"Workaholic" went on to become successful on the charts on several continents. In Europe, it reached its highest peaks in Finland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK. In the latter, the single peaked at number 4 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on May 10, 1992.[6] Additionally, it was a Top 10 hit also in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, while reaching the Top 30 in Sweden and the Top 40 in Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Workaholic" reached number 14, and on MTV's European Top 20, it peaked at number 11. Outside Europe, it was a number-one hit in Zimbabwe in August 1992, and peaked at number 6 on the RPM Dance Chart in Canada and number 26 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the US. In Australia, the single reached number 35.

Music video

The music video for "Workaholic" was directed by British director David Betteridge. He also directed the music videos for "Get Ready for This" and "Twilight Zone". "Workaholic" was uploaded to YouTube in January 2014. By September 2020, it had more than 163,000 views.[7]

Track listings
Dutch CD single
  1. "Workaholic" (Extended Mix) (5:51)
  2. "Workaholic" (Rio & Le Jean Remix) (5:07)
  3. "Workaholic" (Hardcore Remix) (4:15)
  4. "Workaholic" (Vocal Edit) (3:34)
  5. "Get Ready for This" (Rio & Le Jean Remix '92) (4:11)
German CD single
  1. "Workaholic" (7" Vocal Edit) (3:34)
  2. "Workaholic" (Extended Mix) (5:51)
  3. "Workaholic" (Rio & Le Jean Remix) (5:07)
  4. "Workaholic" (Hardcore Remix) (4:15)
UK CD single
  1. "Workaholic" (7" Mix) (3:07)
  2. "Workaholic" (Extended Mix) (5:22)
  3. "Get Ready for This" (Rio & Le Jean Remix '92) (4:10)
7" single
  1. "Workaholic" (Vocal Edit) (3:34)
  2. "Workaholic" (Instrumental Edit) (3:34)
12" maxi
  1. "Workaholic" (Extended Mix)
  2. "Workaholic" (Rio & Le Jean Mix)
  3. "Get Ready for This" (Rio & Le Jean '92 Remix)

Charts

References
  1. "Allmusic: 2 Unlimited (Biography)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  2. Hannah, Bevan (1992-06-01). "Jazzie B inspiration to UK blacks". The Canberra Times. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  3. Evening Herald. 1992-04-07. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  4. "DJ Directory: Out On Monday" (PDF). Record Mirror. 1992-05-02. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  5. "Singles". Smash Hits. 1992-04-15. p. 52. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 10 May 1992 - 16 May 1992". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  7. "2 UNLIMITED - Workaholic (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  8. "Workaholic", various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
  9. "Ultratop.be – 2 Unlimited – Workaholic" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. Canada dance peak
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  12. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
  14. Dutch Charts simple search
  15. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. UK Singles Chart Everyhit.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
  17. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1992-05-02. p. 26. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  18. Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  20. "Single top 100 over 1992" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.