Muscles (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Muscles

| cover = Diana Ross Muscles.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Diana Ross

| album = Silk Electric

| B-side = I Am Me

| released = September 17, 1982

| recorded = 1982

| studio = Sunset Sound Recorders, (Los Angeles, California){{cite book|last1=Allard|first1=François|last2=Lecocq|first2=Richard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbVgDwAAQBAJ&q=the+jacksons+wait+single+release+date+december+4%2C+1984&pg=PT389|title=Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track|date=October 4, 2018|publisher=Octopus |isbn=9781788401234|access-date=November 3, 2019}}

| venue =

| genre = R&B, pop

| length = 4:05 (video version/7" version)

4:41 (album version)
6:40 (12" version)

| label = RCA

| writer = Michael Jackson

| producer = Michael Jackson

| prev_title = It's Never Too Late

| prev_year = 1982

| next_title = So Close

| next_year = 1983

| misc = {{External music video|type=single|header=Music video|1={{YouTube|7yjsmIVuBxA|"Muscles"}}}}

}}

"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982, by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric. The single reached number No. 7 in Cash Box magazine and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart, whilst hitting No. 2 for 2 weeks on the Cash Box Soul chart. The track featured prominent background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. (Although Ross has never won a competitive Grammy, she was awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS in 2012.) The song was originally intended to be an R&B answer to the massive Olivia Newton-John hit "Physical".

Music video

The single's erotic music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJO5LcWGfk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211217/EFJO5LcWGfk |archive-date=2021-12-17 |url-status=live|title=Diana Ross Muscles |publisher=YouTube |date=June 21, 2007 |access-date=July 6, 2012}}{{cbignore}} The video features a young Gil Birmingham (The Twilight Saga film series) in one of his first-ever media appearances.

Track listing

UK vinyl, 12" (12CL 268){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/536506 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140712141003/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/536506 |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 4:36
"I Am Me" – 3:50

US vinyl, 12", promo (JD-13382){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/622868 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140712162727/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/622868 |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 6:38
"I Am Me" – 3:50

US vinyl, 7" (PB 13348){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/647222 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140712171018/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/647222 |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 3:59
"I Am Me" – 3:50

US vinyl, 7", Gold Standard Stereo (GB-13798){{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Diana-Ross-Muscles/release/7573841 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=discogs.com |access-date=February 3, 2016}}

"Muscles" – 3:59
"Pieces of Ice" – 3:57

FR vinyl, 7" (2C 008-86609){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/809954 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140712215051/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/809954 |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 3:59
"I Am Me" – 3:50

NE vinyl, 12" (052Z-86609){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/406789 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140712100400/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/406789 |archive-date=July 12, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 4:35
"I Am Me" – 3:47

NE vinyl, 7" (1A 006-86609){{cite web |url=http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/1056505 |title=Diana Ross – Muscles |publisher=Ev.discogs.com |access-date=July 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140711142702/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/1056505 |archive-date=July 11, 2014 }}

"Muscles" – 3:59
"I Am Me" – 3:50

Personnel

Diana Ross – lead vocals
Michael Jackson – producer, uncredited background vocals
Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC – mastering
Patti Austin – additional backing vocals
Bill Wolfer{{Cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-wolfer-mn0000080681/credits | title=Bill Wolfer | Credits | website=AllMusic }} – synthesizer
Michael Boddicker – synthesizer
Ray Chew – keyboards
Eric Gale – guitar
Yogi Horton – drums

Neil Jason – bass
Denzil Miller – keyboards
Jeff Mironov – guitar
Jonathan Moffett – drums
Julia Tillman Waters – additional backing vocals
Greg Smith – synthesizer
Maxine Willard Waters – additional backing vocals
David Williams – guitar
Nathan Watts – bass

Charts

Chart (1982) !Peak position
class="wikitable sortable"
Australia (Kent Music Report){{Cite book\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|publisher=Australian Chart Book\|location=St Ives, NSW\|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6 }} \| style="text-align:center;"\|50
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book\|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=219\|first=Timo\|last=Pennanen\|year=2021\|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021\|section=Diana Ross\|page=219\|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava\|location=Helsinki\|access-date=2022-07-04\|language=fi}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|16
{{single chart\|Dutch100\|10\|song=Muscles \|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Dutch100}}
{{single chart\|Dutch40\|10\|song=Muscles \|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Dutch40}}
{{single chart\|Ireland2\|23\|song=Muscles\|access-date=2020-05-21}}
{{single chart\|New Zealand\|18\|song=Muscles \|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21}}
{{single chart\|Sweden\|6\|song=Muscles \|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Sweden}}
{{single chart\|UKsinglesbyname\|15\|song=Muscles \|artist=Diana Ross\|artistid=14097\|access-date=2020-05-21}}
{{single chart\|Billboardhot100\|10\|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Billboardhot100}}
{{single chart\|Billboardrandbhiphop\|4\|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Billboardrandbhiphop}}
{{single chart\|Billboardadultcontemporary\|36\|artist=Diana Ross\|access-date=2020-05-21\|refname=Billboardadultcontemporary}}

Cover versions

The song was recorded in 1997 by producer/DJ Peter Rauhofer recording as Club 69 and was a featured single on the Club 69 album Style. The vocals on this version of "Muscles" are performed by singer-songwriter, Suzanne Palmer.

Samples

Lil' Kim sampled "Muscles" for her rap "Diamonds" but it was not included in the final cut of her album The Notorious K.I.M.
Young Jeezy sampled "Muscles" on the title track of his album The Inspiration.
Victoria Beckham sampled "Muscles" on the song "He's My Lover", for her unreleased second album Come Together.

References

Category:1982 singles

Category:Diana Ross songs

Category:Songs written by Michael Jackson

Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson

Category:1982 songs

Category:RCA Records singles