Uptown Top Ranking
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"Uptown Top Ranking" is a song by Jamaican teenage singers Althea Forrest and Donna Reid, recorded when they were 17 and 18 years old respectively.[1] Released in 1977, the song comprises the girls ad-libbing to deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity. The lyrics were written by the duo and Errol Thompson.[1][2] It was produced by Joe Gibbs,[1] using a re-recording of the riddim of the 1967 Alton Ellis song "I'm Still in Love", which had already been re-popularised in the 1970s by Marcia Aitken's cover "I'm Still in Love With You Boy", and "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity, to which "Uptown" was an "answer record".[3]
The record was initially recorded as a joke. It was accidentally played by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel resulting in numerous requests for additional plays.[4] With early championing by Peel and a performance on Top of the Pops, it soon became a surprise hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in February 1978.[1] The track spent a total of 11 weeks in the chart. Althea & Donna became the youngest female duo to reach the number-one spot on the UK chart.[2]
Charts
Weekly charts
Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart| Chart (1977–1978) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 44 |
Certifications
Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom
Sampling
The song was sampled in Abs Breen's 2002 UK top 10[6] hit single, "What You Got".[7]
See also
References
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- ↑ Colin Larkin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, Template:ISBN, p.10-11
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