"Everybody Everybody" is a song by the Italian music groupBlack Box featuring singer Martha Wash. It was the third single from their debut album Dreamland, and was released in March 1990 in most countries. The song contains a sample from Oran "Juice" Jones' song "Shaniqua". "Everybody, Everybody" was a success on many charts, including the U.S. BillboardHot 100, where it peaked at number eight. In 2010 the song was named the 171st best track of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media.
Critical reception
Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote that Black Box "wears disco-era influences on its sleeves once again on a tasty jam that will make you hanker for those good old Studio 54 days. Love those horn and string fills." The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith wrote in his review of Dreamland that "Everybody Everybody" and "Strike It Up" "are definitely the best ofthe album. These are gay disco anthems that still resonate today, even though the words aren't always easy to comprehend." Yvette Ziraldo from The Network Forty described it as "infectious". Chris Heath from Smash Hits noted that the song is "almost brilliant".
Chart performances
The song was a hit on several charts, particularly on the Hot Dance Club Play in the United States, where it reached #1 for three consecutive weeks from July 21 to August 4, 1990. The song also peaked at #2 on the U.S. R&B Chart, #8 on Billboard Hot 100, #16 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved a great success in Ireland. In Zimbabwe, "Everybody Everybody" peaked at #1 for 9 weeks in total. The song features an uncredited Martha Wash on lead vocals. In a 1990 settlement with RCA Records, Wash was guaranteed proper credit in recordings. As was customary in Black Box's music videos, live performances, and album covers, Katrin Quinol, a French model, was featured lip-syncing the lyrics sung by Wash.
Music video
The music video for "Everybody Everybody" was directed by John Shackleton and Judith Briant. Briant also directed the music videos for "I Don't Know Anybody Else" and "Ride on Time".
Impact and legacy
The Village Voice listed "Everybody Everybody" number 55 on its list of "Top Singles of the 90s" in 1999. Blender put the song on number 335 on its list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005. Pitchfork Media ranked the song number 171 on its list of "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s" in 2010. BuzzFeed listed it number 14 on its "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" list in 2017. The global pop groupNow United used a sample of the song in their 2020 single "Let The Music Move You".
