Ladies' Night (song)


"Ladies' Night" is the hit title track on the album of the same name released in 1979 by Kool & the Gang. The song is a play on the popular use of "Ladies Nights" at bars and clubs that were meant to draw in more female patrons in order to draw in even more male clientele. The song as a single was a success, and became a radio staple. It was also a chart success, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980 and stayed atop the R&B charts for two weeks. It also gave them their first hit in the United Kingdom in August 1979, peaking at number 9 in the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

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Charts

Year-end chart Rank
US Top Pop Singles 35

Certifications

Heavy D version

1993 Heavy D recorded the song under the title "This Is Your Night". The majority of the text passages in his version he wrote himself, but kept the chorus of the original. It also sampled George Benson's biggest hit "Give Me the Night". In addition to the album Nuttin' But Love, it is also on the albums The Gold Seal Collection: R & B's Greatest Hits 1985-1995, Hot Hits , R & B Masters II and Black Winter Party - Best Of - 2013.

Charts

Atomic Kitten version

In 2003, "Ladies' Night" was re-recorded by English girl group Atomic Kitten, and released as the second single from their third studio album, also entitled Ladies Night, in honor of the collaboration. The song is a collaboration with Kool and the Gang, who asked the group to record an updated version of the song. The single peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, outpeaking the original version of the track, and number 3 in Spain.

Chart performance

The single debuted and peaked at number 8 in the United Kingdom. Despite "Ladies Night" being Atomic Kitten's first single to not reach the top 5 in over two years, it still managed to sell 84,192 copies in the United Kingdom, making it their 7th-best-selling single in the United Kingdom. It stayed in the top 40 for 8 weeks, 3 of which were in the top 10.
In Spain, "Ladies Night" was Atomic Kitten's only top-10 hit peaking at number 3 and lasting 3 weeks in the top 10. The song became a top-20 hit in the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Flanders and Denmark. It also became a top-40 hit in German-speaking Europe, peaking at number 33 in Germany, number 32 in Austria and number 38 in Switzerland. In Oceania, the song did not do as well as their previous singles. "Ladies Night" was not released in New Zealand, where their previous single "If You Come to Me" had reached the top 10, and it managed to peak at only number 39 in Australia, becoming their last single to reach the top 50 there.

Music video

The video begins with many people anxiously crowded around the entrance of a club, trying to get in. Suddenly a pink plasma waves sweeps through the middle of the crowd, from the door, pushing them off to either side. The group head into the Kitten Club, and the crowd follows them in, until only the bouncer is left standing outside. In the well-lit club, the group groove about and sing, a great deal of which is on a pure white discothèque dance floor. They primarily dance in a row, with two rows of men behind them, though occasionally they are straddling the fellows, or performing other dance moves with them. Drag queens are spotted in the video, and appear repeatedly, including in the women's washroom, near the video's conclusion. The metrosexual or homosexual bartender, bearing resemblance to Boy George, appears throughout the video. Jenny Frost starts to flirt with him, as if going in for a kiss; in actuality, she's stealing his drink from behind him. While a man hits on Liz McClarnon, he is in turn hit on by another man. There is also a man dancing in a cage with a round top; there is no suggestion if this is to entertain the straight or homosexuals in attendance, or both. The group repeatedly flip their hands in the air, creating pink plasma as appeared earlier in the video. This transports them to the opposite side of the club, where they appear on rollerskates, in different outfits. They use their magic again, instantly stripping three men down to pink lycra underwear. The men, in their skivvies, visit the girls at their booth. Tash is so amused at the provided crotch view that she brings out American money which she waves around; money is never actually transferred. At the very start of the video, when Jen blows a kiss, lip marks appear on the screen as a graphic.

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "Ladies Night" – 3:06
  2. "The Tide Is High" – 3:26
UK CD2
  1. "Ladies Night" – 3:06
  2. "Ladies Night" – 3:25
  3. "Somebody" – 3:11
  4. "Ladies Night"
UK 12" picture disc
  1. "Ladies Night" – 3:01
  2. "Ladies Night" – 10:05
  3. "Be with You" – 7:58
  4. "Be with You" – 3:27

    Official versions

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
UK Singles 130

Other covers