"Somebody's Watching Me" is a song recorded by American singer Rockwell, released by the Motown label on January 14, 1984, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name. Rockwell's debut single release, the song features guest vocals by brothers Michael Jackson (in the chorus) and Jermaine Jackson (additional backing vocals).
"Somebody's Watching Me" became a major commercial success internationally, topping the charts in Belgium, France and Spain, and reaching the Top 5 in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States (peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100). The song reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom, Rockwell's only Top 40 hit there.
Video Somebody's Watching Me
Background and composition
Rockwell is a son of Motown CEO Berry Gordy. At the time of the recording, Rockwell was estranged from his father and living with Ray Singleton, his father's ex-wife and the mother of his older half-brother, Kerry Gordy. Singleton served as executive producer on the project and would occasionally play some demo tracks to Berry. The elder Gordy was less than enthusiastic about Rockwell's music until he heard the single with a familiar voice featuring prominently on background vocals.
"Somebody's Watching Me" was written in the key of C-sharp minor in 4
4 time with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. The vocals span from C4 to C5.
Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, the song featured backing vocals by Michael and Jermaine Jackson, with Alan Murray on percussion.
Maps Somebody's Watching Me
Music video
The music video to "Somebody's Watching Me" underscores the song's paranoid tone with a haunted house-inspired theme, including imagery of floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing Psycho.
Plot
The video opens with Rockwell coming home to discover that the wrong newspaper has been delivered to his doorstep. As he takes a quick shower, he begins to have strange visions (in a manner recalling The Dead Zone) of himself being pursued around his house by assorted ghoulish appartions, of the looming figure of a cadaverous-looking man, and of finding a tombstone engraved with his own name. His shower is interrupted when he hears something outside and goes out on his balcony to investigate. He is shocked to see the man from his visions standing at his gate, but as he struggles to get a better look in spite of the sun in his face he is greatly relieved to see that he is merely a mailman, coming to deliver the correct newspaper. As the mailman walks up the path towards the front porch, however, a brief close-up of his arm reveals that he is, in fact, a zombie. Rockwell emerges onto the porch to receive the paper, which the mailman genially hands over. As the mailman brings his other arm around to strike, Rockwell has just enough time to notice that he is not human.
Due in part to the popularity of the music video, the song is sometimes used for Halloween celebrations, with cover versions found in various collections of Halloween music.
Charts and certifications
DJ BoBo version: "Somebody Dance with Me"
DJ BoBo based his 1992 single "Somebody Dance with Me" on "Somebody's Watching Me" with new lyrics and rap. The DJ BoBo single reached No. 1 in Sweden and Switzerland, and the Top 5 in Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. In 2012, a remix of the hit was made by Remady titled "Somebody Dance With Me (Remady 2013 Mix)" by DJ BoBo featuring Manu-L. Released early in 2013, it charted on the Swiss Hitparade, reaching No. 4. The mix was made on the 20th anniversary of the initial hit by DJ BoBo in November 1992.
Beatfreakz version
In 2006, Dutch dance group Beatfreakz recorded a pseudo-cover of the song which sampled the chorus but omitted the verses. This version was a Top 10 hit in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Track listing
- CD single
- Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Edit]
- Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Club Mix]
- Somebody's Watching Me [E-Craig's 2006 Remix]
- Somebody's Watching Me [DeNnis Christopher Remix]
- Somebody's Watching Me [Ian Carey Club Mix]
Chart performance
Other cover versions
- Electro/hip hop artist/DJ/producers, Mysto & Pizzi, recorded a cover of the song for a series of GEICO television commercials.
Sampling
- TRU incorporated the lyrics and main melody of the chorus into their 1997 single "I Always Feel Like (Somebody's Watching Me)".
- In 2001, French hip hop group Fonky Family sampled the song in "Art de Rue".
- Canadian artist Virginia to Vegas sampled the chorus for his single "Lights Out".
Appearances in other media
- The Mysto & Pizzi cover version was featured in a series of commercials for GEICO that began airing in December 2008 and throughout 2009. The campaign, created by The Martin Agency, consisted of various advertisements in which people would happen upon Kash, a stack of money with googly eyes, while the song is played in the background.
See also
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1984 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984
- List of number-one singles of 1984 (France)
- List of number-one singles of 1984 (Spain)
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Source of article : Wikipedia
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