Square Rooms

"Square Rooms"
Single by Al Corley
from the album Square Rooms
Released 9 September 1984
Format
Recorded 1984
Genre
Length 3:39
Label Mercury Records
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Harold Faltermeyer
Al Corley singles chronology
"Square Rooms"
(1984)		 "Cold Dresses"
(1985)

"Square Rooms" is a song by American singer and actor Al Corley. It was the first single from his debut album of the same name. First released in 1984, the song was a hit in some European countries and had a moderate success in the United States in 1985.

Background and writing

After two seasons playing one of the first gay leading characters an American TV series, Dynasty, Al Corley left the nighttime soap opera to become a singer. With Harold Faltermeyer and Peter John Woods, he composed the text of his first song, "Square Rooms."

The media-savvy singer affected the brooding look and attitude popular among pop stars and GQ models at the time: pouty, dark glances and tousled hair. His choice of image worked best in France, where his television performances elicited the unbridled enthusiasm of teenage girls. However, according to Elia Habib, a French charts specialist, his success was not only based on his physical appearance. Indeed, "Square Rooms"' music had a large popular appeal and had a production designed for the dance floor. It was produced and composed by the German musician Harold Faltermeyer, who had previously arranged "Self Control", a worldwide pop and dance-floor smash for Laura Branigan in 1984 which featured a similar vocal hook. Faltermeyer would achieve his greatest personal success later the same year, composing, performing and producing the score to Beverly Hills Cop, a 1984 film directed by Martin Brest, including its hit instrumental theme, "Axel F".[2]

Chart performance

"Square Rooms" was released first in Switzerland, where it was a hit, peaking at number 6 on 21 October 1984, and staying in the top 30 for ten weeks.[3] The single debuted at no. 47 in the French Singles Chart on 5 January 1985. It climbed quickly and was no. 1 for five nonconsecutive weeks, from 9 March to 13 April 1985. After its peak, it lingered on the charts until its 27th week, on 20 July 1985.[4] The song also achieved success in Italy (no. 12), Germany (no. 13) and Austria where it reached no. 15 in April 1985.[5] "Square Rooms" was released last in Corley's native US, where the single was only a minor pop hit, reaching no. 80 on the Hot 100 on 1 June 1985. American dancefloors were more receptive than its airwaves; Corley reached no. 26 on the Billboard dance chart[6] the week of 22 June 1985.

Formats and track listings

  1. "Square Rooms" – 3:39
  2. "Don't Play With Me" – 4:20
  1. "Square Rooms" (12" version) – 8:02
  2. "Square Rooms" (7" version) – 3:39
  3. "Don't Play With Me" – 4:20

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–85) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 25
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[8] 24
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 13
France (SNEP)[4] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[10] 13
Italy (FIMI)[11] 12
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 80
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[6] 26
US Cash Box[12] 84

Year-end charts

Chart (1985) Position
France (IFOP)[13] 8
Italy (FIMI)[11] 82

Preceded by
"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.
"Johnny, Johnny" by Jeanne Mas		 French number-one single
9 March 1985 – 23 March 1985 (3 weeks)
6 April 1985 – 13 April 1985 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Johnny, Johnny" by Jeanne Mas

Covers

A French cover version was recorded by France Lise under the title "On vit à deux".[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "Dance/Disco > Picks > Al Corley – Square Rooms (8:00)". Billboard. 97 (17): 67. 27 April 1985. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ↑ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinéa Bis. p. 35. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  3. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Al Corley – Square Rooms". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Lescharts.com – Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Austriancharts.at – Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "Al Corley – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Square Room – AL CORLEY" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 26 July 2013. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 24
  9. ↑ European Top 40 Singles – Week Ending 20.04.85 at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 April 2015). World Charts.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Al Corley – Square Rooms". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  11. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1985" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  12. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 18, 1985 at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  13. ↑ "TOP – 1985" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Lemonier, Marc (2008). Nos années Top, clips et 45 tours: 1984–1991 (in French). pp. 31–32. ISBN 2-258-07648-X.
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