Brick House (song)
1977 single by Commodores
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Brick House" is a song from Commodores' 1977 self-titled album (released as Zoom in the UK). The single peaked at number 5 in the U.S. and number 32 in the UK Singles Chart.[3]
| "Brick House" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US 12-inch vinyl single | ||||
| Single by Commodores | ||||
| from the album Commodores | ||||
| B-side | "Captain Quick Draw" | |||
| Released | August 26, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Funk[1][2] | |||
| Length | 3:37 (single/album version) 6:12 (12" mix) | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriters | Lionel Richie, Milan Williams, Walter Orange, Ronald LaPread, Thomas McClary, William King | |||
| Producers | James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores | |||
| Commodores singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
Lionel Richie stated that the song's title is a play on the expression "built like a brick shithouse", referring to a strongly built woman.[4] The lyric sung in the chorus is "she's a brick... (pause) house", leaving a deliberate gap implying the vulgar middle word in the pause.
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 24 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 15 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 32 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 5 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] | 4 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[11] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||