Celebration (Kool & the Gang song)

Co-founder Ronald Bell, the group's saxophonist and musical arranger, said "Celebration" was inspired by the Quran:

I was reading the passage, where God was creating Adam, and the angels were celebrating and singing praises. That inspired me to write the basic chords, the line, 'Everyone around the world, come on, celebration.'^[5][6]

In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis stated that Bell liked telling people that "Celebration" was inspired by the Quran but that Robert "Kool" Bell had a different explanation of the song's origin. "Kool" recalled Ronald was listening to the band's earlier hit "Ladies' Night" (1979) and noticed the lyric "This is your night tonight, come on, let’s all celebrate." Then, Ronald decided to build a song out of that lyric.^[7]

"Celebration" is in the A♭ Mixolydian mode in common time and was written as a collaboration by the whole band.^[8] The song moves at a tempo of 123 beats per minute.^[9] The group's vocals span from A♭₃ to E♭₅.^[8]

Record World called the song "one big party hook with cool chorus chants & a boss bass",^[10] while Stereogum called Taylor's vocals "calmly ecstatic" and described it as a charmingly simple, and thus, fun song due to its lack of subtext.^[6]

"Celebration" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981, and held that position for two weeks before Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" overtook it.^[11] It remains the band's only Billboard No. 1 hit.

By late 1980, the song had also reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts. The song was featured heavily on the radio throughout the year. It has since been frequently used in weddings and parties,^[11] and is a popular anthem for sporting events, including serving as the theme song for the St. Louis Cardinals after winning the 1982 World Series. In 1981, it was commonly played by radio stations in honor of the release of US hostages from captivity in Iran.^[12] It was also an international hit, reaching No. 7 in the United Kingdom on November 29, 1980, spending 13 weeks in the chart.

"Celebration" was covered in 1987 and released as a single by New Zealand-Australian band Dragon. It was released in November that year by RCA Records as the lead single from the band's ninth studio album, Bondi Road (1989). The song peaked at number 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report.

Charts

More information Chart (1987), Peak position ...

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[47]	11

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Summarize Timeline Fact Check

"Celebration" was covered by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, who originally recorded it for her fourth studio album, Let's Get to It (1991), but it was not included on the album's release.^[48] It later appeared on her 1992 Greatest Hits album and was released as its second single on 16 November 1992 by Mushroom and PWL International. It was produced by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, and peaked at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 21 in Australia. "Celebration" has been cited many times as one of Minogue's favorite songs, and it was included on her greatest hits albums Ultimate Kylie, The Best of Kylie Minogue, and Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection. The techno-rave mix of the track is featured on the Kylie's Non-Stop History 50+1 album. It was also Minogue's last single with PWL International and Stock Aitken Waterman.^[48]

Track listings

• 7-inch single

1. "Celebration"
2. "Let's Get to It" – 3:50

• 12-inch single

1. "Celebration" (Have a Party Mix)
2. "Let's Get to It" (12-inch mix) – 4:52

• CD single

1. "Celebration"
2. "Celebration" (Have a Party Mix)
3. "Let's Get to It" (12-inch mix) – 4:52

• Australian CD single

1. "Celebration"
2. "Celebration" (Have a Party mix)
3. "Too Much of a Good Thing"

• Japanese CD maxi single

1. "Celebration"
2. "Celebration" (Have a Party mix)
3. "Celebration" (Techno RAVE remix)
4. "Let's Get to It" (7-inch mix)
5. "Let's Get to It" (12-inch mix)

Charts

More information Chart (1992–1993), Peak position ...

Chart (1992–1993)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[49]	21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[50]	26
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[51]	53
Ireland (IRMA)[52]	11
UK Singles (OCC)[53]	20
UK Airplay (Music Week)[54]	24
UK Dance (Music Week)[55]	25

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Release history

More information Region, Date ...

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	November 16, 1992	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette	PWL International	[56]
Australia	November 30, 1992	CD cassette	Mushroom	[57]
	January 18, 1993	12-inch vinyl		[58]
Japan	January 21, 1993	CD	PWL	[59]

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• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1981
• List of number-one dance singles of 1980 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles of 1981 (Canada)
• List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1980 (U.S.)
• List of post-disco artists and songs