HUGE anthem for you today. Italian house royalty Black Box with their 1989 hit Ride On Time is the focus of today’s review. If this doesn’t take you to a basement, rocking double denim and two-stepping with your mates then I don’t know what more I can do!
A garage/house classic that has been adopted as a gentle slope into the genre by radio stations up and down the country, it still holds value as an example of the genre. It was the biggest selling single in the UK when it was released in 1989 and took No. 1 spot which really helped elevate the profile of house music and the broader dance genre. However, it’s accomplishments were tainted when it came out that they had sampled vocals without permission. They came from Loleatta Holloway’s hit Love Sensation, released in 1980, and the French model Katrin Quinol was brought in by Black Box to mime the song, however her combination of poor English and poor lip-reading skills meant they were soon found out.
The song is still great, and whilst the vocals are a huge part of the song, it’s the piano and disco sounds of the instrumental that make the song. Super infectious, it’s no wonder that it has remained a huge hit whenever a DJ presses play on it. It seems the controversy has not had much of an effect on the song’s popularity, much to Holloway’s annoyance I imagine.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex
A Song A Day 