Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
Encyclopedia
"Theme from Mahogany" is a song written by Michael Masser
and Gerald Goffin
, and recorded by America
n singer Diana Ross
as the theme to the 1975
Motown/Paramount
film Mahogany. Produced by Masser, the song
is a ballad
that portrays its protagonist (Ross) as a black woman who becomes a successful Rome
fashion designer.
Recorded with a full orchestral accompaniment, "Theme from Mahogany" became one of the most recognizable elements of the film, receiving praise from many critics. Later released as a single
, "Theme from Mahogany" became a number-one hit on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
, and the Easy Listening charts. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song. Ross performed the song live at the Academy Awards ceremony via satellite
from the Netherlands
.
recorded the song in 1995 for her movie song album, Time Of My Life.
French singer Nicole Rieu
recorded the song with French lyrics in 1976 ("En courant").
Fusion
\contemporary jazz group Pieces of a Dream
presented their take on the song from their 2001 album "Acquainted With the Night."
Punk rock
band Pinhead Gunpowder
recorded a 2-minute version of the song, simply called "Mahogany", on Carry the Banner
(1995).
American actress Bobbie Eakes
performed this song on famous daytime series The Bold and the Beautiful
.
Da Band
, a rap group put together by Sean Combs
, covered the song, titled "Do You Know", on their 2003 debut album, Too Hot for TV
.
The punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
covered the song, simply titled "Mahogany", on their 2008 album Have Another Ball!
Hong Kong singer Janice Vidal
covered the song on her third studio album, Do U Know
(2006).
Australian singer Tina Arena
recorded the song in 2007 for her sixth studio album, Songs of Love & Loss
.
European singer Lara Fabian
recorded the song in 2009 for her new album, Every Woman in Me
.
Christian singer tobyMac
recorded the chorus of the song called "Do You Know" from his 2001 album Momentum.
Actor William Shatner
performed the song in his trademark Spoken Word
in a commercial for Priceline.com
.
at the end of his song "Teenage Love" from the album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
. The single went to #8 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles Chart
in 1988. The chorus is also used in the songs "Life" by Chubb Rock
and "Do You Know" by Erick Sermon
. In the 1993 episode "Rosebud
" of the animated series The Simpsons
the chorus is played during a slide show of scenes from Mr. Burns's life. In an episode of Everybody Hates Chris
when Chris lies to his mother about having a good math grade, she shows up at his math class. Fearing his death, his life flashes before his eyes; the song plays during this sequence.
and Jennifer Lopez
both recorded covers of "Do You Know Where You're Going To". The Mariah Carey version, co-produced by Carey and Stevie J
and recorded in 1998, was intended to be released as a single from her compilation album #1's
. During the same period, actress Jennifer Lopez signed to Sony Music and recorded the song for her debut album On the 6
. Executives at Sony decided that both versions would be released outside the U.S. only as bonus tracks. Although Carey's version was later given a limited release, pressure for her to complete a new studio album interfered with the song's promotion, which was halted prematurely as a result. The song was then reissued in a remix
ed version as a promotional single
for #1's in 1999, and included on French editions of Carey's ninth album, Rainbow
. It did appear in the U.S., however, on the Wal-Mart
-only EP
Valentines
and on the Philippine version of #1's. The same year, Lopez's version was issued only in the Netherlands
and the Philippines as a bonus track for On the 6.
Brazil 5" CD-single Remixes
Michael Masser
Michael Masser , a former stockbroker, is a composer and producer of popular music. He attended the University of Illinois College of Law, but left to pursue his interest in music...
and Gerald Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
, and recorded by America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n singer Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
as the theme to the 1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
Motown/Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
film Mahogany. Produced by Masser, the song
1975 in music
-January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....
is a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
that portrays its protagonist (Ross) as a black woman who becomes a successful Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
fashion designer.
Recorded with a full orchestral accompaniment, "Theme from Mahogany" became one of the most recognizable elements of the film, receiving praise from many critics. Later released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Theme from Mahogany" became a number-one hit on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and the Easy Listening charts. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song. Ross performed the song live at the Academy Awards ceremony via satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Other Versions
Dutch singer Patricia PaayPatricia Paay
Patricia Anglaia Margareth Paaij , best known as Patricia Paay, is a Dutch singer, radio host, glamour model and television personality. In the Netherlands, she is well known for her musical career, which spans over four decades...
recorded the song in 1995 for her movie song album, Time Of My Life.
French singer Nicole Rieu
Nicole Rieu
Nicole Rieu is a French singer, best known outside France for her participation in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest....
recorded the song with French lyrics in 1976 ("En courant").
Fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
\contemporary jazz group Pieces of a Dream
Pieces of a Dream (band)
Pieces of a Dream is an American R&B/jazz group from Philadelphia. The group was formed in 1976 by bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and keyboardist James Lloyd. At the time, the three were all teenagers...
presented their take on the song from their 2001 album "Acquainted With the Night."
Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Pinhead Gunpowder
Pinhead Gunpowder
Pinhead Gunpowder is an American punk rock band formed East Bay, California, in 1990. The band has consisted of Aaron Cometbus , Bill Schneider , Billie Joe Armstrong and Jason White for the majority of its existence...
recorded a 2-minute version of the song, simply called "Mahogany", on Carry the Banner
Carry the Banner
- Personnel :* Aaron Cometbus – drums* Bill Schneider – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Am the Stranger"* Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitar* Jason White – vocals, guitar* Kevin Army – producer* Aaron Cometbus - graphic design, cover art...
(1995).
American actress Bobbie Eakes
Bobbie Eakes
Bobbie Eakes is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Macy Alexander Forrester Chambers Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful and for her role as Krystal Carey Chandler Martin Hayward on All My Children .- Personal life :She is the youngest...
performed this song on famous daytime series The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
.
Da Band
Da Band
-Career:During the preliminary period 40,000 participants tried out for a spot in the group but Diddy narrowed it down to six artists. For several weeks the group was subjected to vigorous and sometime demeaning tasks, including walking from midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn to purchase a Junior's...
, a rap group put together by Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, covered the song, titled "Do You Know", on their 2003 debut album, Too Hot for TV
Too Hot for TV
Too Hot for TV is the first and only album by rap group Da Band. Da Band was formed by Sean Combs on the show Making the Band. The album was the only one put out as a group as they disbanded sometime after its release. The album spawned two singles "Tonight" and "Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That", and...
.
The punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione...
covered the song, simply titled "Mahogany", on their 2008 album Have Another Ball!
Have Another Ball!
Have Another Ball is a compilation album by the punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. It is their seventh album overall, and was released on July 8, 2008 by Fat Wreck Chords....
Hong Kong singer Janice Vidal
Janice Vidal
Janice M. Vidal, often credited mononymously as "Janice", is an award-winning female Cantopop, Hong Kong English pop, Jazz and R&B singer based in Hong Kong. She is the twin sister of singer Jill Vidal....
covered the song on her third studio album, Do U Know
Do U Know (album)
Do U Know is the 3rd studio album of Hong Kong based singer Janice Vidal released on the 21st November 2006. The title is named after Diana Ross's Theme from Mahogany , which Vidal covers in the album. The album contains songs in both Cantonese and English...
(2006).
Australian singer Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
recorded the song in 2007 for her sixth studio album, Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss is the sixth studio album, and first cover album, by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on December 1, 2007. The album was Arena's first full length English language record in six years and her first album with EMI since her debut Strong as Steel in 1990...
.
European singer Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
recorded the song in 2009 for her new album, Every Woman in Me
Every Woman in Me
Every Woman In Me is an English album by Lara Fabian, that was only available to buy on her tour or from her website.It follows Toutes les femmes en moi, and just like it, EWIM is also a cover album, only that it's completely acoustic ....
.
Christian singer tobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
recorded the chorus of the song called "Do You Know" from his 2001 album Momentum.
Actor William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
performed the song in his trademark Spoken Word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
in a commercial for Priceline.com
Priceline.com
Priceline.com is a company and a commercial website that helps users obtain discount rates for travel-related purchases such as airline tickets and hotel stays. The company is not a direct supplier of these services; instead it facilitates the provision of travel services by its suppliers to its...
.
Inclusions in other media
The chorus of "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" is sung by Slick RickSlick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
at the end of his song "Teenage Love" from the album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
-Samples used:*"Children's Story" samples "Think " by Lyn Collins & "Nautilus" by Bob James*"The Moment I Feared" samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown", "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James & "Peter Piper" by Run-D.M.C....
. The single went to #8 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles Chart
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
in 1988. The chorus is also used in the songs "Life" by Chubb Rock
Chubb Rock
Chubb Rock is a New York-based rapper who released several commercially successful hip hop albums in the early 1990s...
and "Do You Know" by Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon , in Bay Shore, New York is an American rapper, musician, and producer.Sermon is best known as half of late-1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for production work. He currently resides in Islandia, New York.- Career :...
. In the 1993 episode "Rosebud
Rosebud (The Simpsons)
"Rosebud" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 21, 1993. The episode begins by showing how on the eve of his birthday, Mr. Burns starts to miss his childhood teddy bear Bobo...
" of the animated series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
the chorus is played during a slide show of scenes from Mr. Burns's life. In an episode of Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
when Chris lies to his mother about having a good math grade, she shows up at his math class. Fearing his death, his life flashes before his eyes; the song plays during this sequence.
Charts
| Chart (1975/1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez Versions
In the late 1990s, Mariah CareyMariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
both recorded covers of "Do You Know Where You're Going To". The Mariah Carey version, co-produced by Carey and Stevie J
Stevie J
--MSGOLDBERG1 23:09, 23 November 2011 Stevie J. is an American musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. This upstate New Yorker is the leader of the Bad Boy Entertainment Hitmen roster of in-house producers and writers during the 90s and thus worked often with the label's owner Sean...
and recorded in 1998, was intended to be released as a single from her compilation album #1's
Number 1's (Mariah Carey album)
#1's is the first compilation album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released by Columbia Records on November 17, 1998. The album contained Carey's thirteen number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as four new songs. In Japan, #1's also included her popular single "All I Want...
. During the same period, actress Jennifer Lopez signed to Sony Music and recorded the song for her debut album On the 6
On the 6
On the 6 is the debut studio album by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, released on June 1, 1999 by Work Records. It debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 the week of June 19, 1999, with first-week sales of 112,000 copies, remaining in the top 20 for 11 weeks and on the chart...
. Executives at Sony decided that both versions would be released outside the U.S. only as bonus tracks. Although Carey's version was later given a limited release, pressure for her to complete a new studio album interfered with the song's promotion, which was halted prematurely as a result. The song was then reissued in a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed version as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
for #1's in 1999, and included on French editions of Carey's ninth album, Rainbow
Rainbow (Mariah Carey album)
Rainbow is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on November 2, 1999, by Columbia Records. The album followed the same pattern as Carey's previous album, Butterfly , in which she began her transition into the R&B market. Rainbow contains a mix of...
. It did appear in the U.S., however, on the Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
-only EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Valentines
Valentines (EP)
Valentines is a compilation EP by Mariah Carey, released by Columbia Records in the United States on January 1, 2000. It was a limited edition CD exclusive to Wal-Mart stores and the first Carey record in the U.S. to feature "Theme from Mahogany ", a Diana Ross cover originally released as a bonus...
and on the Philippine version of #1's. The same year, Lopez's version was issued only in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the Philippines as a bonus track for On the 6.
Tracklist
Austria 5" CD-single- "Do you know where you're going to (theme from "Mahogany")"
Brazil 5" CD-single Remixes
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mahogany Club)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mahogany Club Extended)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mahogany For Clubbers)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mariah Bonita)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mariah Bonita Club)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Mariah Bonita Club Edit)
- "Do you know where you're going to" (Album Version)
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1975 (U.S.)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1976 (U.S.)