#1 This Week In 1982

In January 1982, Wordy Rappinghood and Genius Of Love, two tracks from the debut album of the Talking Heads' side project, Tom Tom Club, shared the #1 slot on Billboard's dance chart for one week. Comprised of Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Franz, Tom Tom Club has released six albums to date, the most recent a live set in 2003. These two tracks, Genius Of Love in particular, have become among the most influential and heavily sampled records in dance history. Genius Of Love only reached #34 on the pop singles chart, but Mariah Carey's take on the song, Fantasy, topped the pop charts in 1995 for eight weeks and the remix hit #1 on the dance chart as well. Of the two however, Wordy Rappinghood is my favorite. It's OK, I've overstood.

TRIVIA: Among the zillion rap acts that have sampled Genius Of Love are Tupac Shakur, Cam'Ron, Redman, and P.M. Dawn. My favorite is Genius Rap by Dr. Jeckyll And Mr. Hyde. In 2004, Chicks On Speed put out a decent version of Wordy Rappinghood.