How Could It Be Explained

How Could It Be
Type:	album
Artist:	Eddie Murphy
Cover:	How It Could Be.jpg
Border:	yes
Released:	September 1985
Recorded:	1985^[1]
Studio:	Wonderland Studios, Joint Recording Studios, Soundworks Studios, Clinton Recording, Power Station
Length:	34:53
Label:	Columbia
Prev Year:	1983
Next Title:	So Happy
Next Year:	1989

How Could It Be is the debut musical studio album by comedian/actor Eddie Murphy, released in September 1985^[2] on Columbia Records. It was produced by Aquil Fudge, with the exception of the hit top ten single "Party All the Time", which was produced by Rick James.

The album was a commercial success, making it to No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and No. 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Two singles were released: "Party All the Time", which made it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the title track, which became a minor R&B hit. This studio album was recorded as part of fulfilling a $100,000 bet that Richard Pryor had made with Eddie Murphy that he could not sing. In the album's liner notes, Eddie Murphy wrote the following "To Richard Pryor, my idol, with whom I have a $100,000 bet. No, motherfucker, I didn't forget."^[3]

In an interview in 1987, Murphy said: "My album could have been much better but it came out okay".^[4]

Background

For this album, Murphy enlisted other well-known musicians to help him create his first musical studio album. The record has two Stevie Wonder produced and written tracks, "Do I" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses". There are also two songs that Rick James produced and wrote—the title track (a minor R&B hit) and the successful hit, "Party All the Time".^[1]

Murphy wrote three tracks on the album in which he also gets sole writing credit for: "C-O-N Confused", a disco track, "I, Me, Us, We", a Parliament homage, and "My God Is Color Blind", an anti-racism song. Murphy took an experimental approach to test himself in what he could do with music.^[1]

Personnel

• James Allen, Dennis Davis, Rick James – drums, Oberheim DMX (track 5)
• Aquil Fudge – percussion
• Frank Hamilton, Michael McKinney, Fred Washington – bass
• Gordon Banks, Ben Bridges, Kenny Hawkins, Larry John McNally, Mike O'Neil, Paul Pesco, Greg Poree, David Williams, Larry Menally – guitar
• Frank Hamilton, Greg Levias, Jeff Lorber, Greg Phillinganes, Darryl Ross, Levi Ruffin, Bill Wolfer,^[5] Stevie Wonder, Bill Young – keyboards, synthesizers, Roland Juno-60 bass (track 5)
• Abdoulaye Soumare, Bob Bradlove – synthesizer programming
• Stevie Wonder – harmonica
• Steve Porcaro – synths on "Party All the time"
• Larry Fast – synth
• Earl Gardner, Richard Gibbs, Larry Gittens, Bob Malach, Keith Quinn – horns
• Roderick Bascom, Crystal Blake, Alvin "Blues" Broussard, Anthony Clark, Carlotta Clark, Lisa Clark, Paul Freudenburg, Larry Gittens, Rod Gordon, Cynthia Green, Bruce Hawes, Rick James, David Allen Jones, Jacque Kimbrough, Derek Lawrence, Lorelei McBroom, Daryl Murphy, LaMorris Payne, Darryl Phinnessee, William Rivera, Dwayne Roberson, Darryl Ross, Levi Ruffin, Howard Smith, Spartacus R., Michelle Wiley, Philip "Bully" Williams, Steven Lindstrom – backing vocals

Technical

• Larkin Arnold – executive producer
• Nancy Greenberg – art direction
• Annie Leibovitz – photography

Charts

Chart (1985–86)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Current Albums^[6]	26
U.S. Billboard 200^[7]	26
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums^[8]	17
U.S. Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums^[9]	25
U.S. Cash Box Top 75 Black Contemporary Albums^[10]	23

Notes and References

1. Web site: Blest . Paul . 2015-01-28 . Put a Boogie in Your Butt: A Look Back at the Musical Career of Eddie Murphy . . 2019-11-02.
2. . New Releases. Billboard. Billboard Publications, Inc.. September 7, 1985. November 27, 2023.
3. Web site: Photographic image of record sleeve. JPG. Img.discogs.com. 2022-04-03.
4. Web site: Eddie Murphy Carson Tonight Show 1987 . . 3 November 2018 .
5. Web site: Bill Wolfer | Credits. AllMusic.
6. Web site: Top Current Albums. Billboard. 2019-11-02.
7. Web site: Billboard 200. Billboard. 2019-11-02.
8. Web site: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Billboard. 2019-11-02.
9. . Top 200 Pop Albums. Cash Box. New York City, New York, United States. Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.. December 28, 1985. November 27, 2023.
10. . Top 75 Black Contemporary Albums. Cash Box. New York City, New York, United States. Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc.. December 28, 1985. November 27, 2023.