Muscles (song) explained

Muscles
Cover:	Diana Ross Muscles.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Diana Ross
Album:	Silk Electric
B-Side:	I Am Me
Released:	September 17, 1982
Recorded:	1982
Studio:	Sunset Sound Recorders, (Los Angeles, California)^[1]
Genre:	R&B, pop
Length:	3:59, 6:38
Label:	RCA
Producer:	Michael Jackson
Prev Title:	It's Never Too Late
Prev Year:	1982
Next Title:	So Close
Next Year:	1983

"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982, by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric. The single reached number No. 7 in Cash Box magazine and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart, whilst hitting No. 2 for 2 weeks on the Cash Box Soul chart. The track featured prominent background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. (Although Ross has never won a competitive Grammy, she was awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS in 2012.) The song was originally intended to be an R&B answer to the massive Olivia Newton-John hit "Physical".

Music video

The single's erotic music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's musclebound body.^[2] The video features a young Gil Birmingham (The Twilight Saga film series) in one of his first-ever media appearances.

Track listing

• UK vinyl, 12" (12CL 268)^[3]

1. "Muscles" – 4:36
2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

• US vinyl, 12", promo (JD-13382)^[4]

1. "Muscles" – 6:38
2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

• US vinyl, 7" (PB 13348)^[5]

1. "Muscles" – 3:59
2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

• US vinyl, 7", Gold Standard Stereo (GB-13798)^[6]

1. "Muscles" – 3:59
2. "Pieces of Ice" – 3:57

• FR vinyl, 7" (2C 008-86609)^[7]

1. "Muscles" – 3:59
2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

• NE vinyl, 12" (052Z-86609)^[8]

1. "Muscles" – 4:35
2. "I Am Me" – 3:47

• NE vinyl, 7" (1A 006-86609)^[9]

1. "Muscles" – 3:59
2. "I Am Me" – 3:50

Personnel

• Diana Ross – lead vocals
• Michael Jackson – producer, uncredited background vocals
• Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC – mastering
• Patti Austin – additional backing vocals
• Bill Wolfer^[10] – synthesizer
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizer
• Ray Chew – keyboards
• Eric Gale – guitar
• Yogi Horton – drums

• Neil Jason – bass
• Denzil Miller – keyboards
• Jeff Mironov – guitar
• Jonathan Moffett – drums
• Julia Tillman Waters – additional backing vocals
• Greg Smith – synthesizer
• Maxine Willard Waters – additional backing vocals
• David Williams – guitar
• Nathan Watts – bass

Charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[11]	50
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[12]	16

Cover versions

• The song was recorded in 1997 by producer/DJ Peter Rauhofer recording as Club 69 and was a featured single on the Club 69 album Style. The vocals on this version of "Muscles" are performed by singer-songwriter, Suzanne Palmer.

Samples

• Lil' Kim sampled "Muscles" for her rap "Diamonds" but it was not included in the final cut of her album The Notorious K.I.M.
• Young Jeezy sampled "Muscles" on the title track of his album The Inspiration.
• Victoria Beckham sampled "Muscles" on the song "He's My Lover", for her unreleased second album "Come Together".

Notes and References

1. Book: Allard. François. Lecocq. Richard. Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. October 4, 2018. 9781788401234. November 3, 2019.
2. Web site: Diana Ross Muscles . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211217/EFJO5LcWGfk . 2021-12-17 . live. YouTube . June 21, 2007 . July 6, 2012.
3. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140712141003/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/536506 . July 12, 2014 .
4. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140712162727/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/622868 . July 12, 2014 .
5. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140712171018/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/647222 . July 12, 2014 .
6. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . discogs.com . February 3, 2016.
7. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140712215051/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/809954 . July 12, 2014 .
8. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140712100400/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/406789 . July 12, 2014 .
9. Web site: Diana Ross – Muscles . Ev.discogs.com . July 6, 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20140711142702/http://wwwdev.discogs.com/release/1056505 . July 11, 2014 .
10. Web site: Bill Wolfer | Credits . .
11. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6 .
12. Book: Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021. 2021. Diana Ross. 219. Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. Helsinki. 2022-07-04. fi.