Ring My Bell Explained

Type:single
Ring My Bell
Artist:Anita Ward
Album:Songs of Love
B-Side:"If I Could Feel That Old Feeling Again"
Released:1979
Genre:
Label:Juana Records (through TK)
Producer:Frederick Knight
Chronology:Anita Ward
Next Title:Make Believe Lovers
Next Year:1979

"Ring My Bell" is a 1979 disco song written by Frederick Knight. The song was originally written for eleven-year-old Stacy Lattisaw as a teenybopper song about children talking on the telephone.[3] When Lattisaw signed with a different label, American singer and musician Anita Ward was asked to sing it instead, and it became her only major hit.[4]

"Ring My Bell" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the Disco Top 80 chart and the Soul Singles chart. It also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.[5] It also garnered Ward a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1980 Grammy Awards.[6]

Composition

The song is noted for its innovative use of the Synare electronic drum, playing a decaying high-pitched tom tone on the first beat of every bar. It also uses chimes. The lyrics concern a woman encouraging her partner to relax with her after a hard day at work.

The lyric "You can ring my bell" was seen as sexually suggestive according to 1984 book The Slanguage of Sex, "'You can ring my bell any time you want to' would be regarded as a 'come-on' phrase in the US if used by a female," and "Songs like 'Ring My Bell' by Anita Ward caused scarcely a raised eyebrow in the '70s."[7] Billboard magazine included the song on its list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time.[8] Songwriter Frederick Knight, however, said that he deliberately avoided any overly suggestive lyrics, wanting to project a clean-cut image for Ward.[9]

Legacy

The significance of "Ring My Bell" to the history of disco music is discussed in Episode 3 of the 2024 PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.[10]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 3
France (IFOP)[13] 2
Italy (Musica e dischi)[14] 9
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 3
Spain (AFE)[16] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 1
US Disco Top 80 (Billboard)[18] 1
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[19] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[20] 1
US Record World Singles[21] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] [23] 31
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24] 15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 19
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] 17
France (IFOP)[27] 22
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] 95
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 27
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 9
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[32] 2
US Cash Box Top 100[33] 6
West Germany (Official German Charts)[34] 34

All-time charts

Collette version

Type:single
Ring My Bell
Artist:Collette
Album:Raze the Roof
B-Side:Save Yourself
Recorded:Studios 301, Sydney
Released:February 27, 1989[36]
Length:3:22
Label:CBS
Producer:Kirke Godfrey, Peewee Ferris
Chronology:Collette
Next Title:All I Wanna Do Is Dance
Next Year:1989

"Ring My Bell" was covered by New Zealand-born Australian pop singer Collette. It was released in 1989 as her debut single. The song peaked at number 5 on the ARIA Charts and was certified gold by ARIA.[37]

Track listing

A. "Ring My Bell" – 3:22

B. "Save Yourself" – 4:06

A1. "Ring My Bell" (Ring-a-Ling Mix) – 6:12

A2. "Ring My Bell" (Ding-Dong Mix) – 5:41

B1. "Save Yourself" (Survival Mix) – 5:53

B2. "Save Yourself" (Pow Wow Mix) – 6:39

Charts

Year-end charts

Certification

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Greg . Prato . Anita Ward – Artist Biography . . June 12, 2014 .
  2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Anita Ward’s "Ring My Bell". . February 10, 2020 . ...A fun, frisky lightweight dance jam full of barely-disguised sex metaphors and catchy-as-hell hooks.. July 11, 2023.
  3. Web site: "Ring My Bell" – Anita Ward . Super Seventies . June 12, 2014 .
  4. Web site: Ring My Bell by Anita Ward . Songfacts . June 12, 2014 .
  5. Book: Roberts, David . 2006 . British Hit Singles & Albums . 19th . London . Guinness World Records Limited . 591 . 1-904994-10-5.
  6. Web site: Anita Ward . . May 3, 2018 .
  7. Book: Brigid . McConville . John . Shearlaw . 1984 . The Slanguage of Sex . Macdonald . 31 . 9780356103402 .
  8. The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time . . February 11, 2010 . October 13, 2016 .
  9. Paul . Grein . Memphis Teacher's Disk Cracks Top 10 . . June 9, 1979 . 9 . 0006-2510 .
  10. https://www.pbs.org/video/stayin-alive-wvvwry/
  11. Billboard – Hits of the World . . September 1, 1979 . 91 . 35 . 57 . 0006-2510 .
  12. Book: Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021. 2021. Anita Ward. 278. Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. Helsinki. July 11, 2022. Finnish.
  13. Web site: InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste . InfoDisc . Select "Anita Ward" from the artist drop-down menu . June 12, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130920064608/http://infodisc.fr/Bilan_W.php . September 20, 2013 . fr.
  14. Web site: Classifiche. Musica e dischi. it. June 8, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Anita Ward".
  15. Web site: South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (W) . Rock.co.za . June 3, 2013 .
  16. Book: Salaverri, Fernando . September 2005 . Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 . 1st . Fundación Autor-SGAE . Spain . 84-8048-639-2 . es.
  17. Billboard Hot 100 . . June 30, 1979 . 80 . 0006-2510 .
  18. Disco Top 80 . . May 19, 1979 . 55 . 0006-2510 .
  19. Hot Soul Singles . . June 16, 1979 . 90 . 0006-2510 .
  20. Web site: CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JUNE 30, 1979 . . February 5, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110205163532/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19790630.html .
  21. Record World Singles . . July 7, 1976 . 27 . September 17, 2017 . 0034-1622 .
  22. Web site: Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s . Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien . June 12, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131106213449/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40276 . November 6, 2013.
  23. Web site: Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979. Kent Music Report. Imgur.com. January 10, 2023.
  24. Web site: Jahreshitparade 1979 . Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien . June 12, 2014 . de.
  25. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1979 . Ultratop. Hung Medien . June 12, 2014 . nl.
  26. 1979 Top 200 Singles . 32 . 13 . December 22, 1979 . . . June 12, 2014 .
  27. Web site: TOP – 1979 . Top-france.fr . June 12, 2014 . fr.
  28. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979 . . June 12, 2014 . nl.
  29. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Single 1995 . Single Top 100. Hung Medien . June 12, 2014 . nl.
  30. Web site: End of Year Charts 1979 . Recorded Music New Zealand . October 30, 2015 .
  31. Web site: Top 100 Hits for 1979 . The Longbored Surfer . June 12, 2014 . dead . March 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183205/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1979.php.
  32. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 1979 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090618165035/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=Hot%2BR&B%2FHip-Hop%2BSongs&g=Year-end%2BSingles&year=1982 . June 18, 2009.
  33. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1979 . . August 25, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825012820/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html.
  34. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1979 . Offiziellecharts.de . GfK Entertainment charts . 8 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150508235157/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1979 . de.
  35. Hot 100 60th Anniversary . Billboard . February 22, 2020 .
  36. Web site: Australian Music Report No 761 – 27 February 1989 > Singles: New Releases . . . July 8, 2017 .
  37. Web site: 1989 ARIA Singles Chart . . April 30, 2020 .

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