Frankie (Sister Sledge song)

"Frankie"
Single by Sister Sledge
from the album When the Boys Meet the Girls
B-side"Hold Out Poppy"
ReleasedMay 1985
GenrePop, R&B
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Denise Rich[1][2]
Producer(s)Nile Rodgers
Sister Sledge singles chronology
"We Are Family (Bernard Edwards Remix)"
(1984) 		"Frankie"
(1985) 		"Dancing on the Jagged Edge"
(1985)

"Frankie" is a song by American vocal group Sister Sledge, released as a single in 1985. It is taken from their eighth studio album, When the Boys Meet the Girls (1985).

Overview

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The song was written by Denise Rich (under the pseudonym "Joy Denny") after dreaming while on a flight from the United States to Switzerland.[2] According to the Now 5 album (on which the song appears), the song was written about Frank Sinatra.

The song was produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers, who had co-produced the sisters' earlier hits such as "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family". The sisters suggested the song to him, but he hated it on first hearing. A week later, he went back to them saying he could not stop singing it, and so he insisted that the band recorded it.[3]

A marked contrast to the disco cuts which had made them internationally famous in the late 1970s, this girl-pop number became a hit in the UK Singles Chart, spending four weeks at number one in June and July 1985.[4] It fared much less well in the US where it peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 32 R&B[5] and No. 15 Adult Contemporary.[6]

"Frankie" was fifth best selling single of 1985 with 698,000 sold copies in the United Kingdom.[7]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ [1] Archived May 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Edward Wong (October 11, 2000). "Public Lives; Songwriter Who Doubles as Friend of Bill". The New York Times. United States. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  3. ^ Songfacts. "Frankie by Sister Sledge - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 450–1. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ^ Alex Henderson. "Sister Sledge | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 221.
  7. ^ Copsey, Rob (April 9, 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1985". Official Charts. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 276. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Sister Sledge – Frankie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "Sister Sledge – Frankie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7820." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 31. August 5, 1985. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 31, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "Sister Sledge – Frankie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Sister Sledge – Frankie". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "Sister Sledge – Frankie". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Sister Sledge: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  18. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. July 13, 1985. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  19. ^ "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. July 27, 1985. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. July 20, 1985. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sister Sledge – Frankie" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  22. ^ "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Imgur.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "British single certifications – Sister Sledge – Frankie". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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