(Debuted April 11, 1981, Peaked #28, 12 Weeks on the Chart)
Quincy Jones is well known as a songwriter, producer and arranger. He's done stuff many fans recognize (the Thriller LP, the soundtrack to Roots, Leslie Gore's #1 hit "It's My Party") and some stuff that many may not even realize he did (the theme to Sanford & Son, the song "Soul Bossa Nova," used at the beginning of all three Austin Powers movies). His pull is so strong that when he decides to record a song under his own name, the studio session can become an all-star event.
However, Quincy Jones didn't write "Ai No Corrida" or any of the other songs featured on his LP The Dude. Instead, ex-Ian Dury & the Blockheads keyboardist Chaz Jankel wrote it with American expatriate Kenny Yong (writer of the 1964 Drifters hit "Under the Boardwalk"). Jankel made the original recording, but it wasn't a hit anywhere. However, the song won a Grammy for them in '82 after Quincy Jones tackled it.
There's some confusion about the translation of the song's title. Some sources say it's Spanish, while others claim it's the original working title of a 1976 Japanese film called Realm of the Senses. Rather than focus on its meaning, I'm just going to listen to it instead. It's a great song that features a crisp, timeless production quality. You wouldn't expect any less from Quincy Jones.
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