"Just Once" is a 1981 single released from Quincy Jones' album The Dude on A&M Records. The song features James Ingram on vocals, and reached number 17 on the Billboard chart in the summer of 1981.[1] Ingram's singing was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards.
| "Just Once" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram | ||||
| from the album The Dude | ||||
| B-side | "The Dude" | |||
| Released | September 1981 | |||
| Recorded | August 1981 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:32 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil | |||
| Producer(s) | Quincy Jones | |||
| Quincy Jones singles chronology | ||||
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| James Ingram singles chronology | ||||
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History and composition
editOn a television program interview, Ingram stated that this song was a $50 demo done by ATV Music, composed by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Quincy Jones called back and wanted Ingram to sing on his album.[2]
The song is composed originally in the key of C major. The bridge modulates to the key of A flat major, moves to B major, then to D major for the final chorus, finally ending in B major for the coda, representing the song's sad ending.[citation needed]
Personnel
edit- James Ingram – lead vocal
- Steve Lukather – guitar
- Robbie Buchanan – acoustic piano, string synthesizer
- David Foster – acoustic and electric piano
- Greg Phillinganes – synthesizer
- Ian Underwood – synthesizer, synthesizer programming
- Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar
- John Robinson – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Patti Austin – background vocals
- Jerry Hey – horn arrangement, trumpet
- Chuck Findley – trumpet
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
- Kim Hutchcroft – saxophone, flute
- Ernie Watts – saxophone, flute
- Johnny Mandel – string arrangement, synthesizer arrangement
- Gerald Vinci – concertmaster
- Quincy Jones – vocal arrangement, rhythm arrangement
Charts
edit| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 17
|
| US Billboard R&B Singles[4] | 11
|
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[5] | 7
|
Popular culture
edit- The song was featured prominently over the final scene of the 1982 film The Last American Virgin.
- The song was referenced in Quest for Ratings, the 11th Episode of the 8th Season of South Park when Stan says "We gave it our best" to which teacher Mr. Meryl responds "And I guess your best wasn't good enough".
References
edit- ^ "Just Once (Song by Quincy Jones) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com.
- ^ [1] [permanent dead link]
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 131.
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