My Old Piano

"My Old Piano"
Single by Diana Ross
from the album Diana
B-side
  • "Where Did We Go Wrong"
  • "Now That You're Gone"
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1980 (UK) / November, 1981 (US)[1]
Recorded1979–Spring 1980
StudioPower Station, New York City
Genre
Length3:55
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Nile Rodgers
  • Bernard Edwards
Diana Ross singles chronology
"I'm Coming Out"
(1980) 		"My Old Piano"
(1980) 		"It's My Turn"
(1980)
Music video
"My Old Piano" on YouTube

"My Old Piano" is a song by American R&B singer Diana Ross. It was written and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for her self-titled tenth studio album (1980). In it, Ross sings about the joy of playing a piano, describing it as if it were a person. The song was released on September 19, 1980 as the album's third and final single by Motown Records in the United States, and the second single elsewhere. In an accompanying music video, Ross appears performing the song in an apartment with an old piano.[2]

Unlike previous singles "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out", "My Old Piano" was not as successful in the United States, however, it was a commercial success in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it was a Top 10 hit and earned her a British Phonographic Industry (BPI) silver disc award for sales in excess of 250,000 copies.

Track listings

7" Single

  1. "My Old Piano" 3:55
  2. "Where Did We Go Wrong" 3:59

12" Single

  1. "My Old Piano" 3:55
  2. "Where Did We Go Wrong" 3:59
  3. "Now That You're Gone" 3:59

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980–1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 25
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 20
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 5
US Bubbling Under the Hot 100 (Billboard)[9] 9
West Germany (GfK)[10] 15

Year-end charts

Chart (1980) Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 34
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 32
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 35

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Diana Ross - My Old Piano".
  2. ^ music video in Dailymotion.com
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Diana Ross – My Old Piano" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  5. ^ "Diana Ross – My Old Piano" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Diana Ross – My Old Piano" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  9. ^ "US Hot 100 Bubbling Under". Top40Weekly.com. 13 May 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Diana Ross – My Old Piano" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1980". Ultratop. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Diana Ross – My Old Piano". British Phonographic Industry.