Square Rooms

"Square Rooms"
Single by Al Corley
from the album Square Rooms
B-side"Don't Play with Me"
Released1984
GenreTechno-pop[1]
Length3:39
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Harold Faltermeyer
Al Corley singles chronology
"Square Rooms"
(1984) 		"Cold Dresses"
(1985)

"Square Rooms" is a song by American singer and actor Al Corley. It was the first single from his debut album of the same name. First released in 1984; the song was a hit single in Continental Europe, and had a moderate success in the United States in 1985.

Background and writing

After two seasons playing one of the leading characters in the American TV series, Dynasty, Al Corley left the nighttime soap opera to become a singer.

The media-savvy singer affected the brooding look and attitude popular among pop stars and GQ models at the time: pouty, dark glances and tousled hair. His choice of image worked best in France, where his television performances elicited the unbridled enthusiasm of teenage girls. However, according to Elia Habib, a French charts specialist, his success was not only based on his physical appearance. Indeed, "Square Rooms"' music had a large popular appeal and had a production designed for the dance floor. It was produced and composed by the German musician Harold Faltermeyer, who had previously arranged "Self Control", a worldwide pop and dance-floor smash for Laura Branigan in 1984 which featured a similar vocal hook. Faltermeyer would achieve his greatest personal success later the same year, composing, performing and producing the score to Beverly Hills Cop, a 1984 film directed by Martin Brest, including its hit instrumental theme composition "Axel F".[2]

Chart performance

"Square Rooms" was released first in Switzerland, where it peaked at number six on October 21, 1984, and staying in the top 30 for ten weeks.[3] The single debuted at number 47 on the French Singles Chart on January 5, 1985, and topped the chart for five nonconsecutive weeks, from March 9 to April 13, 1985. After its peak, it lingered on the charts until its 27th week, on July 20, 1985.[4] The song reached number 12 in Italy, number 13 in Germany, and number 15 in Austria.[5] "Square Rooms" was released last in Corley's native US, where the single reached number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 1, 1985, as well as number 26 on the Billboard dance chart[6] the week of June 22, 1985.

Formats and track listings

7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Square Rooms"3:39
2."Don't Play with Me"4:20
12" maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Square Rooms (12" version)"8:02
2."Square Rooms (7" version)"3:39
3."Don't Play with Me"4:20
  • The 12-inch (long) version includes an entire additional verse prior to the first chorus. This verse is excised in both the single and album versions of the song.

Charts

Covers

A French cover version was recorded by France Lise under the title "On vit à deux".[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dance/Disco > Picks > Al Corley – Square Rooms (8:00)". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 17. 27 April 1985. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ^ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinéa Bis. p. 35. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  3. ^ a b "Al Corley – Square Rooms". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Al Corley – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  8. ^ "European Top 100 Singles". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 16. 22 April 1985. p. 9. OCLC 29800226.
  9. ^ "European Airplay Top 50". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 16. 22 April 1985. p. 6. OCLC 29800226.
  10. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Square rooms" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  11. ^ "Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 22. 1 June 1985. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510.
  12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending May 18, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Al Corley – Square Rooms" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "Top – 1985". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  15. ^ Lemonier, Marc (2008). Nos années Top, clips et 45 tours: 1984–1991 (in French). pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-2-258-07648-8.