Spanish Fly (album)

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Spanish Fly
Studio album by
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
ReleasedApril 8, 1987
RecordedSeptember 1986—March 1987
GenreContemporary R&B, dance-pop, Latin freestyle
Length42:43
LabelColumbia[1]
ProducerFull Force
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam chronology
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
(1985) 		Spanish Fly
(1987) 		Straight to the Sky
(1989)
Singles from Spanish Fly
  1. "Head to Toe"
    Released: March 9, 1987
  2. "Lost in Emotion"
    Released: June 7, 1987
  3. "Someone to Love Me for Me"
    Released: September 28, 1987
  4. "Everything Will B-Fine"
    Released: January 27, 1988
  5. "I Promise You"
    Released: 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC+[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Orlando Sentinel[6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

Spanish Fly is an album by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, released in 1987.[9] The singles "Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion" both reached number one in the United States. The album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.[10] It has sold more than a million copies.[11]

Production[edit]

The album was written and produced by Full Force.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

People wrote that Lisa has "a rich, versatile sound and the vocal strength to penetrate the album’s percussion-heavy arrangements."[13] The Globe and Mail thought that Lisa's "accounts of her various sex and dance urges are both funny and salacious."[14] The Los Angeles Times called the album "an urban contemporary kitchen sink—everything is in there, from dance to doo-wop to crackling funk to spicy salsa."[15] USA Today deemed Lisa "today's Ronnie Spector: a technically limited singer who succeeds by projecting a girlish attitude that's both vulnerable and indomitable."[16]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Full Force, with additional "Someone to Love Me for Me" writing by Lisa Lisa

No.TitleLength
1."Everything Will B-Fine"5:11
2."Head to Toe"5:03
3."A Face in the Crowd"6:10
4."Someone to Love Me for Me"4:51
5."Talking Nonsense"1:08
6."I Promise You"4:46
7."A Fool Is Born Everyday"5:23
8."Lost in Emotion"5:07
9."Playing With Fire"5:04
10."Spoken Word"0:24

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM)[17] 18
US Billboard 200[18] 7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 7

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1987) Position
US Billboard 200[20] 42
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 31
Chart (1988) Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 67

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[edit]

  • Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez): Vocals
  • Michael Hughes: Congas, timbales, talking
  • Spanador: Guitars, Bass, keyboards
  • Full Force: Performer
  • Arranged and produced by Full Force
  • Engineered by Glenn Rosenstein
  • Mixed by Full Force and Glenn Rosenstein
  • Jurgen S. Korduletsch, Don Orilo, Steve Salem: Executive Producers

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. 72 (19): 62. Aug 3, 1987.
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam".
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 257.
  5. ^ Johnson, Connie (June 21, 1987). "FORCING THE ISSUE". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 82.
  6. ^ Duffy, Thom (May 10, 1987). "LISA LISA & CULT JAM". Orlando Sentinel. Calendar. p. 6.
  7. ^ Tucker, Ken (May 3, 1987). "Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Spanish Fly". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H5.
  8. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 426.
  9. ^ "Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  10. ^ "Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam". Billboard.
  11. ^ Van Matre, Lynn. "Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam may be..." chicagotribune.com.
  12. ^ "LISA LISA, FULL FORCE, SO-SO". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Spanish Fly". PEOPLE.com.
  14. ^ Lacey, Liam (June 4, 1987). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE POP Spanish Fly Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
  15. ^ Hunt, Dennis (July 5, 1987). "LISA LISA IS COOKIN' IN HELL'S KITCHEN". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 86.
  16. ^ Milward, John (May 6, 1987). "Popular". USA Today. p. 4D.
  17. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".
  18. ^ "Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "1987 The Year in Music & Video" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-29. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "1988 The Year in Music & Video" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-24. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam – Spanish Fly". Music Canada.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – Spanish Fly". Recording Industry Association of America.
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