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During the 1980s, Kool & the Gang released most of their famous music, including the song “Celebration.” One of the members of the band revealed the song was inspired by a
religious story. In addition, he said the song was written for all of humanity. Ronald Bell was a Muslim and a founding member of Kool & the Gang. During a 2016 interview with Songwriter Universe, he explained the origin of “Celebration.” “I was reading the scripture,” he recalled. “I remember exactly where I was when this happened. I was in the Sheraton Hotel on Seventh Ave. in
Manhattan.” Bell specifically said the song was inspired by the creation of humanity. “I was reading the scripture about where God called the angels together, and made an announcement that he was going to create this human—the human being,” he remembered. “He gathered the angels together and they said “We don’t know nothin’, but we just celebrate you, God
— we celebrate and praise you.'” RELATED: Elvis Presley’s Daughter Was in the Intimate Video for Michael Jackson’s No.
1 Song ‘You Are Not Alone’ Bell discussed how he reacted to the passage he was reading. “I thought, ‘Wow … That’s big!,'” he said. “We’re talking about the origin of human beings … from this particular scripture. This was big. “That’s where I got the song ‘Celebration’ from,” he added. “I thought, I’m going to write a song about that, (with the line) ‘And everyone around the
world … Come on!’ That’s the intent [of this song] … that it was actually written for mankind. That was the initial idea behind it. Of course, it became a collaboration and everyone joined in.” RELATED: George Harrison Surprised Michael Jackson When He Told Him Who Wrote This Beatles
Song The way ‘Celebration’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United KingdomIn the United States, “Celebration” became Kool & the Gang’s biggest hit. For two weeks, it topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group’s only chart-topper. It stayed on the chart for 30 weeks in total. The track appeared on the album Celebrate! The album hit No. 10 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 44 weeks. “Celebration” became a more modest hit in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the song reached No. 7 in the U.K. and lasted 13 weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, Celebrate! did not chart there. “Celebration” also appeared on the compilation album The Singles Collection. That album peaked at No. 28 in the U.K, and lasted on the chart for 13 weeks. “Celebration” had an impact on pop culture. It appeared in “About Last Night…,” an episode of South Park. In the episode, Randy Marsh sings the song with new lyrics about President Barack Obama. “Celebration” became a massive pop hit and it has an interesting connection to angels. RELATED: Michael Jackson: Madonna’s Songwriter Said 1 of Her Songs Is Just ‘Billie Jean’ in a Different Key Who wrote Celebrate by Kool and the Gang?Kool & The GangCelebration / Lyricistnull
What was Kool and the Gang's only No 1 hit?Hollywood Swinging — 1974
It still has the loose feel of "Jungle Boogie," more of a jam than a mainstream pop song. It was the first Kool & The Gang song to go to number 1 on the R&B chart.
What key is Celebration in?A-flat majorCelebration / Keynull
Who was the lead singer on Celebration?No one close to the band was surprised by the song's enduring popularity as a celebratory anthem. In fact, lead singer J.T. Taylor's mother predicted it. Taylor told Billboard: "My mother told me when she heard it, 'You're gonna play this song for the rest of your life - so get ready!"
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Why did Kool and the Gang write celebration?
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