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Nile Rodgers: 'Any song that gets into the Top 40 is a great composition'
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Nile Rodgers has opened up about turning points of his career during his keynote speech at South By South West Festival this week.
The Chic founder explained his career path, the chance encounters that resulted in his biggest successes and the process of creating a hit song.
One moment Rodgers recalled was an argument he had with his jazz guitar teacher about the compositional merit of the Archies’ late-60s hit Sugar Sugar, which Rodgers ridiculed and resented having to play in a boogaloo covers band.
"Any song that sells and gets to the Top 40 or Top 10, any song is a great composition," he said. “He said something that changed my life. I asked him how he could say it was a great composition and he said because it speaks to the souls of a million strangers. Two weeks later I wrote a song called Everybody Dance.
"That was so profound to me I wanted to learn to speak to the souls of a million strangers. I wanted to learn how to develop my voice that could communicate with people when I wasn’t in the room. How do I write compositions that will have depth and meaning for people just like Sugar Sugar."
MORE: Chic's complete Official UK Chart history
The music legend also discussed his work with Daft Punk on 2013's Random Access Memories, revealing that the duo expected Lose Yourself To Dance, which Rodgers features on, to be the biggest hit off the record, but it was eclipsed by its predecessor Get Lucky.
"Get Lucky wound up being absolutely massive and as terrific as Lose Yourself To Dance was, it just didn’t have that thing that Get Lucky had,” he said.
“Get Lucky had that thing that spoke to the souls of a million strangers. We had a bona fide real hit. I’ve had dozens of No 1 records in my life, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a record that’s No 1 in a hundred and something countries at the same time. It was ridiculous."
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TR
He seems a little self-important to me.
Floy Joy
I worked for WEA records in late '70s-80s and know for a fact that the UK charts did not accurately reflect what was actually selling. Only a certain number of record shops were designated "chart-shops", whose sales were recorded. Shops such as HMV, Groove records and other soul and specialist shops around the UK were NOT chart shops and they sold huge numbers of singles. Chic's "Le Freak" ,for example, was a number 1 record, based on sales. It was the biggest and fastest selling single WEA had ever had to that date. But as only chart shop sales were taken it was not considered a #1 record! Absloutely ridiculous! Another factor to be considered was that soul singles sold hugely as US imports back then as DJs and fans wanted to play the records as soon as they were released in USA, which was often weeks before a UK release. So although they could not be considered as UK sales they actually helped boost US chart sales!! So Nile Rodgers/Chic US chart sales can be attributed to not just US buyers but also, in a small way, to the many UK fans (and no doubt Worldwide as well) who rushed out to buy the US import single!!!
Techfan
I don't quite agree with Nile Rodgers but respect his opinion. Just because something might be popular doesn't mean it's great. It might be even awful. Not to mention that a lot of great music doesn't become popular in the charts.
Sunshine Gal
has nile rodgers put out anything in recent years? i just know him from the 80s with madonna and david bowie.
Techfan
Hey Sunshine Gal! Apparently Chic should be releasing an album this year, but no date has been announced. He played the guitar on 3 of Daft's Punk songs in the Random Access Memories album including Get Lucky.
Sunshine Gal
hey buddy! and did he really? i just haven't heard anything new from nile rogers in the longest time...unless he did do some music and i didn't realize he was the guy behind it :D so, are you watching any of the ncaa men's basketball? wildcats are on 2nite and i also got blackhawks and warriors. ok buddy, i'll see you on the uk article 2mor too...got another uk throwback ready ;)
Techfan
Yes, I'll be watching some NCAA tournament. So I see Middle TN St. already had the first upset and Mount St. Mary's are battling 'Nova. Princeton almost pulled an upset. If your U of AZ team losses to U of ND that'd be a major upset.
I see your Bulls have already fallen behind Jstar's Heat in the race for last Eastern Conference playoff spot. But the Spurs lost last night to the Blazers, so the Warriors should have less pressure. Although they're playing the Magic.
BTW, it's been years since I bothered to check the NHL standings. Since when are there 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western one? Also, what this Metropolitan Division? I'm really confused ... :P
Patric Nilsson
Some of Nile Rodgers latest releases.
First CHIC's latest single from 2015 A-side: https://youtu.be/fdQIkEBzQCs
B-side: https://youtu.be/FkdH6OHkdNw
Duran Duran feat. Nile Rodgers (2015): https://youtu.be/5qFhSWA9Cz4
The Three Daft Punk songs he co-wrote and got Grammies for (2012)
1: https://youtu.be/h5EofwRzit0
2:https://youtu.be/NF-kLy44Hls
3: https://youtu.be/IluRBvnYMoY
Tensnake feat Nile Rodgers (2014) : https://youtu.be/rD4YQplTYAk
https://youtu.be/E8g_Lfeo_s8
More (2015): https://youtu.be/zl_ocY0GE-k
(2016): https://youtu.be/ze6H75NCUs8
(2015): https://youtu.be/_tZzlqkIQlU
(2016): https://youtu.be/8b3fNunaIw4
(2013): https://youtu.be/ppdkWi0613c
(2015): https://youtu.be/SW9U-ra2BUA
(2015): https://youtu.be/LoPZeGyCxnU
(2015): https://youtu.be/N62Edu_WIhs
(2014): https://youtu.be/bIuWDdDOk9Q
(2012): https://youtu.be/LDxMTQKY-vE
(2016): https://youtu.be/zy4oyewLERc
(2016): https://youtu.be/Q1P612HLe9o
(2016): https://youtu.be/PX-QcI9rlZg
(2015): https://youtu.be/hv0XN5GaqLI
(2013): https://youtu.be/KsU189WyU68
(2016): https://youtu.be/jAD5pFwfAFw
This is just a small portion of what Nile Rodgers have written, produced and played on the last few years... I'm leaving you with one of my favorite CHIC feat. Nile Rodgers performances in recent years (2013): https://youtu.be/WynTjq4OPtk
Sunshine Gal
well, i'm giving up on the bulls unless some kind of miracle happens. and u of a wildcats won and get to advance! WOO HOO! :))))) and hawks won in a very tight game against ottowa last night, no score until about halfway in the 3rd period. they're @ toronto 2mor night and right now #1 in the western conference. and yeah, the warriors dominated orlando last night :)))) that's my warriors right there, being up 30 pts and making almost every 3 pt. shot :)
i can't tell you why there's not an equal # of teams for both nhl conferences...and i think metropolitan division is mostly east coast teams? sorry buddy, oh the hawks will be playing the colorado avalanche @ home on sunday...i think it's gonna be on nbc or something, you should check it out :)
Sunshine Gal
oh cool! i didn't realize he was on the daft punk album...i had it back then and loved it! 'fragments of time' and 'doin' it right' were my 2 fave tracks.
Techfan
Yeah, so the only other upset yesterday was by Xavier. I wonder who'll get the upsets today. ;)
Regarding the NHL, that Metropolitan Division has a lot of the division that used to be in the Atlantic one if I remember correctly. One thing I didn't know is that in the 1990s it went from 21 to 30 teams and that even Las Vegas will get a team. Not to mention that a whole bunch of teams relocated. The disparity in the number of teams reminds of MLB. I mean, why can't they have 3 divisions per conference like they in the NBA. In MLB is probably understandable for them to have something different because of the DH rule.
Sunshine Gal
who are you rooting for in the march madness? when the wildcats made it into the elite 8 a few yrs back, it got crazy over here! :))))) they did win the title back in 1997, i think. and yes, las vegas will have an nhl team, i think they'll be called the golden knights. well, i'm a die hard blackhawks fan no matter what their record is. but, i'm very proud and happy for them beating minn. over the top seed in the west. conference.
well, as long as the nhl don't move or remove the hawks ;) i'll be happy. but i can't say as to why the nhl is divided up the way it is. any ncaa games you'll be catching 2nite?
Techfan
I'm not rooting for anybody in particular since I didn't really follow it this year until now. I can tell who I'm not rooting for ... Duke. So I see the U of MI survived. BTW, one of my sister live in Ann Arbor although she usually doesn't go to the College Football nor basketball game, but she has been in the football stadium for a soccer game during last summer between a English and a Spanish team which set a record for attendance for a soccer game in the US.
Probably the most interesting matchup for tonight I'd guess would be Wichita St. vs Dayton. And don't worry, Chicago teams in any sport aren't going anywhere. The city has too much pride to let what happened to LA with the NFL.
Sunshine Gal
dang...almost everyone i know hates duke :D how did michigan state do? oh yeah, i don't think for 1 second the hawks would be relocated, esp. being one of the original 6 teams ;) the hawks have been around since 1926, all would break loose if they were relocated ;)
Techfan
Yeah, Mike I can't pronounced your last name's team are a bit annoying. Michigan St. plays later today.
I don't even know who they original NHL teams where and that the league had been around that long. I think that's longer than the NFL.
I Am A Stegosaurus
Every song in the top 40 is a great composition? Pretty sure Bad & Boujee was in the top 40 a couple of weeks ago...