How 'Bout Us (song)

"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. Originally released on the band's eponymous debut album, the title track peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. Of Champaign's seven charting singles, the song remains the group's most successful.

"How 'Bout Us"
Single by Champaign
from the album How 'Bout Us
B-side"Lighten Up"
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1981 (1981-01-18)
GenreR&B, soul
Length4:35
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Dana Walden
Champaign singles chronology
"I'm on Fire" / "Spinnin'"
(1981)		 "How 'Bout Us"
(1981)		 "Can You Find the Time?" / "Whiplash"
(1981)

Song information

The song was originally released in 1975 by an earlier incarnation of the group, then called the Water Brothers Band.[1] It was re-recorded by Champaign, and it was Champaign's version that became a hit single. "How 'Bout Us" peaked at #4 on the soul chart and was one of three releases to make the top 10 on the soul chart.[2] It was on the Hot 100 chart for 23 weeks, peaking at #12 on 6 June 1981, and also reached the top of the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks.[3] The title track of Champaign's debut album and their first single, the tune combines instrumentals, traditional background vocals repeated multiple times, and poetic verses performed by Champaign's lead vocalist Pauli Carman to create a sound similar to other ballads released during the time.

Chart performance

Cover versions

The song has been covered as a duet between established blue-eyed soul singer/musician Grayson Hugh and noted R&B singer Betty Wright; their version, from the soundtrack of the 1989 film True Love, peaked at #67 on the American pop charts, crossing over to #30 R&B.

A cover by American country music group Girls Next Door peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1990.[17]

Versions have also been released by Johnny Logan in 1991, Chuck Negron (singer formerly of Three Dog Night) in 1995 and Lulu in 1993.

British pop singer David McAlmont interpolated the chorus into his 1999 single "Lose My Faith."[18]

See also
  • List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1981 (U.S.)

References
  1. American Top 40, June 6, 1981
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 109.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 51.
  4. "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  5. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  6. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  7. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1981-07-26. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  8. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2005). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research.
  10. "Cash Box Top 100 6/13/81". Tropicalglen.com. 1981-06-13. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  11. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1981" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  12. "Top Selling Singles of 1981 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1981-12-31. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  13. "Chart File Top 100" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications. December 26, 1981. p. 27. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  14. "Top 100 Hits of 1981/Top 100 Songs of 1981". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  15. https://rateyourmusic.com/list/goldwax317/1981__the_top_100_soul_funk_disco_singles/
  16. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1981". Tropicalglen.com. 1981-12-26. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  17. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
  18. "Lose My Faith" promotional video. Youtube/UMG.
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