Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)

"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a 1980 single by jazz trumpeter Tom Browne. The single—a memoir of the Jamaica neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised—is from his second solo album, Love Approach. Browne got the idea for the song while he was at his parents' home.[1] The vocals for the single were performed by Toni Smith (Thomassina Carrollyne Smith), who also helped compose the song. The song hit number one on the US Billboard R&B chart for a month.[2] "Funkin' for Jamaica" peaked at number nine on the dance chart[3] and made the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] but it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. It later became one of the most interpolated melodies in R&B with the chorus' chord sequence used by artists such as Johnny Kemp.

"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)"
US 12-Inch single cover
Single by Tom Browne
from the album Love Approach
B-side	"Her Silent Smile"
Released	July 1980
Genre	Funk, jazz, R&B, disco
Length	3:44 (Single Version) 4:43 (Album Version)
Label	GRP/Arista
Songwriter(s)	Tom Browne, Toni Smith (Thomassina Carrollyne Smith)
Producer(s)	Dave Grusin, Larry Rosen
Alternative covers
UK 7-Inch single cover

Charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7]	6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8]	30
UK Singles (OCC)[9]	10
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[10]	9
US R&B (Billboard)[10]	1

Chart (1992) (1991 Remix)	Peak position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6]	38
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11]	40
UK Singles (OCC)[9]	45

Covers and samples

• In 1989, American rapper Tone Loc sampled "Funkin' for Jamaica" for his song "I Got It Goin' On" on his debut album Lōc-ed After Dark.[12]
• In 1995, Nationwide Rip Ridaz sampled "Funkin' for Jamaica" for their song "Compton Nut".[13]
• In 1996, The song was sampled by Quad City DJ's for their song, "Quad City Funk" on the album Get On Up and Dance.[14]
• DJ Tōwa Tei released his remix cover version as a single in both 1999 and 2001, which featured Les Nubians on vocals, performing part of the song in French.[15]
• In 1999, the song was sampled on the Robbie Rivera single "First the Groove".[16]
• In 2000, the song was featured on the Bob Baldwin album BobBaldwin.com with Tom Browne performing.[17]
• In 2001, the song's intro was sampled on the Mariah Carey single "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" for the soundtrack to Carey's film Glitter.[18] The song has also been sampled by The Evasions, N.W.A, EPMD, Snoop Dogg, Keith Murray, Smooth, Erykah Badu, Shaquille O' Neal, and The Black Eyed Peas.[19]
• In 2006, contemporary jazz guitarist Patrick Yandall covered the song on his album Samoa Soul.[20][21]

References

1. "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) : Song Review". AllMusic.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 88.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 46.
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 83. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. "Ultratop.be – Tom Browne – Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Tom Browne" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Tom Browne – Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
8. "Charts.nz – Tom Browne – Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)". Top 40 Singles.
9. "Tom Browne: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
10. "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) (song by Tom Browne) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Tom Browne – Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) (1991-Remix)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
12. "Tone Loc's 'I Got It Goin' On' - Discover the Sample Source". Whosampled.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
13. "Nationwide Rip Ridaz's 'Compton Nut' - Discover the Sample Source". Whosampled.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
14. "Quad City Funk - Quad City DJ's". Whosampled.com. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
15. "Towa Tei feat. Les Nubians's 'Funkin' for Jamaica' - Discover the Original Song". Whosampled.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
16. "Robbie Rivera's 'First the Groove' - Discover the Sample Source". Whosampled.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
17. "Bob Baldwin Discography Page". Bobbaldwin-new.homestead.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
18. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 85.
19. "The Black Eyed Peas - What It Is". YouTube. 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
20. "Samoa Soul overview". AllMusic.
21. "Patrick Yandall — Samoa Soul". SmoothViews.com.