Very Special (song)
"Very Special" is a song by Debra Laws. Released as a single in 1981, it is the title track of her first album, and features her brother Ronnie with call and response backing vocals.
| "Very Special" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Debra Laws | ||||
| from the album Very Special | ||||
| B-side | "All the Things I Love" | |||
| Released | August 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:29 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Debra Laws singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song reached #90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of the year.[1] It peaked at number 11 on the R&B chart.[2] On that chart, it ranks as the 64th biggest hit of 1981.
"Very Special" has been most notably covered and/or sampled by Big Daddy Kane and Jennifer Lopez, and has been the subject of lawsuits in this regard.
Big Daddy Kane cover
| "Very Special" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Big Daddy Kane featuring DJ Spinderella | ||||
| from the album Looks Like a Job For... | ||||
| B-side | "Stop Shammin'" | |||
| Released | June 22, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 5:05 | |||
| Label | Cold Chillin' / Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Antonio Hardy, Lisa Peters, William Jeffrey | |||
| Producer(s) | Big Daddy Kane | |||
| Big Daddy Kane singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Very Special" was covered by Big Daddy Kane in 1993. It was the second single released from his fifth studio album, Looks Like a Job For.... Produced by Kane himself, the song is based on—and thus musically incorporates "Very Special". It is a duet with Salt-n-Pepa member DJ Spinderella. The chorus was performed by vocalists Karen Anderson and Laree Williams.
The song became an American Top 40 hit, becoming Big Daddy Kane's first and only single to crack the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 31.
Track listing
A-side
- "Very Special" (Album Version) – 5:05
- "Very Special" (Underground Mix) – 3:03
- "Very Special" (Edit Without Female Rap) – 3:53
B-side
- "Stop Shammin'" (Album Version) – 3:57
- "Stop Shammin'" (Instrumental Version) – 3:57
Chart history
- Debra Laws version
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 90 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[4] | 11 |
- Big Daddy Kane version
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
| Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 23 |
| Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 9 |
| Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 24 |
| Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 6 |
Other cover versions and sampling
- In late 2002, Jennifer Lopez sampled "Very Special" in her international hit song, "All I Have", which reached number one in the US. This usage became the subject of a lawsuit by Laws as a result of Elektra Records giving their unilateral consent to the sampling.
- In 2013, K. Michelle sampled the song in "V.S.O.P.", which charted almost identically to Laws' original on both the pop (#89) and R&B charts (#13).
- In 2014, Crystal Kay covered the song in Japanese, featuring Sandaime J Soul Brothers' vocalist Ryuji Imaichi.[5]
References
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- 1981: The Top 100 Soul/Funk/Disco Singles
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- 1981: The Top 100 Soul/Funk/Disco Singles
- Inc, Natasha. "Crystal Kay×今市隆二、デュエットシーン収めた「Very Special」映像公開". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-01-04.
https://www.discogs.com/Debra-Laws-Very-Special/release/3808116