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"The Power" is a song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in January 1990 and reached number one in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. It is particularly known for its hook "I've got the power!".

Background

Written by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) and produced by Snap!, it was the group's third single. Featuring a rap by Turbo B and vocals by Penny Ford (lip-synced in the music video by Jackie Harris), the single became a massive international hit.

The song opens with the somewhat enigmatic line in Template:Lang-ru«Персональный спутник»” (meaning “The American company Transceptor Technology has started production of the ‘Personal Companion’ computer”). “Personal Companion” was a computer-like device for the blind and visually impaired. Released in 1990, it was controlled by voice and could, among other functions, automatically download articles from USA Today by a built-in modem. It was made by Transceptor Technologies of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The song contains samples from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G, "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown, and "King Of The Beats" by Mantronix. To compensate Wild Pitch Records for the unauthorized sampling of Chill Rob G's line "It's gettin kinda hectic!" a deal was struck allowing Wild Pitch to use Snap's music for their own song. This version of "The Power" is credited to "The Power Jam featuring Chill Rob G" or jus Ford's vocals. Jocelyn Brown also confirmed legal action because of the unauthorized sampling.

Covers and remixes

In 1990, the American act Deff Boyz sampled the track for their single "Swing."

In 1992 German Studio project MVT (Musical Voyage Target) used "The Power" sample for their single "Hype the Bass".

The song was covered in 2002 by the German band H-Blockx. Turbo B featured in the song taking turns to rap lyrics with H-Blockx's then frontman Dave Gappa. Of note, Turbo B replaces the word 'Snap!' with 'H-blockx' in the line "If they are Snap! don't need the police to try to save them". The single charted at number 48 in Germany, number 51 in Austria and number 34 in Australia.

In 2003, the song was remixed by Motivo, with added Indian vocals from Joshilay and released as Snap! Vs. Motivo – The Power (of Bhangra).

In 2010, Swizz Beatz sampled the song on the second half of Kanye West's official remix to his single Power featuring Jay-Z.

In 2013, Lena Philipsson covered the song during the 70th birthday celebration of Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Tremors at Techno-Mart

On 5 July 2011, a 39-story shopping mall called the "Techno-Mart" in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, shook violently for 10 minutes and was evacuated for two days. After study, it was determined that about 20 people performing Tae Bo exercises to "The Power" caused the building to vibrate by creating a mechanical resonance. The tentative conclusion was the consensus among the six professors from an architectural institute and vibration measurement experts who participated in a recreation of the event. The Architectural Institute of Korea was scheduled to release the final results of the safety inspection later in 2011.

Track listings

Charts and certifications

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1990 (U.S.)

References

1. Amter, Charlie (9 November 2010). "'Euro-hop' music invades America". CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2014. Eurodance ruled the airwaves in the 1980s and early 1990s, when acts like Germany's Snap! stormed the upper echelons of U.S. pop charts with hits such as "The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer."
2. "Personal Companion". AbleData. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
3. ^ "Jocelyn Brown discusses her voice behind SNAP's record "The Power" on BBC1 TV Interview". YouTube. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
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5. Moffie, Mike (5 July 2011). "Korea solves mystery of shaking skyscraper". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
6. • Ji-sang, Lee; Hee-jin, Kim (19 July 2011). "Gym rats shook TechnoMart: Owner". JoongAng Ilbo. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
   • Suh-young, Yun (19 July 2011). "Aerobic exercise blamed for tremor at Techno-Mart". The Korea Times. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
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30. v t e Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
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    Institutions	Sfas Emes Yeshiva
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35. v t e Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
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    Institutions	Sfas Emes Yeshiva
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39. "Dutch single certifications – Snap – The Power" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Power in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
40. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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43. id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
44. "American single certifications – Snap – The Power". Recording Industry Association of America.

• Single chart usages for Germany2
• 1990 singles
• Snap! songs
• Eurodance songs
• European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
• Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
• UK Singles Chart number-one singles
• Number-one dance singles in Canada
• Number-one singles in Switzerland
• Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs number-one singles
• Number-one debut singles