Rush Hour (song)
"Rush Hour" | |||||||
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Single by Jane Wiedlin | |||||||
from the album Fur | |||||||
B-side | "End of Love" | ||||||
Released | May 1988 | ||||||
Format | 7", 12", CD, cassette | ||||||
Genre | Pop, new wave | ||||||
Length | 4:03 | ||||||
Label | EMI-Manhattan Records | ||||||
Writer(s) | Jane Wiedlin, Peter Rafelson | ||||||
Producer(s) | Stephen Hague | ||||||
Jane Wiedlin singles chronology | |||||||
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"Rush Hour" is a pop song by Go Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin, taken from her second album, Fur. It was backed by a fellow album track, the percussive, melancholy "End of Love". The 12-inch single featured an extended remix by Rusty Garner and an instrumental version.
"Rush Hour" was Wiedlin's most successful single, reaching No. 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart. The song is upbeat and features a mainly programmed backing, with an electric guitar solo. Its central hook is "Ooh you send me".
The music video which accompanied the single eschewed the traffic metaphor of the song for a lighter concept; a simple "performance" clip interspersed with footage of Wiedlin swimming with dolphins. The song was featured in the 1988 comedy film License to Drive.
Remixes/sampling
The original was remixed by a team of producers including James Hockley and Ed Lucas, as well as two unnamed but "well known" music industry figures, under the moniker "SJB". This mix was featured on the Ministry of Sound 2007 Annual.
Cover versions
- Former Hong Kong singer Yvonne Lau Man-Kuen (Chinese: 劉文娟) released a Cantonese cover version in 1991 as "The Urban Snapshot" (Chinese: 都市定鏡). It was included in her first album "The Myth" (Chinese: 神話).
- British surf rock band The Yum Yums covered the song on their 1992 album Sweet As Candy.
- Band from Northern Ireland Joyrider had a UK No. 22 hit with their version of the song in 1996. This version was heard in the closing seconds of the last episode in the second series of This Life, in 1997.
- A remixed Eurodance version was recorded by DJ Magical for Dancemania SPEED 3, released in 1999.
Chart positions
Chart | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
UK Singles Chart | 12 |
Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 31 |
German Singles Chart | 57 |