Soup for One (soundtrack)

Infobox Album
Name = Soup For One
Type = Soundtrack
Artist = Chic


Background = Orange
Released = May 2 1982
Recorded = 1978-1982
Genre = Disco / Funk / R&B / Jazz / Samba
Length = 36:46
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer = Nile Rodgers,
Bernard Edwards
Reviews = |
Last album = "Take It Off"
(1981)
This album = "Soup For One (soundtrack)"
(1982)
Next album = "Tongue in Chic"
(1982)

"Soup For One" is a soundtrack album to the movie "Soup For One" by American R&B band Chic et al, released on the label WEA in 1982, the first Chic album not to be issued on Atlantic Records. The album reached # 168 on Billboard's Album Chart and #42 on the R&B chart.

Besides three previously released tracks, Chic's "I Want Your Love" from 1978 album "C'est Chic", Sister Sledge's "Let's Go On Vacation" from 1980s "Love Somebody Today" and "Jump, Jump" from Debbie Harry's "Koo Koo", the album contains five songs specifically written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for the movie.

Chic's title track lead single stalled at #80 on the US Pop Chart but was a Top 20 hit on the R&B Singles chart, peaking at #14 - making it their best R&B chart entry since 1980s "Rebels Are We".

"Why" with vocals by Carly Simon was only moderately successful on its initial release in the US (Pop #74, September 1982), the song however turned out to be a surprise hit in Europe, where it reached #10 on the singles charts in both the UK and Germany in early 1983, and later the extended 12" remix - featuring additional vocals by Chic's Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin - also became something of an underground club classic in the US. Along with "You're So Vain", "Nobody Does It Better", "Coming Around Again" and "Let The River Run", "Why" is in fact one of the biggest commercial successes of Simon's career and regularly included on 'greatest hits' compilations with the singer.

The "Soup For One" album also includes Chic's one and only collaboration with legendary soul singer Teddy Pendergrass, the ballad "Dream Girl". Pendergrass had a cameo role as a nightclub singer performing the song in the movie, it was however never issued as a single.

Longstanding Chic vocalist Fonzi Thornton's track "I Work For A Livin'" is taken from what was planned to be his first solo project. The untitled album was recorded in 1981/82, and was written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, but remains unreleased.

Chic also wrote the track "Riding" , sung by Fonzi, which appeared in the film, but was not included on the soundtrack album. This track was originally intended for Fonzi Thornton's unreleased solo project.

"Tavern On The Green" is an acoustic guitar piece and another instrumental Chic track, "Open Up" from 1980s "Real People", also appeared in the film but was not included on the soundtrack album. Paradoxally, Carly Simon's "Why", the biggest hit single from the album, was not featured in the actual movie.

A Tribe Called Quest sampled "Why" for their 1990 hit "Bonita Applebum", as did British rapper Glamma Kid in 1999, taking the song back up to #10 on the UK charts. Chic's "Soup For One" was sampled by French dance act Modjo for their 2000 song "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)", a #1 hit in most of Europe.

The "Soup For One" album in its entirety remains unreleased on compact disc.

Tracklisting

"All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers unless otherwise noted."
Side A:

# Chic - "Soup For One" - 5:35 audio|Chic - Soup For One.ogg|Listen
# Carly Simon - "Why" - 4:06 audio|Carly Simon - Why.ogg|Listen

# Teddy Pendergrass - "Dream Girl" - 4:10
# Fonzi Thornton - "I Work For A Livin'" - 3:31 Side B:

# Chic - "I Want Your Love" - 6:58

# Sister Sledge - "Let's Go On Vacation" - 5:09

# Chic - "Tavern On The Green" - 2:15

# Deborah Harry - "Jump, Jump" (Harry, Stein) - 4:04

Personnel

* Alfa Anderson - vocals
* Luci Martin - vocals
* Bernard Edwards - vocals
* Fonzi Thornton - vocals
* Michelle Cobbs - vocals
* Jocelyn Brown - vocals
* Diva Gray - vocals
* Robin Clark - vocals
* Teddy Pendergrass - vocals
* Carly Simon - vocals
* Deborah Harry - vocals
* Sister Sledge - vocals
* Bernard Edwards - bass guitar
* Nile Rodgers - guitar
* Tony Thompson - drums
* Raymond Jones - keyboards
* Andy Schwartz - keyboards
* Sammy Figueroa - percussion
* Meco Monardo - horns
* Robert Millikan - horns
* Edward Daniels - horns
* José Rossi - tubular bells
* Chic Strings - strings

Production

* Bernard Edwards - record producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
* Nile Rodgers - producer for Chic Organization Ltd.
* Bob Clearmountain - sound engineer
* Bill Scheniman - engineer
* Scott Litt - engineer
* Jason Corsaro - assistant engineer
* Jeff Hendrickson - assistant engineer
* Josh Abbey - assistant engineer
* Dave Greenberg - assistant engineer
* Barry Bongiovi - assistant engineer.
* Recorded and mixed at Power Station NYC.
* Mastered at Atlantic Studios NYC.

ingle releases

"All tracks written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers."

7" Chic: "Soup For One". Mirage Records (US)/WEA Records (Europe), July 1982.
* "Soup For One" (7" Edit) - 3:08 / "Burn Hard" (7" Edit) - 3:39
12" Chic: "Soup For One". Mirage/WEA, July 1982.
* "Soup For One" (12" Mix) - 7:58 / "Burn Hard" (Album Version) - 5:12
7" Carly Simon: "Why". Mirage/WEA, August 1982.
* "Why" (7" Edit) - 3:33 / "Why" (7" Instrumental) - 3:33
12" Carly Simon/Chic: "Why". Mirage/WEA, August 1982.
* Carly Simon: "Why" (12" Mix) - 8:11 / Chic: "Why" (12" Instrumental) - 7:06