"He's a Spaaaaaacer, a star chaser..."
On October 7th, 1979, Luv' signed an exclusive and lucrative record deal with CNR (a label affiliated with the French company Carrere). Before this contract, Luv's previous label, Philips/Phonogram, already licensed the rights for some records (including "You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse", and "With Luv'") to Carrere in Germany.
Among the label mates of the Luv' ladies at Carrere Records during their heyday was French singer Sheila (who fronted the disco group 'Sheila & B. Devotion' between 1977 and 1980).
Forty-five years ago precisely, on October 23rd, 1979, "Spacer", a track written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of the American disco-funk band Chic and performed by Sheila & B. Devotion, hit the stores.
"Spacer" marked a turning point in Sheila's career, symbolizing her liberation both as a woman and as an artist. It was the first major project where her longtime Pygmalion Claude Carrère, known for his strict control over her work, was not involved. Instead, she collaborated with Chic, embracing their funk/rock-infused sound and gaining artistic freedom. This shift allowed Sheila to express herself more authentically, breaking away from Carrère's dictatorial influence and asserting her independence.
Here's the story of the single which became the signature song of Sheila's career.
In 1979, the popular French chanteuse and her B. Devotion dancers (Dany Mac Farlane, Freddy Stracham and Arthur Wilkins) had already been riding a wave of international disco success for two years, with hits like "Love Me Baby" (May 1977), "Singing In The Rain" (October 1977), "You Light My Fire" (June 1978), and "Seven Lonely Days" (February 1979).
Sheila & B. Devotion performing "Singin' In the Rain" on "Numero Un : Michel Sardou", broadcast on January 28th, 1978 on TF1 (French television)
Casablanca Records' promotional poster for "Singin' In The Rain" by Sheila & B. Devotion
Sheila's then-mentor and music mogul, Claude Carrère, decided to take things to the next level by reaching out to the iconic duo "Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers" of Chic to write a song for his protégée. Chic were the "crème de la crème" of the disco scene thanks to solid gold hits: "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979).
Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards (Chic)
Moreover, Edwards and Rodgers composed, arranged, and produced Sister Sledge's album "We Are Family" (1979), which included international disco classics "He's the Greatest Dancer", "We Are Family" and "Lost in Music".
We Are Family by Sister Sledge (1979)
Sheila informed her French fan club about her collaboration with Chic via a postcard sent from New York on September 24th, 1979:
"Spacer" was the first time Sheila had recorded away from her usual production team. It represented perfectly what Rodgers and Edwards did the best at this juncture - identifying an artist who needed to step outside their stereotype - and, by using the melodically metronomic management model administered by The Chic Organization Ltd., helped them do just that. As Sheila could barely speak a word of English, Rodgers and Edwards' initial meeting with the French singer did not go as smoothly as possible. But the magic happened when they wrote "Spacer" for her. From Rob Sabino's piano introduction onwards, it is a behemoth of a tune. It features some of Rodgers' stunning rock-oriented playing, arguably among the Organization's finest silverware. "We'd seen "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters", Rodgers stated in Daryl Easlea's book "Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco", published in 2004. "We saw Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip do some silly thing in Britain - I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper - so we thought we'd use a little Sarah Brightman, a little Star Wars, and a little Ziggy Stardust. So we took the character of Harrison Ford as Hans Solo flying around and made it a romance," Nile Rodgers added.
Spacer by Sheila & B. Devotion (original French cover) - Carrere Records - 1979
Back cover of "Spacer"
UK edition of "Spacer" (1979)
Click here to see all editions of "Spacer" worldwide.
Credits:
Sheila - lead vocals
Alfa Anderson - backing vocals
Fonzi Thornton - backing vocals
Luci Martin - backing vocals
Michelle Cobbs - backing vocals
Bernard Edwards - bass guitar
Tony Thompson - drums
Nile Rodgers - guitar
Rob Sabino & Andrew Barrett (Schwartz) - piano
Raymond Jones - keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Sammy Figueroa - percussion
Cheryl Hong (The Chic Strings) - strings
Karen Milne (The Chic Strings) - strings
Marianne Carroll (The Chic Strings) - strings
Gene Orloff - concertmaster
Production:
Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for the CHIC Organization Ltd.
Bob Clearmountain - sound engineer
Bill Scheniman - engineer
Larry Alexander - engineer
Joe Gastwirt - mastering
Recorded & mixed at Power Station Studio, New York
Critical reception
"Spacer" was ranked at number eight among the top "Tracks of the Year" for 1979 by New Musical Express (NME).
Billboard magazine, the Bible of the American Music Industry, mentioned Sheila & B. Devotion's iconic single in its "Disco Mix" section.
Billboard Magazine (1980)
International Triumph (1979 - 1980)
"Spacer" sold 449.000 units in France and more than two million copies worldwide. It became a mainstream hit in Continental Europe and beyond, as well as a club hit in the USA, thanks to an effective promotion in the media.
Peak positions on the charts:
🇫🇷 #3 on the IFOP/SNEP chart (France)
First chart date: November 18th, 1979 - Weeks on chart: 19
🇳🇱 #19 on the Dutch Top 40 (Netherlands)
First chart date: November 17th, 1979 - Weeks on chart: 8
🇳🇱 #22 on the Nationale Hitparade - Top 50 (Netherlands)
First chart date: December 1st, 1979 - Weeks on chart: 8
🇬🇧 #18 on the UK Singles Chart (United Kingdom)
First chart date: November 24th, 1979 - Weeks on chart: 14
🇧🇪 #14 on the Ultratop Flanders - Top 30 (Belgium)
Debut date: December 1st, 1979 - Weeks on chart: 6
🇮🇪 #8 on the IRMA Singles Chart (Ireland)
First chart date: January 27th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 5
🇮🇹 #6 on the Musica e dischi Singles Chart (Italy)
First chart date: February 9th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 26
🇮🇱 #24 on the Reshet Gimmel's foreign singles chart - IBA - KOL (Israel)
First chart date: February 12th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 5
🇩🇪 #9 on the Musikmarkt/Media Control Chart (Germany)
First chart date: March 10th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 20
🇨🇭 #18 on Der Musikmarkt: Schweizer Hitparade (Switzerland)
First chart date: March 25th, 1980 - Weeks on chart 2
🇬🇷 #1 on the Pop & Rock singles chart (Greece)
First chart date: April 1st, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 4
🇩🇰 #20 on the BT Hitlisten (Denmark)
First chart date: April 7th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 4
🇿🇦 #19 on the Springbok Top 20 (South Africa)
First chart date: May 10th, 1980- Weeks on chart: 3
🇺🇸 #44 on the Billboard Disco Hot 100 - Dance Club Songs (USA)
First chart date: May 10th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 11
🇺🇸 #28 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (USA)
First chart date: May 16th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 13
🇺🇸 #40 on the Cashbox Top 100 (USA)
First chart date: May 24th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 12
🇦🇺 #95 on the Kent Music Report - Top 100 (Australia)
First chart date: June 30th, 1980 - Weeks on chart: 2
🇦🇷 #7 on Prensario - Cashbox singles chart (Argentina)
First chart date: July 25th, 1981- Weeks on chart: 5
Spacer is Sheila's most-streamed song (more than 17 million streams on Spotify).
TV performances (1979 - 1980)
In addition to Chic's signature sound, another key factor behind the success of "Spacer" was the striking visual appeal of Sheila & B. Devotion on television. The group captivated audiences with their futuristic jumpsuits, crafted from shimmering silver lamé and satin, embellished with rhinestone accents. These show-stopping outfits were designed by none other than Loris Azzaro, the renowned founder of Azzaro Couture, adding a layer of high fashion to their performances and further enhancing their star power.
Sheila's Spacer costume designed by Loris Azzaro
Spacer - official music video - filmed in London, United Kingdom
November 10th, 1979: Collaro Show, Antenne 2, France
November 12th, 1979: Midi Première, TF1, France
November 18th, 1979: Top Club, Antenne 2, France
November 19th, 1979; AVRO's TopPop, Netherlands
November 25th, 1979: "Spacer" music video on Les Rendez-Vous Du Dimanche, TF1, France
December 3rd, 1979: Midi Première, TF1, France
December 7th, 1979: "Spacer" music video on Top Club, Antenne 2, France
December 10th, 1979: "Spacer" music video on Midi Première, TF1, France
December 13th, 1979: Musikladen on Radio Bremen, West Germany
December 13th, 1979: Dubbelspel, TROS, Netherlands
December 17th, 1979: Les Petits Papiers de Noël, FR3, France
December 20th, 1979: British Forces Broadcasting Service, United Kingdom
December 31st, 1979: "Spacer" music video on Nuit Blanche au Palace, TF1, France
January 10th, 1980: "Spacer" music video on Top of The Pops, BBC 1, United Kingdom
January 12th, 1980: Numéro 1 Alice Dona, TF1, France
January 26th, 1980: Numéro 1 Julio Iglésias, TF1, France
February 7th, 1980: Starparade, ZDF, West Germany
February 9th, 1980: Festival Della Canzone Italiana di San Remo, RAI 1, Italy
February 9th, 1980: "Spacer" music video on Top Club, Antenne 2, France
February 17th, 1980: Jetzt Geht Die Pary Richtig Los/Heute hau'n wir auf die Pauke (ZDF), West Germany
February 17th, 1980: Rosenmontag Show, ZDF, West Germany
March 1st, 1980: "Spacer" music video on Top Club, Antenne 2, France
June 2nd, 1980: Midi Première, TF1, France
September 6th, 1980: Aplauso, TVE, Spain
Official Remixes
1992: Remix 92 by Dimitri from Paris
In 1998, Sheila re-recorded "Spacer" for her album entitled "Le meilleur de Sheila". This version peaked at #86 on the French Top 100 (first chart date: March 7th, 1998 - weeks on chart: 2).
Spacer 1998 on "Sous vos applaudissements" on France 2 - broadcast date: March 8th, 1998
2019 remixes by Funky French League released on vinyl
2020 remixes by Tom Moulton and Monsieur Willy as part of the 40th anniversary reissue of Sheila & B. Devotion's album "King of the World.
2021: Young Pulse Remix by Funky French League
2023: Dave Lee Remixes as part of the "From Paris to L.A/English Tracks Collection"
Legacy
Hearing "Spacer" gave David Bowie the confidence to work with the Chic gentlemen. In 1983, "Let's Dance", produced by Nile Rodgers, became Bowie's best-selling album.
Sheila often discussed the impact of her classic hit in interviews.
Sheila & Nile Rodgers' impromptu performance of "Spacer" on France 3's documentary "Sheila, l'histoire d'une vie" in 2013
"Spacer" has become a staple in the setlist of all Sheila's concerts. On July 4th, 2018, the charismatic songstress and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers sang this unforgettable anthem at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, France.
The French singer has performed this song on many European nostalgia TV shows.
Love Me Baby / Spacer (live) on "I migliori anni", RAI 1, Italy on April 20th, 2024
Countless artists have covered Sheila's legendary track, including Precious Wilson (formerly of Eruption), Camille Lou and Mondiro.
Spacer by Precious Wilson & the Funky French Guy (1992)
Spacer by Camille Lou (2017)
Spacer by Mondiro (2024)
Spacer influenced major pop and dance artists. In 1999, 'Don't Let Me Go' by the renowned German duo Modern Talking, taken from the LP entitled 'Alone 1999 - The 8th Album', copied the melody of Sheila & B. Devotion's song.
In 2000, "Crying at the Discotheque" by Swedish dance act Alcazar contained a sample of "Spacer" and reached the Top 10 and Top 20 of many European countries.
Alcazar - Crying At The Discoteque (Video) - 2000
"Spacer" influenced the melody and chorus of Mika's world-famous hit single "Relax, Take It Easy", which came out in early 2007.
MIKA - Relax, Take It Easy (2007)
In 2020, Sophie Ellis-Bextor released a cover of "Crying at the Discotheque" as the lead single from her UK Top 10 album "Songs from the Kitchen Disco".
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Crying At The Discotheque (Official Video) - 2020
Source: Luv' weblog archives, Ondit blog, Discogs, Wikipedia, 45cat, YouTube, sheilacharts.blogspot.com...
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