"Frankie" is a song by American vocal group Sister Sledge, released as a single in 1985. It is taken from their eighth studio album, When the Boys Meet the Girls (1985).
"Frankie" | ||||
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SinglebySister Sledge | ||||
from the album When the Boys Meet the Girls | ||||
B-side | "Hold Out Poppy" | |||
Released | May 1985 | |||
Genre | Pop, R&B | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Denise Rich[1][2] | |||
Producer(s) | Nile Rodgers | |||
Sister Sledge singles chronology | ||||
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The song was written by Denise Rich (under the pseudonym "Joy Denny") after dreaming while on a flight from the United StatestoSwitzerland.[2] According to the Now 5 album (on which the song appears), the song was written about Frank Sinatra.
The song was produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers, who had co-produced the sisters' earlier hits such as "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family". The sisters suggested the song to him, but he hated it on first hearing. A week later, he went back to them saying he could not stop singing it, and so he insisted that the band recorded it.[3]
A marked contrast to the disco cuts which had made them internationally famous in the late 1970s, this girl-pop number became a hit in the UK Singles Chart, spending four weeks at number one in June and July 1985.[4] It fared much less well in the US where it peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 32 R&B[5] and No. 15 Adult Contemporary.[6]
"Frankie" was fifth best selling single of 1985 with 698,000 sold copies in the United Kingdom.[7]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |