The Power (Snap! song)



"The Power" is a song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in 1990 and reached number one in the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, "The Power" managed to reach number two for one week, behind "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey. 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!, "The Power" 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 "Американская фирма Transceptor Technology приступила к производству компьютеров«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. Power Jam was the first name under which German producers Michael Münzing (Benito Benites) and Luca Anzilotti (John Virgo Garrett III) were noticed for their 1990 Hit "The Power".

The first version of "The Power" was an amalgam of many samples. The beats were taken from Mantronix's "King Of The Beats Lesson #1" (from their 1990 album "This Should Move Ya"), the vocals were taken from "Let The Words Flow" by rapper Chill Rob G and from "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown. The record became instantly popular in both Europe and North America. However, all of the samples used were unauthorized. In Germany, Arista Records had a deal with Stu Fine, former owner of Wild Pitch Records, but Arista did not have the same type of deal for a legal US release. Chill Rob G consented to a US release (which he thought could be lucrative) and consequently Arista Records was pressured to prepare the song for release in the US. Because it was not legally possible for Arista to simply reissue the European single, it was decided to re-record the entire track with new lyrics by rapper Durron Butler AKA Turbo B. and additional vocals by Penny Ford. The samples were then all legally cleared and the song was finally re-released under the new name Snap!, despite the fact that Jocelyn Brown had commenced legal action because of the unauthorized sampling of her vocals.

Track listings

 * 1990 version
 * 12" maxi
 * 1) "The Power" (ful mix) (6:00)
 * 2) "The Power" (switch mix) (6:21)
 * 3) "The Power" (potential mix) (5:42)


 * 7" single
 * 1) "The Power" (3:47)
 * 2) "The Power" (dub) (5:35)


 * CD version
 * 1) "The Power" (ful mix) (6:00)
 * 2) "The Power" (jungle fever mix) (7:23)
 * 3) "The Power" (potential mix) (5:42)
 * 4) "The Power" (7" version) (3:44)


 * 1996 version
 * 1) "The Power '96" (silk 7") (3:53)
 * 2) "The Power '96" (E=mc2 12") (6:44)
 * 3) "The Power '96" (original dub 12") (4:57)
 * 4) "Ex-Terminator" (from the class 'X) (5:21)

Covers, samples and remixes

 * The song was covered in 2002 by 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). This version was a minor hit, reaching Number 34 in the UK and Number 36 in Ireland.
 * 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.