Let's Hear It for the Boy (album)

Let's Hear It for the Boy
Studio album by Deniece Williams
Released	April 16, 1984
Recorded	1983–1984
Studio	The Complex (Los Angeles, California); LeGonks West (West Hollywood, California); Soundcastle (Los Angeles, California).
Genre	R&B, soul, funk, dance, post-disco
Length	40:53
Label	Columbia, CBS
Producer	Deniece Williams, George Duke
Deniece Williams chronology
I'm So Proud (1983) Let's Hear It for the Boy (1984) So Glad I Know (1986)
Singles from Let's Hear It for the Boy
"Let's Hear It for the Boy" Released: February 1984 "Next Love" Released: 1984 "Black Butterfly" Released: 1984

Let's Hear It for the Boy is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Deniece Williams, released on April 16, 1984, by Columbia Records.^[1] The album reached No. 26 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 10 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums charts.^[2][3]

Production

Deniece Williams produced six of the album's tracks while George Duke produced the remaining four.^[4] The production of the album was completed in early May 1984 and the album was released a few weeks later.^[5]

Singles

The album's title track reached No. 1 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles, and Dance Club Play charts.^[6][7][8] On the UK Pop Singles chart, it peaked at No. 2.^[9] The song was written for the 1984 feature film Footloose and appears on its soundtrack. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[10][11]

Another song released as a single was, "Next Love", which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Baltimore Sun	[13]
The Boston Globe	unrated[14]
New York Daily News	unrated[15]

Chris Albertson of Stereo Review noted, "Williams not only has a fine voice, she also knows exactly how to use it-when to let it loose and when not to. There is no screaming here, just fine vocalizing and first-rate arrangements".^[16] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Williams' sound may be light, but it always has a proficient and artful base."^[17]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Let's Hear It for the Boy"	Dean Pitchford Tom Snow	George Duke	4:20
2.	"I Want You"	Deniece Williams Peter Couch	Williams	2:50
3.	"Picking Up the Pieces"	Williams Couch	Williams	4:40
4.	"Black Butterfly"	Barry Mann Cynthia Weil	Duke	4:25
5.	"Next Love"	Williams Duke	Duke	4:23

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Haunting Me"	Williams George Merrill Shannon Rubicam	Duke	4:57
2.	"Don't Tell Me We Have Nothing"	Merrill Rubicam	Williams	4:00
3.	"Blind Dating"	Williams Michele Val Jean Robert Brookins	Williams	3:39
4.	"Wrapped Up"	Andrew Barrett George McMahon	Williams	3:39
5.	"Whiter Than Snow"	Traditional	Williams	3:44

Personnel

Vocals

• Deniece Williams – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 3, 6–10), arrangements (2)
• George Merrill – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
• Shannon Rubicam – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
• Oren Waters – backing vocals (3, 9)
• Roosevelt Christmas III – backing vocals (5, 6)

Musicians

• George Duke – Memorymoog (1, 5), Prophet-5 (1, 4), Moog bass (1), LinnDrum programming (1, 6), keyboards (2), Rhodes (5), synthesizers (6), vocoder (6), special effects (6)
• Leon Pendarvis – synthesizers (3, 8, 9), arrangements (3, 7–9)
• Kevin Grady – synthesizers (3, 8, 9)
• Russell Ferrante – acoustic piano (3, 4, 8, 9), Rhodes (4)
• George Merrill – Roland Jupiter 8 (6), LinnDrum programming (6), arrangements (6)
• Jerry Peters – organ (10), arrangements (10)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (1, 3, 5, 7–9)
• Jeff Baxter – guitars (3, 7–9)
• Michael Sembello – guitars (4, 6)
• Nathan East – bass (3, 4, 7–9)
• Freddie Washington – bass (5)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (3–5, 7, 8)
• Ricky Nelson – drums (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 3)
• Sheila E. – percussion (5)
• John Robinson – tom toms (6)
• Ronnie Laws – tenor saxophone (2)
• Richard Elliot – lyricon (4)
• Hubert Laws – flute (5)
• George Del Barrio – string arrangements (2)

Production

• Larkin Arnold – executive producer
• George Duke – producer (1, 4–6)
• Deniece Williams – producer (2, 3, 7–10)
• Tommy Vicari – remix engineer (1), recording engineer (4–6)
• Tom Perry – engineer (2, 3, 7–10)
• Mick Guzauski – recording engineer (4–6)
• Nick Spigel – second engineer (4–6)
• Mitch Gibson – second string engineer (4)
• Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Constance Guzman – production assistant
• Tony Lane – art direction
• Nancy Donald – art direction
• Margaret MacFarlane – photography
• Bridget Bergman – make-up
• D.W. Enterprises – management^[1]

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Peak position
1984	US Billboard Top 200 Albums[2]	26
	US Billboard Top Black Albums[3]	10
	Dutch Albums[18]	17
	German Albums	59

References

1. Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy. Columbia Records. 1984.
2. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard.
3. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
4. Matthews, Carl (June 2, 1984). "Sounds: Deniece Williams". The Afro-American. Baltimore. p. 11. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
5. "Rolling Stones plan to do video, concert in L.A. during Olympics". The Ledger. May 3, 1984. p. 2A. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
6. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot 100)". Billboard.
7. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
8. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
9. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy". Official Charts.
10. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy". riaa.com. RIAA. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
11. Walthall, Catherine (2022-05-13). "The Stories Behind the Soundtrack: 'Footloose'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
12. "Deniece Williams: Next Love (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
13. Considine, J.D. (June 10, 1984). "Soundtracks show how well hip-hop music will prosper in the mainstream". The Baltimore Sun. p. 121.
14. Morse, Steve (May 28, 1984). "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy". The Boston Globe. p. 100.
15. Wyatt, Hugh (June 22, 1984). Tracing the origins of black music. New York Daily News. p. 140.
16. Albertson, Chris (September 1984). "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 49, no. 9. Stereo Review. p. 97.
17. Johnson, Connie (June 10, 1984). "THE RECORD RACK: STYLISH FLUFF FROM DENIECE". Los Angeles Times. p. 74.
18. "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.