"Brick House" is a song from Commodores' 1977 self-titled album (released as Zoom in the UK). The single peaked at number 5 in the U.S. and number 32 in the UK Singles Chart.[3]
| "Brick House" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 12-inch vinyl single | ||||
| Single by Commodores | ||||
| from the album Commodores | ||||
| B-side | "Captain Quick Draw" | |||
| Released | August 26, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Funk[1][2] | |||
| Length | 3:37 (single/album version) 6:12 (12" mix) | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriters | Lionel Richie, Milan Williams, Walter Orange, Ronald LaPread, Thomas McClary, William King | |||
| Producers | James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores | |||
| Commodores singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editLionel Richie stated that the song's title is a play on the expression "built like a brick shithouse", referring to a strongly built woman.[4] The lyric sung in the chorus is "she's a brick... (pause) house", leaving a deliberate gap implying the vulgar middle word in the pause.
Charts
edit| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 24 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 15 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 32 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 5 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[11] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ↑ Big Gigantic (September 20, 2016). "The 30 Best Funk Songs Ever". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ↑ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "The Clinton Administration: Funk". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 116/7. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Maria Granditsky (November 28, 1996). "Miss Funkyflyy's Lionel Richie Interview". Hem.bredband.net. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 5435a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "Commodores – Brick House" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ↑ "Commodores – Brick House". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 30/10/1977 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Commodores Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Commodores Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Commodores – Brick House". Radioscope. Retrieved February 5, 2026. Type Brick House in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Commodores – Brick House". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
External links
edit- List of cover versions of "Brick House" at SecondHandSongs.com