"Centerfold" is a song by the J. Geils Band, released in September 1981 as the lead single from their tenth album Freeze Frame. The most successful single of the group's career, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1982 and held that spot for six consecutive weeks.
"Centerfold" | ||||
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Single by The J. Geils Band | ||||
from the album Freeze Frame | ||||
B-side | "Rage in the Cage" | |||
Released | September 13, 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:36 5:01 (12") | |||
Label | EMI America | |||
Songwriter(s) | Seth Justman | |||
Producer(s) | Seth Justman | |||
The J. Geils Band singles chronology | ||||
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The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his high school crush appeared in a centerfold spread for an unspecified men's magazine.[5] The song's narrator is torn between conflicting feelings: his disappointment due to her loss of innocence, and his lust until the end of the song.[5]
The song was the band's biggest hit and the only one to reach the top of the US charts. It was released in autumn 1981, and eventually went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks. It was the first single released from the album Freeze Frame and the music video for the song was an early staple on recently launched MTV. It also peaked at number one in Australia and Canada.
In February 1982, after the song hit No. 1 in the US, "Centerfold" peaked at No. 3 in the UK Top 40, earning the J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up "Freeze-Frame" would also peak within the top 40 at No. 27. The song is one of the on-disc songs on the 2010 music video game Rock Band 3.
Record World called it a "clever rocker" and said that "the na-na chorus and Peter Wolf's carefree vocals add up to an AOR-pop hit."[6]
In 2018, the song was ranked at No. 66 on Billboard's All Time Top Songs.[7] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it to be the band's all-time greatest song.[8]
Weekly charts edit
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Year-end charts edit
All-time charts edit
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[22] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The '80s pop-rock staple from the '70s road warriors that hits all the right notes through 3:36 of organ...
The band doesn't take the situation too seriously, either. Instead, they build a supercharged synth-rock motor for it.