Song · The Commodores
“Brick House” by The Commodores
Released 1977
“Brick House” by The Commodores appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2005 and 2022. It was first released in 1977. Its best result is #5 on the WFPK Top 100 Party Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,533 indie & aaa song of all time and #358 of the '70s.
The Commodores cut "Brick House" for their self-titled 1977 album (in Britain the record went by Zoom), and Motown had it out as a single by late August. James Anthony Carmichael produced it, and the credits spread wide: Ronald LaPread, Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie and Milan Williams on the music, William King, Walter Orange and Richie on the words.
The joke is in the title. Richie has said it plays on a crude expression for a woman who is built strong and solid, and the chorus toys with it, stopping dead right where the rude word would go and leaving the listener to fill in the blank. It's a wink so broad you can see it from the cheap seats. The single got to number 5 in the US and 32 in the UK.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | WFPK | WFPK Top 100 Party Songs | 100 |
| 2014 | 629 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2022 | 359 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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