History
The song was written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers (of the band Chic) with Aretha Franklin in mind to record. When Franklin turned down the offer to record the album Motown passed the material and project to Ross.
However, in a 2011 interview, Nile Rodgers said "Diana Ross was the first big star we ever worked with and we took it very seriously." Rodgers and Edwards interviewed her for several days. "This was the first time in her life somebody cared about who she was; what she was - everyone previously had treated her the way we had treated Sister Sledge - they got her in and said 'Sing this'. We (took a more personal approach)."
The song would be later covered and sampled by the likes of Salt-N-Pepa, Kid Rock, Missy Elliott, Alcazar, Puff Daddy, Collette and MC Lyte, who had a hit under the "Upside Down" sample in Lyte's 1996 hit, "Cold Rock a Party (Remix)". The Salt-N-Pepa version was featured on the Space Jam soundtrack.
The song was later covered by Destiny's Child during a tribute show honoring Ross and her career on a VH1 Divas special. Their version is featured on their album Single Remix Tracks.
In 1994, the song was used in Mickey's Fun Songs: Let's Go to the Circus with a different arrangement and lyrics.
In 1997, Ross performed the song live with British band Jamiroquai at "The Brit Awards" ceremony.
In 2001, contemporary jazz/fusion group Pieces of a Dream offered their version from the release "Acquainted With the Night."
In 2004, Alcazar sampled "Upside Down" in their song "This Is the World We Live In".
Read more about this topic: Upside Down
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Racism is an ism to which everyone in the world today is exposed; for or against, we must take sides. And the history of the future will differ according to the decision which we make.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)
“The history of any nation follows an undulatory course. In the trough of the wave we find more or less complete anarchy; but the crest is not more or less complete Utopia, but only, at best, a tolerably humane, partially free and fairly just society that invariably carries within itself the seeds of its own decadence.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“It is the true office of history to represent the events themselves, together with the counsels, and to leave the observations and conclusions thereupon to the liberty and faculty of every man’s judgement.”
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626)