THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

414-FPI Project-Going Back to My Roots/Rich in Paradise.

1989-Number 9 single.

Best Bit-At 1.20. ‘Put your hands up in the air.’ (It’s an old saying.)

The FPI Project are the trio of Italian Dance music producers Marco Fratty, Corrado Presti, and Roberto Intrallazzi, as you can probably work out for yourself they took their stage name from the first initial of each of their surnames. The FPI Project were formed in Milan, Italy, in 1989, and have been releasing new music, and remixes ever since. The trio are considered to be one of the main forces in the development of the musical genre ‘Italian House,’ with it’s use of predominantly electronic piano chords. This track remains their only UK top 40 hit to date, but they have charted on three further occasions in the 1990’s in the top 100.

The FPI Project released two versions of this song, one features the vocals of Sharon D. Clarke (see also best songs 787) with spoken lyrics by Paolo Dini. The other is mainly instrumental, with just the vocals of Dini. Nothing against the wonderful vocals of Clarke, but I have chosen to post the mainly instrumental version. Like many a good tune ‘Going Back to My Roots/Rich in Paradise’ contains many samples, including the Dance track ‘Too Nice to Be Real’ by the Belgium group ‘T99.’ The Dutch House Music act ‘Honesty 69’ (see also best songs 922) also recorded a song sampling ‘Rich In Paradise,’ and the FPI Project also took from that. Throughout the track you hear ‘Yeah! Woo!’ which is Bobby Byrd (see also best songs 561) saying ‘Yeah,’ and James Brown (see also best songs 880-349-270 and 88) replying ‘Woo,’ this was taken from the 1972 James Brown penned song ‘Think (About It’) performed by Lyn Collins,(1948-2005) and is one of the most sampled sounds in music history, appearing on many Dance tracks.

‘Going Back to My Roots’ was written by the legendary American singer/songwriter, and producer Lamont Dozier,(see also best songs 823-650-553-411-212 and 148) and first appeared on his 1977 Album ‘Peddlin’ Music on the Side.’ The songs lyrics deal with self identity, family, and soul fulfilment, and were written for the African/American market. In 1980 the American artist Richie Havens (1941-2013) covered the song, incorporating Disco influences, it is his version, rather than the Lamont Dozier original that the FPI Project were influenced by. The most successful, and best known recording of the song was the 1981 UK Number 4 hit version by the New York City Disco group Odyssey. The only other time to date that the song has charted was in 2002 when the American singer Linda Clifford took her 10 minutes Disco version to Number 85 for a single week.

‘Hey You, hey you don’t be silly. Put a condom on your willy. Rich in paradise.’