The members of Sister Sledge were born and raised in Philadelphia and began singing in local Philadelphia churches like Williams Temple CME and Second Macedonia Baptist Church. They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams.
Their professional music career launched when they entered the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with "Mama Never Told Me". The young girl group released their first two albums, Circle of Love and Together in 1975 and 1977, respectively but, aside from scoring the Silver Prize at the 1975 Tokyo Musical for Gwen Guthrie's composition "Pain Reliever" and oft-recorded "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes on Me," Produced by Bert Deco and Tom Bell.
The group attained pop success with their next album: 1979's We Are Family. The album would become the group's best selling. Singles included "He's the Greatest Dancer" (#9 US, #1 R&B) and "We Are Family" (#2 US, #1 R&B), the latter song becoming their biggest hit. The album was written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the group Chic.
Sister Sledge's next album was 1980's Love Somebody Today. The album included the songs "Got to Love Somebody" (#64 US, #6 R&B, #34 UK) and "Pretty Baby".
Collaborating with producer Narada Michael Walden in 1981, they released the album "All-American Girls", yielding the title track single, which reached No. 3 R&B and No. 79 Pop in the U.S. and No. 41 Pop in the UK; and the single "Next Time You'll Know", which reached No. 28 R&B in the U.S. The sisters continued singing new material throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although not matching the success of the late 1970s. They achieved a hit with "Frankie" in 1985 (#1 in the UK). In 1989 Kathy Sledge left the group to pursue her solo career. Joni Sledge produced and recorded the album "African Eyes" with her sisters Debbie and Kim Sledge in 1998 which was nominated for a Grammy as best produced CD, as well as the Live in Concert album in 1997. In 2003, Debbie and Joni Sledge performed with three other female singers which included Debbie's daughters Amber and Camille in the PBS special, My Music: 70's Soul Superstars, which is also available on DVD.
Their most popular songs have been re-released and re-recorded several times in Europe, often in newly-remixed versions. Their song "Il Macquillage Lady" written by Joni Sledge is believe to be sampled for French electronic duo Daft Punk's 2001 track Aerodynamic although Daft Punk have denied sampling the song.
The sisters continue to perform collectively and individually worldwide. The four original group members were reunited in 2011 on Oprah Winfrey's "Women Who Rock" episode, highlighting their song "We Are Family" as one of the most requested songs of all time.
He's The Greatest Dancer
Sister Sledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
One night in a disco on the outskirts of Frisco
I was cruisin' with my favourite gang
The place was so borin' filled with out-of-towners tourin'
I knew that it wasn't my thing
I really wasn't carin', but I felt my eyes starin'
At a guy who stuck out in the crowd
He had the kind of body that would shame Adonis
And a face that would make any man proud
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen (Ooh)
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
The champion of dance, his moves would put you in a trance
And he never leaves the disco alone
Arrogance but not conceit, as a man he's complete
My creme de la creme, please take me home
He wears the finest clothes, the best designers heaven knows
Ooh, from his head down to his toes
Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci
He looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen (I've ever seen)
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen (I've ever seen)
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
Ooh ooh
The song "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge tells the story of a night at a disco on the outskirts of Frisco, where the singer is bored until she lays her eyes on a man who stands out in the crowd. She describes him using very flattering terms, such as "the greatest dancer" and "shaming Adonis" with his body. The chorus "Oh, what, wow, he's the greatest dancer that I've ever seen" emphasizes the singer's amazement and admiration of the man.
The verse "The champion of dance, his moves would put you in a trance, and he never leaves the disco alone" suggests that the man is a regular at the disco and is very popular with the other dancers. The verse "He wears the finest clothes, the best designers heaven knows, Ooh, from his head down to his toes, Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci" highlights the man's fashion sense and his preference for luxury fashion brands.
Overall, the song celebrates the talent, style, and charisma of a man who is considered the greatest dancer. It also emphasizes the singer's appreciation of his beauty and talent, creating a sense of awe and admiration towards the "greatest dancer."
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, what, wow
Exclamation of astonishment
He's the greatest dancer
He has exceptional dancing abilities
That I've ever seen
I have never encountered such a great dancer before
One night in a disco on the outskirts of Frisco
Recollection of an event that occurred in a club located in a suburban area outside San Francisco
I was cruisin' with my favourite gang
I was hanging out with my preferred group of friends
The place was so borin' filled with out-of-towners tourin'
The club was dull since it was packed with tourists who didn't belong to the regulars
I knew that it wasn't my thing
I realized that the environment in the club wasn't my preferred choice of entertainment
I really wasn't carin', but I felt my eyes starin'
Even though I didn't care much about the place, my eyes began focusing on something that caught my attention
At a guy who stuck out in the crowd
A man who looked different and interesting amidst the crowd
He had the kind of body that would shame Adonis
He had an extremely attractive and well-built body that could surpass even that of a Greek god, Adonis
And a face that would make any man proud
His facial features were exceptional and would make any man envious
The champion of dance, his moves would put you in a trance
He was the best dancer who could mesmerize anyone with his moves
And he never leaves the disco alone
He never left the club without a company
Arrogance but not conceit, as a man he's complete
He was confident but not obnoxious, and as a person, he was perfect
My creme de la creme, please take me home
My ultimate choice, please come home with me
He wears the finest clothes, the best designers heaven knows
He wears the most expensive, top-notch clothes designed by the best designers in the world
Ooh, from his head down to his toes
From head to toe, he is perfect in every aspect
Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci
Brands of designer clothes he wears
He looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill
He appears like a model and looks remarkably attractive in the clothes he wears
Ooh ooh
Elicits excitement and emphasis
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNARD EDWARDS, NILE RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind