Ride on Time

"Ride on Time" is a 1989 song recorded by the band Black Box. It was later released on their 1990 debut LP Dreamland. The song was a chart success in many countries and a number-one hit in the UK and Ireland. The song was written and produced by the Italian production team Groove Groove Melody, consisting of DJ Daniele Davoli, programmer Mirko Limoni and musician Valerio Semplici. The team worked with French model Katrin Quinol, who was the face and image for the group Black Box. In the video and in live performances Quinol lip-synced to the original vocals. The song sampled Loleatta Holloway's 1980 disco hit "Love Sensation" and attracted some controversy for the uncredited use of Holloway's vocals from that song. Holloway's counsel engaged in a press attack on Black Box, successfully securing a settlement that paid the singer an undisclosed sum; the group had legally cleared the samples with Salsoul Records, who had released the original track, but Holloway was in arrears for advances from the label and thus was not recompensed by Salsoul. A re-recording of the song with uncredited vocals by Heather Small was released as "Ride on Time (remix)" (later released as "massive mix") in the second week of September 1989, and the original Holloway version was discontinued from distribution. The song's title derives from a sample of Holloway singing the lyrics "Thank you baby, 'cause you're right on time". Daniele Davoli explained in Channel 4 documentary Pump Up The Volume that, owing to his limited knowledge of English and the song being sung in an American English accent, with t-flapping so that "t"s sound like "d"s, he thought that Loleatta Holloway sang "ride on time" instead of "right on time". "Ride on Time" became a massive hit in Italy and then worldwide, after legal rights were obtained in all territories. The song spent six weeks at No.1 in the United Kingdom, ultimately becoming the biggest selling single of the year. It fared less well in the United States, where it failed to chart as a pop record, although it did reach No.39 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was the first high-profile example of an Italo-House record. The genre is noteworthy for extreme amounts of "borrowing", usually in single phrases, sometimes in couplets, the lyrical "hooks" from other compositions.

Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up (x2) And time won't take my love away [Singing] You're such a, you're such a, you're such a, you're such a Hot temptation You just walk right in Walk, walk, walk right in [Singing] Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Thank, thank, thank you baby Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Just don't move Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Thank, thank, thank you baby Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Walk right in Because you ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Because you ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Let me tell you, let me tell you What to do, what to do, what to do to me You're such a, Hot temptation You just walk right in Walk walk walk right in [Singing] Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Thank, thank, thank you baby Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Just don't move Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Thank, thank, thank you baby Got to get up, got to get up, got to get up Walk right in Because you ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Because you ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Because you ride on time, ride on time Because you ride on time, ride ride on time Because you ride on time, ride ride ride on time Away And time won't take my love away