Cherish (Kool & the Gang song)

"Cherish"
Single by Kool & the Gang
from the album Emergency
B-side	Ladies' Night
Released	May 10, 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	4:45 (Album) 3:58 (Single)
Label	De-Lite Records
Writer(s)	Robert Earl Bell Ronald Nathan Bell James L Bonnefond George Melvin Brown Claydes Charles Smith James "J.T." Taylor Curtis "Fitz" Williams
Kool & the Gang singles chronology
"Fresh" (1985) "Cherish" (1985) "Emergency" (1985)

"Cherish" is the title of a 1985 single by American R&B band Kool & the Gang. The song was the third single released from the band's multi-platinum album, Emergency, which had came out in late 1984. The song is a romantic ballad that proved to be extremely popular when it was released and has since been a wedding song staple of sorts.

The song was composed in the key of D ♭ major.

Different remixes

There are several different mixes of Kool and the Gang's version (the original) of "Cherish." The original album version (length: 4:47) begins with the sound of a wave crashing on the beach followed by a (solely) keyboard intro. The entire first verse is sung without drums and percussion, which do not begin until the first chorus.

The single (and video) version of "Cherish" (length: 3:58) adds additional "beach" effects at the beginning and combines an acoustic guitar with the original keyboard introduction. Additional drumming, which this time starts right as J.T. Taylor begins singing the first verse, is also added throughout the song. Whereas the chorus is repeated (sung twice) after the first verse in the album version, it is only sung one time on the single.

There is also an extended 12-inch version of "Cherish" (length: 5:43) which includes the same flourishes that were added to the single/video version of the tune, plus saxophone parts during various sections of the song (introduction, bridge, etc.), including a whole additional sax interlude after the first chorus.

Furthermore, there is an edited mix of this 12-inch version (length: 4:22), where the bridge that appears in all of the other versions of the song is replaced by the same saxophone interlude that is included in the full 12-inch version.

Appearances in other media

The song was featured in a 1985 episode of the daytime soap opera Days Of Our Lives.

The song was featured in the 2009 film, 17 Again.

Chart performance

"Cherish" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1985, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks, behind "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. It was a number-one hit on both the R&B and adult contemporary charts in the U.S., spending one week atop the R&B chart and six weeks atop the AC chart. In the UK, the song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.

Charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	8
Austrian Singles Chart	3
Belgian Singles Chart	3
Canadian Singles Chart	1
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart	3
French Singles Chart	11
German Singles Chart	5
Irish Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	4
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
Swedish Singles Chart	19
Swiss Singles Chart	2
UK Singles Chart	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	1

Preceded by "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young	Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single August 24, 1985- September 28, 1985	Succeeded by "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston
Preceded by "Dancing in the Street" by Mick Jagger and David Bowie	Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single October 19, 1985	Succeeded by "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits

Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn version

"Cherish"
Single by Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn
from the album What's My Name?
Released	October 13, 1997
Format	CD maxi
Recorded	1997
Length	3:52
Label	Universal
Writer(s)	Ronald Bell, James Taylor, Kool & the Gang
Producer(s)	Bülent Aris, Toni Cottura
Pappa Bear feat. Van der Toorn singles chronology
"Cherish" (1997) "When the Rain Begins to Fall" (1998)

Samples (and lyrics) from this song were used in Pappa Bear's song of the same name in 1997. This version is largely unknown in America where the film clip is set but experienced excellent chart success in Europe and Australia.

Track listing

CD maxi

1. Cherish (Radio) 3:52
2. Cherish (Extended) 5:37
3. One 4 Da Money 5:02
4. Xtra Large 4:10

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	47
German Singles Chart	2
Austrian Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	2
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart	4
Belgian Singles Chart	39
Swedish Singles Chart	20
Norwegian Singles Chart	7
Australian Singles Chart	7
New Zealand Singles Chart	1

Other Cover versions

• The song was covered in 2006 by British glamour model Katie Price and her now estranged husband, pop singer Peter Andre. The track is included on their 2006 album of duets A Whole New World.
• In 2008, R&B singer Alexander O'Neal covered the song on his album, Alex Loves.
• Contemporary Christian artist The Katinas covered the song on their 2013 album Love Chapter where it was titled "Cherish the Love".

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1985 (U.S.)