Main Line - Somebody’s Watching Me (Rockwell Cover)

From ’’ Somebody’s Watching Me ’’ Label: Rams Horn Records -- RHR 3331 Format: Vinyl, 12“ Country: Netherlands Released: 1984 Tracklist A Somebody’s Watching Me (Remixed Disco Version) Mixed By -- Began Cekic, Joe Arlotta B1 Somebody’s Watching Me II B2 Somebody’s Watching Me (Instrumental) Co-producer -- Roger K. Producer -- Began Cekic ------------------------ “Somebody’s Watching Me“ is the debut single by R&B artist Rockwell, released on the Motown label in 1984. The song’s lyrics relate the narrator’s paranoid fear of being followed and watched. It featured former Motown artists Michael Jackson on the chorus and Jermaine Jackson on additional backing vocals. Original recording Rockwell is the son of Motown CEO Berry Gordy Jr. At the time of the recording Rockwell was estranged from his father and living with Ray Singleton, his father’s ex-wife. Singleton served as executive producer on the project and would occasionally play some demo tracks to Berry Gordy. The elder Gordy was less than enthusiastic about Rockwell’s music until he heard the single with a familiar voice featured prominently on background vocals. Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, the song featured backing vocals by ex-Motown artist Michael Jackson. “Somebody’s Watching Me“ peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, and reached the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart, as well as reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart. Cover versions DJ BoBo based his 1992 single “Somebody Dance with Me“ on “Somebody’s Watching Me“ with new lyrics and rap. In May 2006, the Beatfreakz recorded a pseudo-cover of the song which sampled the chorus but omitted the verses. Other cover versions New York based rapper Necro featured a remix of the song on his album Street Villains Vol. 2. Jamaican dancehall group . covered the song for their 2001 album My Crew, My Dawgs as a hidden track. A cover of the song by Morris Day (lead singer of The Time) was included on The Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits, the soundtrack album for the 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film The Haunted Mansion. Kidz Bop Kids covered this song on the 2004 album Kidz Bop Halloween. In 2005, Royal Gigolos recorded a pseudo-cover of the song which sampled the chorus but omitted the verses. Finnish power metal band Warmen included a cover of the song on their 2005 album Accept the Fact. Their version featured heavy metal singer Alexi Laiho. Florida alternative band Presence recorded a cover of the song in 2006. Nerdcore hip hop artist Able-X covered the song for his 2007 album Cover Fire Volume 1. Danish industrial metal band Raunchy covered the song for their 2008 album Wasteland Discotheque. Electro music/hip hop artist/dj/producers, Mysto & Pizzi, recorded a cover of the song for a series of Geico television commercials. Unlike in the original Rockwell version, in which the verses were rapped, Mysto & Pizzi’s version is sung through the entire song. Punk pop band The Get Go covered this song, and reposted it on their MySpace as a tribute to Michael Jackson on July 1, 2009. The Hit Crew did a cover of the song for several Drew’s Famous Party Music Halloween titles. The song has ben covered on Youtube under the name of Gabe’s Watching, referencing Valve Corporation Managing Director Gabe Newell. Sampling TRU incorporated the lyrics and main melody of the chorus into their 1997 single “I Always Feel Like (Somebody’s Watching Me)“. Christian artist tobyMac sampled the chorus for his song “Somebody’s Watching“ from his 2001 album Momentum. In 2001, French hip hop group Fonky Family sampled the song in “Art de Rue“. R&B artist Ciara incorporated a portion of “Somebody’s Watching Me“ for her 2006 hit single “Get Up“. Hip hop group The Pack incorporates parts of the song, including the chorus, in their single “I’m Shinin’“ from their 2007 album Based Boys. In 2008, internet celebrity Jeffree Star used the chorus of the song in his own track “Starstruck“ which features the band Danger Radio. Appearances in other media It was featured in the pilot episode of the hit 80’s TV show, Miami Vice, where Detective Rico Tubbs (played by Philip Michael Thomas), is seen lipsyncing it during a scene in a strip club. The Mysto & Pizzi cover version was featured in a series of commercials for GEICO that began airing in December 2008 and throughout 2009. The campaign, created by The Martin Agency, consisted of various advertisements in which people would happen upon Kash, a stack of money with googly eyes, while the song is played in the background. The original song was used in a TV commercial for EA Sports’ NHL 09, where the gamer is heard singing the chorus, changed slightly for comedic effect while gameplay footage is shown. The song was used as Number Four’s ringtone in the film adaptation of I Am Number Four. The song was featured in the classic skateboarding film Round 2 Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song.