"The Message" is a song by British funk band Cymande from their self-titled debut studio album Cymande. Written by the group's members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, it was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, produced by John Schroeder, and released as a 7-inch single through Janus Records in 1972. Released as a lead single, the song peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the United States.
| "The Message" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cymande | ||||
| from the album Cymande | ||||
| B-side | "Zion I" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Studio | De Lane Lea Studios (London, England) | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Janus Records J 203 | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | John Schroeder | |||
| Cymande singles chronology | ||||
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The song can be heard in Spike Lee's 2002 film 25th Hour and Seth Gordon's 2011 film Horrible Bosses.[1] British reggae group Aswad recorded a cover version of the song for their 1988 studio album Distant Thunder.
A cover of the song was performed by jazz-funk trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and released on his 1973 album, The Last Tango = Blues.[2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Message" |
| John Schroeder | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Zion I" |
| John Schroeder | 3:29 |
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 48 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] | 22 |
The song was sampled by several hip hop recording artists, including:[5]