"Ring My Bell" is a 1979
disco song written by
Frederick Knight. The song was originally written for eleven-year-old
Stacy Lattisaw as a teenybopper song about children talking on the telephone.[3] When Lattisaw signed with a different label, American singer and musician
Anita Ward was asked to sing it instead, and it became her
only major hit.[4]
The song is noted for its innovative use of the
Synareelectronic drum, playing a decaying high-pitched
tom tone on the first beat of every bar. It also uses
chimes. The lyrics concern a woman encouraging her partner to relax with her after a hard day at work.[9]
The lyric "You can ring my bell" was seen as sexually suggestive according to 1984 book The Slanguage of Sex, "'You can ring my bell any time you want to' would be regarded as a 'come-on' phrase in the US if used by a female," and "Songs like 'Ring My Bell' by Anita Ward caused scarcely a raised eyebrow in the '70s."[10]Billboard magazine included the song on its list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time.[9] Songwriter
Frederick Knight, however, said that he deliberately avoided any overly suggestive lyrics, wanting to project a clean-cut image for Ward.[11]
Legacy
The significance of "Ring My Bell" to the history of disco music is discussed in Episode 3 of the 2024
PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.[12]
"Ring My Bell" was covered by New Zealand-born Australian pop singer
Collette. It was released in 1989 as her debut single. The song peaked at number 5 on the
ARIA Charts and was certified
gold by
ARIA.[55]
"Ring My Bell" is a 1979
disco song written by
Frederick Knight. The song was originally written for eleven-year-old
Stacy Lattisaw as a teenybopper song about children talking on the telephone.[3] When Lattisaw signed with a different label, American singer and musician
Anita Ward was asked to sing it instead, and it became her
only major hit.[4]
The song is noted for its innovative use of the
Synareelectronic drum, playing a decaying high-pitched
tom tone on the first beat of every bar. It also uses
chimes. The lyrics concern a woman encouraging her partner to relax with her after a hard day at work.[9]
The lyric "You can ring my bell" was seen as sexually suggestive according to 1984 book The Slanguage of Sex, "'You can ring my bell any time you want to' would be regarded as a 'come-on' phrase in the US if used by a female," and "Songs like 'Ring My Bell' by Anita Ward caused scarcely a raised eyebrow in the '70s."[10]Billboard magazine included the song on its list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time.[9] Songwriter
Frederick Knight, however, said that he deliberately avoided any overly suggestive lyrics, wanting to project a clean-cut image for Ward.[11]
Legacy
The significance of "Ring My Bell" to the history of disco music is discussed in Episode 3 of the 2024
PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.[12]
"Ring My Bell" was covered by New Zealand-born Australian pop singer
Collette. It was released in 1989 as her debut single. The song peaked at number 5 on the
ARIA Charts and was certified
gold by
ARIA.[55]