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Lipps, Inc.
Lipps, Inc.
Background information
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Disco; funk;
Years active	1979–1985
Labels	Casablanca Records, Phonogram, Polydor, Polyfar, PolyGram, DreamWorks
Past members	Cynthia Johnson; Steven Greenberg; Margie Cox; Melanie Rosales; Tom Riopelle; Terry Grant; David Rivkin
Website	funkytown.com

Lipps, Inc. (/ˈlɪpsɪŋk/ LIP-sink, a pun on the phrase "lip sync") was an American disco and funk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group is best known for the chart-topping 1980 worldwide hit single "Funkytown", which hit No. 1 in 28 countries and was certified as double platinum in sales.^[2]

The group originally consisted of lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson and a changing line-up of session musicians including guitarist David Rivkin, guitarist Tom Riopelle and bassist Terry Grant. Steven Greenberg, the creator of the act, wrote and produced most of the group's music.^[3]

History

Lipps Inc. started as a project of Steven Greenberg when he was a wedding DJ who wanted to try his hand at writing disco songs. He had intended to use the name Lip Sync, but it was in use by another group, so instead he chose the homophone Lipps Inc. Greenberg was the sole member of the group until he met Cynthia Johnson while auditioning singers for his song "Rock It". Johnson joined the project, and Lipps Inc. became a duo.^[4]

Lipps Inc.'s first release was the 1979 single "Rock It" on Greenberg's Flight imprint. The act released its debut album Mouth to Mouth in late 1979.

With the release of the album, "Funkytown", became the second single from Mouth to Mouth and spent four weeks at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the United States; the previously released “Rock It” was also on the album with a slightly different mix. The 7" single of "Funkytown" sold over 2 million copies within a few months, and it was awarded a platinum record within the year of its release.^[5] It reached #2 in the United Kingdom^[6] and was a hit throughout the world.

Lipps Inc.'s later singles failed to match the band's initial success (the only other Hot 100 entry was "Rock It", which peaked at #64). However, more dance hits were released during the 1980s, including "How Long" in 1981 (originally a hit for Ace), which reached #4 on the U.S. dance chart. After Designer Music, the group's third album, Johnson left the band and was replaced by Margie Cox and Melanie Rosales. Lipps Inc. released 4, its final album, in 1983, and disbanded two years later.

Europe

The 'face' of the group in the Netherlands was the British dancer Doris D (Debbie Jenner), who playbacked the song in TopPop with her dancers. Due to the success of this performance, they were invited to perform as Lipps Inc. in other European countries, including Germany. Jenner and her dancers then had success as "Doris D & the Pins" in early 1981.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and recognitions

Platinum and Double-Platinum Status with Funkytown
Inductee into Minnesota Music Hall of Fame

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Year	Peak chart positions
Title	Year	US ^[5]	US R&B ^[5]	AUS ^[7]	AUT ^[8]	CAN ^[9]	GER ^[10]	NLD ^[11]	NOR ^[12]	SWE ^[13]
Mouth to Mouth	1979	5	5	57	7	12	11	23	21	10
Pucker Up	1980	63	37	—	—	—	—	—	40	46
Designer Music	1981	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4	1983	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
Funkyworld: The Best of Lipps, Inc.	Released: 1992 Label: Island Records
Funkytown	Released: 2003 Label: Universal Music Enterprises

Singles

List of singles with year of release and chart positions
Title	Year	Peak chart positions											Certifications
Title	Year	US ^[5]	US Dance ^[5]	US R&B ^[5]	AUS ^[7]	CAN	GER ^[14]	ITA ^[15]	NLD ^[11]	NOR ^[12]	SWE ^[13]	UK ^[6]	Certifications
"Rock It"	1979	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Funkytown"	1980	1	1	2	1	1	1	5	1	1	2	2	BPI: Gold^[16]
"Rock It"		64	20	85	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"How Long"		—	4	29	44	42	32	6	30	—	16	—
"Hold Me Down"	1981	—	11	70	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Addicted to the Night"	1983	—	8	78	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Does Anybody Know Me"/"Hit The Deck"	1985	—	32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

^ ^a ^b Huey, Steve. "Lipps, Inc. – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
^ "Cynthia Johnson - Bio". Cynthiajohnson.net. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
^ "The Official Funkytown Website". Archived from the original on December 10, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
^ Swensson, Andrea. "Steven Greenberg talks about creating Lipps Inc. and writing 'Funkytown'". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Lipps, Inc. - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "LIPPS INC | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 178. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Discographie Lipps, Inc". austriancharts.at. (in German). Retrieved August 10, 2013.
^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - August 12, 1980" (PDF).
^ "Suche nach "Lipps, Inc." (Album)". charts.de (in German). Retrieved August 10, 2013.^{[dead link‍]}
^ ^a ^b "Discografie Lipps, Inc". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved August 10, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Discography Lipps, Inc". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Discography Lipps, Inc". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
^ Suche nach "Lipps, Inc." (Single)^{[dead link‍]} (in German). charts.de. Accessed on August 10, 2013.
^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 5, 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Lipps Inc." in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
^ "Lipps Inc. - Funky Town". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved September 29, 2024.