Ghetto Day/What I Need
"Ghetto Day" and "What I Need" are two songs by American singer-songwriter Crystal Waters, issued as a double A-side in June 1994 as the second single from her second studio album, Storyteller (1994). It was produced by the Basement Boys and released by Mercury Records, A&M Records and A&M's division AM PM. Waters and Sean Spencer wrote "Ghetto Day", which is a funk song that contains samples from The 5th Dimension's song "Stoned Soul Picnic" and Flavor Unit's "Flavor Unit Assassination Squad". According to Spin, the track's lyrics talk about "those balmy, front-stoop, 40-swinging summer afternoons." The single's second A-side, "What I Need", is a house track written by Waters, Doug Smith and Richard Payton.
"Ghetto Day" / "What I Need" | ||||
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Single by Crystal Waters | ||||
from the album Storyteller | ||||
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Studio | Basement Boys (Baltimore) | |||
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Producer(s) | The Basement Boys | |||
Crystal Waters singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Separate single release of "What I Need" |
Contemporary critics complimented both songs and noted them as the album's highlights. Commercially, the joint release entered the top forty in the United Kingdom. "What I Need" was released separately in October 1994 and later became Waters' fourth single to top the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart. It also reached the top spot of the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and No. 82 of the Billboard Hot 100. In other media, "What I Need" was featured in the film Double Dragon (1994) and an episode of television series So You Think You Can Dance Canada.