The funny reason Eddie Murphy recorded ‘Party All The Time’
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The funny reason Eddie Murphy recorded 'Party All The Time'

Eddie Murphy is undoubtedly a legend in comedy. From ‘Coming to America’ to ‘Norbit’, Murphy has been critically acclaimed for his work in both the comedy and acting fields. In 1984, Murphy received a Grammy award for his comedy album Eddie Murphy: Comedian and has even received a Golden Globe award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in the 2007 box-office smash Dreamgirls

However, Murphy is not only a comedian and an actor he is also an acclaimed singer. In 1985 the legendary comic released his first music studio album, How Could It Be. At only eight tracks long, Murphy enlisted other well-known musicians to help him with the album, which had two singles, but one, in particular, would become extremely successful. Released on September 23, 1985, ‘Party All The Time’ quickly became a classic party record and is one of the quintessential jams of the 1980s.

Written and produced by the iconic Rick James, ‘Party All The Time’ reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks going on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. The funky, 80s synth-pop track has grown to be a bit of a parody over the years. However, people still love it, and in 2022 it sits at 47.3 million streams on Spotify. But the looming question is, why did Eddie Murphy decide to venture into the world of music when he was already an esteemed actor and comedian?  Well, the answer is quite simple.

Eddie Murphy recorded ‘Party All The Time’ following a $1 million bet he made with fellow comedian Richard Pryor, who was insistent that Murphy couldn’t sing and would fail if he tried to. Knowing he was going to come out on top, Murphy included a message to Pryor in the liner notes of the song’s parent album, How Could It Be: “To Richard Pryor, my idol, with whom I have a $1,000,000 bet. No, motherfucker, I didn’t forget”. 

Murphy’s singing even got a short revival. In 2006 over two decades after the original was released, Iranian-American house DJ and producer Sharam Tayebi (of the electronic duo Deep Dish) released a remix of the song, known simply as ‘PATT’, which entered the UK singles chart, peaking at number eight. 

Furthermore, in 2013, Murphy, again, attempted to venture into music, this time less successfully, when Murphy put out a reggae single, ‘Red Light’, claiming he was working on a new studio album with Snoop Dogg. No additional songs or updates ever dropped since that, but Murphy can always rest his musical legacy on ‘Party All the Time’, a silly bet between comedians that almost became a number one single.

You watch the official music video for ‘Party All The Time’ below.