The Floor

"The Floor" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Gill from his fourth studio album, Provocative (1993). The track, a dance and funk song, was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and was released as the lead single from Provocative on May 4, 1993, through the Motown label. American band Mint Condition performs the "floor" chants on the song, with member Stokley providing additional background vocals. Upon its release, "The Floor" peaked at number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-40 hit in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, it was certified gold for shipping over 35,000 copies. The song's music video, directed by English video director Julien Temple, features Gill and his backup dancers on a smoky dance floor built like a trampoline. Chart performance "The Floor" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 22, 1993, as that week's "Hot Shot Debut". Four weeks later, on June 19, the song peaked at number 56, becoming Johnny Gill's second-lowest-charting solo single in the US, after "Wrap My Body Tight". It spent 10 weeks on the Hot 100 before leaving the chart. It became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, reaching number 11, and also appeared on two other Billboard rankings: the Rhythmic chart (number 32) and the Dance Singles Sales chart (number 49). On the Canadian RPM Dance chart, the song peaked at number eight for two weeks. Outside North America, "The Floor" charted in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It spent a single week on the UK Singles Chart at number 53 and reached number 45 in the Netherlands, where it charted for three weeks. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 34 on July 18, 1993, and peaked at number 29 during its fourth of five weeks on the RIANZ Singles Chart. It charted the highest in Australia, where it logged 23 weeks on the ARIA Singles Chart, reaching number six on October 10, 1993. It was Australia's 29th-most-successful single of 1993 and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping over 35,000 copies.