Turtle Power!

"Turtle Power!" (or simply "Turtle Power") is a song by American hip hop duo Partners in Kryme.^[1] The song was released by SBK Records and was from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack. An early unfinished version without Shane Faber's production was featured in the film's closing credits, and it is this version which is now commonly found on retro 90s compilations and on streaming sites, despite the fact the film mix was not officially released in the 1990s. In the UK, the film mix heard in the end credits featured the words "ninja" replaced with "hero", even though the film was not retitled the UK, unlike the 1987 cartoon series. The track was also used in the 2013 Activision's video game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

"Turtle Power!"
Single by Partners in Kryme
from the album Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side	"Splinter's Tale" (by John Du Prez)
Released	April 13, 1990 (1990-04-13)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:54
Label	SBK
Songwriter(s)	James Alpern Richard Usher
Producer(s)	Partners in Kryme, Shane Faber (single edit/album version) Partners in Kryme (film mix)
Partners in Kryme singles chronology
"Turtle Power!" (1990) "Undercover" (1990)

"Turtle Power" was released in April 1990 and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks, making it the first hip hop single to reach number one in the United Kingdom and becoming the 13th-highest-selling single of the year in the United Kingdom. Additionally, the song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number four in Ireland, and number seven in New Zealand.

Song information

Written by James P Alpern and Richard A Usher Jr and produced by Partners in Kryme, "Turtle Power!" rode the wave of popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. A rap record featuring the use of vocoder vocals for the chorus, it became a worldwide hit, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100,^[2] number seven in New Zealand^[3] and number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in July and August 1990.^[4] The song was also coupled with the single "Turtle Rhapsody" and included in the third Ninja Turtles film soundtrack.

Track listings

7-inch and cassette single^[5][6]

1. "Turtle Power" – 3:50
2. "Splinter's Tale 1 & Splinter's Tale 2" (performed by John Du Prez) – 5:23

12-inch and German maxi-CD single^[7][8]

1. "Turtle Power" (single edit) – 3:50
2. "Turtle Power" (album version) – 4:17
3. "Splinter's Tale 1 & Splinter's Tale 2" (performed by John Du Prez) – 5:23

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 15 Canada (The Record)[10] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 57 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 13 Germany (GfK)[14] 12 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 40 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 19 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 14 UK Singles (OCC)[4] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[2] 13 US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)[19] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Australia (ARIA)[20] 72 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[21] 43 Germany (Media Control)[22] 77 Sweden (Topplistan)[23] 92 UK Singles (OCC)[24] 13

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25]	Silver	200,000^
United States (RIAA)[26]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	April 13, 1990	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl cassette	SBK	[citation needed]
United Kingdom	July 9, 1990			[27]
	July 16, 1990	7-inch picture disc		[28]