Champaign - How 'Bout Us (1981)

"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. ...

"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. Originally released on the band's eponymous debut album, the title track peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. Of Champaign's seven charting singles, the song remains the group's most successful.

The song was originally released in 1975 by an earlier incarnation of the group, then called the Water Brothers Band. It was re-recorded by Champaign, and it was Champaign's version that became a hit single. "How 'Bout Us" peaked at #4 on the soul chart and was one of three releases to make the top 10 on the soul chart. It was on the Hot 100 chart for 23 weeks, peaking at #12 on 6 June 1981, and also reached the top of the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks. The title track of Champaign's debut album and their first single, the tune combines instrumentals, traditional background vocals repeated multiple times, and poetic verses performed by Champaign's lead vocalist Pauli Carman to create a sound similar to other ballads released during the time.