"Turtle Power!" (or simply "Turtle Power") is a 1990 single performed by rap 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 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!" was released in April 1990 and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks; it was the thirteenth 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, number seven in New Zealand and the top twenty in Australia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.
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 filmsoundtrack. The song's lyrics erroneously claim that Raphael is leader of the team, a role actually held by Leonardo, although it can be argued that Raphael was the leader in earlier works. In more recent live performances of the song, Richard Usher (of Partners in Kryme) has replaced the lyrics with 'Raphael, he's the bad boy of the group'.
