| "You Can't Sit Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Dovells | ||||
| from the album You Can't Sit Down | ||||
| B-side | "Stompin' Everywhere" | |||
| Released | June 18 1963 | |||
| Recorded | 1959 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:19 | |||
| Label | Parkway | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dee Clark, Kal Mann, Cornell Muldrow | |||
| The Dovells singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Original Instrumental, The Bim Bam Boos, 1959
"You Can't Sit Down" was originally recorded as in instrumental in 1959 as "Can't Sit Down" by The Bim Bam Boos on Dasher Records catalogue number D-500 and credited to Dasher - Muldrow; it featured Philip Upchurch on guitar and Cornell Muldrow on organ.
1963: Vocal Added Version, The Dovells / The Phrase "Hip Hop"
The Dovells added dance themed lyrics and vocals to their cover of the song and it was released in 1963 on their album of the same name. Although unrelated to specifically describing the much later music genre of the same name the song has the first known instance of the phrase "hip hop" in a recording, the lyric "...you gotta slop, bop, flip flop, hip hop, never stop". the song reached a peak at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 27th of 1963 and charted for 14 weeks. The lyrics also mention South Street in Philadelphia. Their label mates on Cameo-Parkway Records), the Orlons, released a song in the same year called "South Street" and in 1964 the two songs appeared on an album called Golden Hits, comprising half Dovells songs and half Orlons songs in addition to their previous releases.
Other versions
- The later better-known recording of "You Can't Sit Down" by Phil Upchurch and his Combo (Upchurch, Muldrow, David Brooks, Mac Johnson and Joe Haddick) was re-recorded in New Orleans in 1960 and released in 1961 by Boyd Records (Boyd 3398) of Oklahoma with distribution by United Artists Records. Upchurch's own version reached No. 29 on the Billboard pop charts.
- This was followed by the vocal cover version by the Dovells that reached No.3 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1963. It is based, at least in part, on the gospel song "Sit Down Servant". This version also reached No.10 on the Hot R&B Singles chart
- In 1962, it appeared as a cover on Booker T. and the MG's first album, Green Onions.
- The Bar-Kays recorded a cover for their 1967 album Soul Finger.
- Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers also recorded a cover for their 1974 album Natural Boogie.
- In 1964, the Kingsmen included it on their LP The Kingsmen in Person.
- The Shangri-Las recorded it for their 1965 debut album Leader of the Pack.
- Paul Revere & the Raiders had the track on their 1965 album Here They Come!.
- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have played it live as an encore over thirty times since 1976.
Usage in media
- The song was set to two Disney cartoons on D-TV, The Hockey Champ (1939) and Hockey Homicide (1945).
- The Philadelphia 76ers used a modified version of the song with team-specific lyrics for the franchise's marketing campaign during the 1991–92 season.
References
- ^ Allmusic song info
- Porter, James (2001). "The Hardy Boys". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 211–213.
- "You Can't Sit Down". genius.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- "You Can't Sit Down". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- "The Orlons And The Dovells – Golden Hits". discogs.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- JMS. "Artist: The Dovells (Canary) You can't sit down / Wildwood days". secondhandsongs. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles. 12th edition, 2009, p. 1013.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 170.
- Allmusic chart history
- "You Can't Sit Down". Brucebase. Retrieved 28 March 2020.