Harlem_Shuffle

Harlem Shuffle

Harlem Shuffle

1963 single by Bob & Earl


"Harlem Shuffle" is an R&B song written and originally recorded by the duo Bob & Earl in 1963. The song describes a dance called the “Harlem Shuffle”, and mentions several other contemporary dances of the early 1960s, including the Monkey Shine, the Limbo, the Hitch hike, the Slide, and the Pony.

Quick Facts Single by Bob & Earl, from the album ...

In 1986, it was covered by the British rock band The Rolling Stones on their album Dirty Work.

Bob & Earl

The original single, arranged by Gene Page, peaked at No.44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No.36 on the Cash Box chart. The record was a commercial failure when first released in the UK in 1963, but on reissue in 1969 peaked at No.7.[2] It was released on Marc Records, a subsidiary of Titan Records. Barry White stated in a 1995 interview with the Boston Herald that, despite some claims to the contrary, he had no involvement with "Harlem Shuffle", though Page and White later worked extensively together.[3][4]

In 2003, the original Bob & Earl version of the song was ranked No.23 by the music critics of The Daily Telegraph on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever".[5] The song was used in the 1989 comedy-drama film Shag and the 2017 Edgar Wright-directed film Baby Driver.[6]

Charts

More information Chart (1963–64), Peak position ...

The Rolling Stones version

Quick Facts Single by The Rolling Stones, from the album Dirty Work ...

The Rolling Stones' cover version, with Bobby Womack on backing vocals, appeared on their 1986 album Dirty Work. It went to number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 13 in the United Kingdom, and number 1 in New Zealand. Keith Richards had been looking for songs to possibly include on the album and had been working up songs with Ronnie Wood and Womack while waiting for Jagger to return to the studio in Paris after doing promo work on his solo album. To Richards' surprise, Jagger liked the feel and cut the vocals quickly. It became the first cover song the Stones had released as an opening single off a new studio album since 1965. It opens with:

You move it to the left and you go for yourself
You move it to the right yeah if it takes all night
Now take it kinda slow with a whole lot of soul.

In 1986, a 12" extended single mix of the song was released. One side contained the "London Mix" and ran 6:19. The other side had a "New York Mix" and ran 6:35. Both mixes were variations of the 7" mix. The "New York Mix" is available on the CD, Rarities 1971–2003, although it has been edited to 5:48. Both full-length 12" versions can be found on Disc 25 of Singles 1971–2006.

Music video

The Rolling Stones produced an accompanying four-minute music video, which combined with live-action and animation.[14] The live-action was directed by animation director Ralph Bakshi and the animation was directed by future The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi.[15] Other animators who worked on the video included Lynne Naylor, Jim Smith, Bob Jaques, Vicky Jenson, Pat Ventura and two other unknown animators.[16]

Personnel

The Rolling Stones

Additional personnel

Charts

More information Chart (1986), Peak position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Other versions

A version by The Traits from the fall of 1966 reached number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 91 on Cash Box. The Action recorded the song in 1968 and released it as a single in Germany.

Samples

The song's opening horn section was sampled by the hip-hop group House of Pain for their breakthrough hit single "Jump Around" in 1992.[45]


References

  1. "45 Discography for Marc Records". Global Dog Productions. Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  2. "Bob & Earl Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  3. White, Barry. "Telephone interview with Larry Katz." June 1 or 2, 1995. The Katz Tapes. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. Nelson, Valerie J. "'Harlem Shuffle' co-writer was part of the soul duo Bob & Earl." Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  5. "List of the 50 Best Duets Ever". The Daily Telegraph. November 8, 2003. Archived from the original on March 27, 2004. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  6. Baby Driver (2017), retrieved September 8, 2017
  7. "Bob And Earl – Harlem Shuffle" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  8. "Bob And Earl – Harlem Shuffle" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. Ken Tucker (April 6, 1986). "R&B Gets The Superstar Treatment". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved June 28, 2013. "The Stones raise the rhythm-and-blues issue explicitly on "Harlem Shuffle," the first single to be released from Dirty Work. (...) Mick Jagger smears the lyrics with lascivious glee, while the rest of the band attempts to turn the tune into a hip dance-rock number."
  10. Ray Broadus Browne, Pat Browne (2001). Popular Press (ed.). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Popular Press. p. 676. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2.
  11. "Classic Cartoons: Harlem Shuffle". Classiccartoons.blogspot.com. September 20, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  12. Saulnier, Jason (April 8, 2010). "Chuck Leavell Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  13. bulion. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". ARIA. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  14. "The Rolling Stones – Harlem Shuffle" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  15. "The Rolling Stones – Harlem Shuffle" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  16. "Harlem Shuffle - ROLLING STONES". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 4
  17. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 16. April 26, 1986. p. 14. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  18. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 15. April 19, 1986. p. 14. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  19. "The Rolling Stones – Harlem Shuffle" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  20. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  21. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  22. "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  23. "European Hot 100 Singles – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. December 27, 1986. p. 29. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 24, 2020.

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