Got to Give It Up
Encyclopedia
"Got to Give It Up" is a funk
/disco
song by American
recording artist Marvin Gaye
. Written by the singer and produced by Art Stewart, it was recorded in three studio dates in 1976 with a final mixing in early 1977. The song, a response to Gaye's label Motown
pushing for the singer to record commercially accessible dance music to fit the music industry's embrace of dance rhythms, was released in March 1977. It was an instant success, landing at number-one on three different Billboard
charts and helping its parent album, Gaye's live album, Live at the London Palladium
, sell more than two-million copies.
The song held the number one position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
for one week, from June 18 - 25, 1977. It replaced "Dreams
" by Fleetwood Mac
, and was replaced by "Gonna Fly Now
" by Bill Conti
. On the R&B Singles Charts it held the number one spot for five weeks from April 30 until June 17, 1977 (being interrupted twice at the number one position for one week by "Whodunit" by Tavares for the week of May 21, 1977 and Stevie Wonder
's "Sir Duke
" for the week of May 28, 1977 respectively). On the disco charts the single was also a number one hit. The song influenced several dance records after its release including two songs by Michael Jackson
. It was later covered by the group Zhane
in 1999 and Aaliyah
in 1997. The song was featured in the films Menace II Society
(1993), Boogie Nights
(1997), Summer of Sam
(1999), Charlie's Angels (film)
(2000), Barbershop
(2002) and Paul (film)
(2011).
had put a strain on Gaye. Financial difficulties almost led to imprisonment for the singer when Gordy accused him of failing to pay alimony
payments for their only child, son Marvin Pentz Gay III. To relieve Gaye from his debt, his European concert promoter Freddy Kruger booked the singer on a lengthy European tour, his first since 1967. Gaye began the tour in the United Kingdom
where he had a strong fan base dating back to his early career in the 1960s. His performances there were given rave reviews. One of the shows, filmed at London's Palladium, was recorded for a live album, later released as Live at the London Palladium
, in the spring of 1977. Around the same time, Gaye's label Motown tried to get the artist to record in the current sound of the times, disco
music. Gaye criticized the music, claiming it lacked substance and vowed against recording in the genre. His label mate Diana Ross
had recorded her first disco song, "Love Hangover
". The song's producer Hal Davis
debated over giving that song to either Ross or Gaye. After working over the song, he went with Ross. Motown struggled to get Gaye in the studio as Gaye focused on work on an album (which would later be released as Here, My Dear
, dedicated to Gaye's troubled first marriage). After months of holding off from recording anything resembling disco, the singer set upon writing a song parodying a disco setting.
hit, "Disco Lady
", Gaye was inspired to create his answer song to Taylor's hit. To help set up a "disco" atmosphere, Gaye hired Motown producer and engineer Art Stewart to oversee the song's production. Gaye and Stewart brought in several musicians and Gaye's friends and family (mainly his brother Frankie
, sister Zeola and girlfriend Janis Hunter
) to Gaye's recording studio complex, Marvin's Room. From December 14-17, 1976, Gaye performed the lead vocal track, instrumentation (which included Gaye, Fernando Harkness, Johnny McGhee, Frankie Beverly and Bugsy Wilcox and Funk Brother member Jack Ashford
) and background vocals. In the song, Gaye added background vocals from his brother and his girlfriend. During the second half of the song,the song introduces vocal layered doo-wop
styled scatting from Gaye. Fernando Harkness performs a tenor saxophone
solo in the second half of the song.
Gaye recorded his vocals on the first date of sessions, adding instrumentation on the following day, and then adding other effects in the latter two days, mixing it by January 1977. Influenced by the vocal chatter on his previous hit, "What's Going On
", Gaye decided to create a party scene outside the recording studio where different voices are heard either greeting each other or partying. At one point during the song, a female voice can be heard yelping and screaming in joy. The voice was later confirmed to be that of Gaye's baby sister Zeola. Gaye is also heard visibly on the track greeting people and laughing while mingling in with the crowd. During the bridge, Gaye is heard yelling "say Don
! Hey man, I didn't know you was in here!" The "Don" was later confirmed as Soul Train
host Don Cornelius, who was one of Gaye's close friends. Gaye overlapped the party sounds over and over, making a loop. In the second half of the song, Gaye sings mainly the initial title, "dancing lady" over and over while a saxophone is playing a solo. All the background vocals on the second part of the song were from Gaye himself. Gaye also plays percussion, RMI synthesizer
bass and keyboards on the song. In the second half, he can be heard playing on a glass bottle halfway filled with grapefruit juice. L.T.D.
guitarist Johnny McGhee added guitar
. McGhee and Frankie Beverly
were the only non-band mates featured on the song playing instruments. Beverly also added assorted percussion.
with jazz-funk
elements. After the start of the song, which includes vocal chatter, the song kicks off with a standard drum beat: kick, snare
and hi-hat
while synthesizers are heard soon afterwards. After nearly five minutes, Gaye's vocals appear in a falsetto
, which he sangs in for most of the song. In the second half, after harmonizing in falsetto, Gaye's tenor vocals take over.
The song's story line focuses on a man who is a wallflower
when he comes into a nightclub nervous to perform on the dance floor. But after a minute of this, the music takes over and his body starts to lose any inhibitions. Midway through he finally cuts loose before shouting the chant "let's dance, let's shout, get funky what it's all about!" proving the power of the dance can overtake any shyness. The dance is mainly focused on Gaye and a suitable female partner he seeks. In the second half, a funkier jazz arrangement is helped in guitar, bass and a tambourine. After this, he continues chanting until the song fades
.
chart. Within two months, the song had also climbed to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
. It would reach number-one on the dance chart in May. The single also found success outside the United States reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart
, his biggest charted hit as a solo artist since his version of "Abraham, Martin & John" had peaked at number nine on the chart in 1970. Before, Gaye had modest success with two singles - "Save the Children
" (which was released as a double-A side with Gaye's 1966 recording, "Little Darling (I Need You)
") in 1971 and "Let's Get It On
" in 1973 (which peaked at number 31 on the UK chart). The single also found modest success in some countries, peaking at number 24 on the Dutch
singles chart and number 31 on the New Zealand
charts. The single's success helped its parent album, Live at the London Palladium find substantial success -- especially in Gaye's home country, where it stayed at the top ten for several weeks. Sales of the album eventually reached two-million.
, who was searching to write a potential hit after The Jacksons
had struggled with previous offerings. Jackson later wrote, with brother Randy, the classic, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
", taking and altering bits of Gaye's chant, "let's dance, let's shout, get funky what it's all about." The song, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
", written solely by Jackson and recorded the same year as "Shake Your Body", took even more of Gaye's approach with the entire song, using percussive instruments as the basis of the song and a continued funk guitar riff, that was also present on "Got to Give It Up". Jackson sings most of the song in falsetto though he also adds tenor vocals in the bridge. Jackson and producer Quincy Jones
added in strings
to make the song different and an original. Much like the party chatter in "Got to Give It Up", Jackson added in vocal chatter, however, the chatter would later be debated as two people having a verbal argument while the tape was recording (a woman could be heard hollering "man I hate your ass anyway!"). Jackson and Jones allowed the argument in the recording.
's "Got to Give It Up" features a rap
from Slick Rick
, samples Michael Jackson
's "Billie Jean
", and was included on her 1996 album One in a Million. It was released as the second single in the UK. Aaliyah's version of "Got to Give It Up" failed to chart in the U.S. when it was commercially released there in January of 1997 (It was not sent to radio stations for airplay, a 12-inch vinyl single was only made for sale in record stores), but it was a minor hit in the UK peaking at number 37 in the UK Singles Chart
. It reached number 34 in New Zealand
. The single's B-side, "No Days Go By", was one of Aaliyah's few self-compositions.
A new remix of Aaliyah's "Got to Give It Up" (without Slick Rick's vocals) was included on her posthumous 2002 compilation album I Care 4 U
. The video is a re-edit of the original.
A music video was directed by Paul Hunter
. The video was edited to both the album version with Slick Rick
, and a remix, without Slick Rick
's vocals.
covered the song from his 1977 album "Love Will Find A Way." Another saxophonist David Sanborn
covered the song from his 1994 album "Hearsay." Urban Knights, a contemporary jazz
group led by legendary pianist Ramsey Lewis
performed a cover of this song from their 2003 album Urban Knights V. A second known instrumental version is from saxophonist Kim Waters from his 2007 album You Are My Lady. The song has been featured in several films and soundtracks since its release including the soundtracks to films such as 54
, Summer of Sam
and The Nanny Diaries
while it was featured on the films, Charlie's Angels
, How Stella Got Her Groove Back
, Menace 2 Society and Barbershop
. In the latter film, the song is played during a crucial part in the film when two rival barbers nearly come to blows, the song is played which not only cools tension but brings out other people in the neighborhood to step out and dance. Longtime Marvin Gaye fan Justin Timberlake
performed the song live at the 2008 Fashion Rocks concert. Gaye's daughter Nona
recorded an unreleased version with Prince
's band, New Power Generation
.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
song by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
recording artist Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
. Written by the singer and produced by Art Stewart, it was recorded in three studio dates in 1976 with a final mixing in early 1977. The song, a response to Gaye's label Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
pushing for the singer to record commercially accessible dance music to fit the music industry's embrace of dance rhythms, was released in March 1977. It was an instant success, landing at number-one on three different Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts and helping its parent album, Gaye's live album, Live at the London Palladium
Live at the London Palladium
Live at the London Palladium is a live double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released March 15, 1977 on Tamla Records. Recording sessions took place live at several concerts at the London Palladium in London, England in October of 1976, with the exception of the hit single "Got to Give It Up",...
, sell more than two-million copies.
The song held the number one position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for one week, from June 18 - 25, 1977. It replaced "Dreams
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)
"Dreams" is a song written by singer Stevie Nicks, for the group Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album, Rumours. The song was the only U.S. number one hit for the group, and remains one of their best known songs.-Background and writing:...
" by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, and was replaced by "Gonna Fly Now
Gonna Fly Now
"Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from Rocky", is the theme song from the movie Rocky, composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford...
" by Bill Conti
Bill Conti
William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...
. On the R&B Singles Charts it held the number one spot for five weeks from April 30 until June 17, 1977 (being interrupted twice at the number one position for one week by "Whodunit" by Tavares for the week of May 21, 1977 and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "Sir Duke
Sir Duke
"Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S...
" for the week of May 28, 1977 respectively). On the disco charts the single was also a number one hit. The song influenced several dance records after its release including two songs by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. It was later covered by the group Zhane
Zhane
Zhané was an American R&B/hip hop soul duo, best known for their 1994 hit "Hey Mr. D.J.", which reached #6 in the U.S. Other popular hits include "Groove Thang" and minor hit "Sending My Love," both released in 1994...
in 1999 and Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
in 1997. The song was featured in the films Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
(1993), Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
(1997), Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime-drama based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee.-Plot:Summer of Sam is the story of a group of people in New York City in the summer of 1977, a time when the headlines were dominated by the Son of Sam serial killer...
(1999), Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
(2000), Barbershop
Barbershop (film)
Barbershop is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Tim Story, produced by State Street Pictures and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 13, 2002. Starring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Anthony Anderson, the movie revolves around social life in a barbershop on the South Side of...
(2002) and Paul (film)
Paul (film)
Paul is a 2011 science fiction comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It stars Pegg, Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen as the title character...
(2011).
Background
Throughout 1976, Marvin Gaye's popularity was still at a high in America and abroad, but the singer struggled throughout the year due to pending lawsuits from former band mates. Divorce court proceedings between Gaye and first wife Anna GordyAnna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye is an American songwriter and composer, known as the elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy and the first wife of soul legend Marvin Gaye, who used their troubled marriage as the focal point of his critically acclaimed 1978 effort, Here, My Dear, an album from which Gordy...
had put a strain on Gaye. Financial difficulties almost led to imprisonment for the singer when Gordy accused him of failing to pay alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
payments for their only child, son Marvin Pentz Gay III. To relieve Gaye from his debt, his European concert promoter Freddy Kruger booked the singer on a lengthy European tour, his first since 1967. Gaye began the tour in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he had a strong fan base dating back to his early career in the 1960s. His performances there were given rave reviews. One of the shows, filmed at London's Palladium, was recorded for a live album, later released as Live at the London Palladium
Live at the London Palladium
Live at the London Palladium is a live double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released March 15, 1977 on Tamla Records. Recording sessions took place live at several concerts at the London Palladium in London, England in October of 1976, with the exception of the hit single "Got to Give It Up",...
, in the spring of 1977. Around the same time, Gaye's label Motown tried to get the artist to record in the current sound of the times, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music. Gaye criticized the music, claiming it lacked substance and vowed against recording in the genre. His label mate Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
had recorded her first disco song, "Love Hangover
Love Hangover
"Love Hangover" was the fourth number one single for Motown singer Diana Ross. It was released in March 1976, and rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles and Hot Dance Club Play charts simultaneously....
". The song's producer Hal Davis
Hal Davis
Harold Edward "Hal" Davis was an African American songwriter and record producer, best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5....
debated over giving that song to either Ross or Gaye. After working over the song, he went with Ross. Motown struggled to get Gaye in the studio as Gaye focused on work on an album (which would later be released as Here, My Dear
Here, My Dear
Here, My Dear is a studio double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released December 15, 1978 on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Marvin's Room in Hollywood, California from 1976 to 1977. A deeply personal and controversial album, Here, My Dear is notable for...
, dedicated to Gaye's troubled first marriage). After months of holding off from recording anything resembling disco, the singer set upon writing a song parodying a disco setting.
Production
The first recording session for "Got to Give It Up", originally titled "Dancing Lady", was on December 13, 1976. Influenced by the Johnnie TaylorJohnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
hit, "Disco Lady
Disco Lady
"Disco Lady" is a 1976 single for Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks on the Billboard R&B chart in the U.S. It was also the first single to be certified platinum by the RIAA...
", Gaye was inspired to create his answer song to Taylor's hit. To help set up a "disco" atmosphere, Gaye hired Motown producer and engineer Art Stewart to oversee the song's production. Gaye and Stewart brought in several musicians and Gaye's friends and family (mainly his brother Frankie
Frankie Gaye
Frankie Gaye was a singer and the younger brother of the more famous singer Marvin Gaye. Born the son of minister Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and domestic Alberta Cooper in Washington, D.C., Frances watched as Marvin became a superstar...
, sister Zeola and girlfriend Janis Hunter
Janis Gaye
Janis Gaye is best known as the second wife of American musician Marvin Gaye.-Biography:...
) to Gaye's recording studio complex, Marvin's Room. From December 14-17, 1976, Gaye performed the lead vocal track, instrumentation (which included Gaye, Fernando Harkness, Johnny McGhee, Frankie Beverly and Bugsy Wilcox and Funk Brother member Jack Ashford
Jack Ashford
Jack Ashford , known to his friends as Jashford, is an African-American musician, widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings...
) and background vocals. In the song, Gaye added background vocals from his brother and his girlfriend. During the second half of the song,the song introduces vocal layered doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
styled scatting from Gaye. Fernando Harkness performs a tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
solo in the second half of the song.
Gaye recorded his vocals on the first date of sessions, adding instrumentation on the following day, and then adding other effects in the latter two days, mixing it by January 1977. Influenced by the vocal chatter on his previous hit, "What's Going On
What's Going On (song)
"What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts...
", Gaye decided to create a party scene outside the recording studio where different voices are heard either greeting each other or partying. At one point during the song, a female voice can be heard yelping and screaming in joy. The voice was later confirmed to be that of Gaye's baby sister Zeola. Gaye is also heard visibly on the track greeting people and laughing while mingling in with the crowd. During the bridge, Gaye is heard yelling "say Don
Don Cornelius
Donald Cortez "Don" Cornelius is an American television show host and producer who is best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971-1993...
! Hey man, I didn't know you was in here!" The "Don" was later confirmed as Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
host Don Cornelius, who was one of Gaye's close friends. Gaye overlapped the party sounds over and over, making a loop. In the second half of the song, Gaye sings mainly the initial title, "dancing lady" over and over while a saxophone is playing a solo. All the background vocals on the second part of the song were from Gaye himself. Gaye also plays percussion, RMI synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
bass and keyboards on the song. In the second half, he can be heard playing on a glass bottle halfway filled with grapefruit juice. L.T.D.
L.T.D.
L.T.D. is an American R&B/funk band best known for their 1977 hit single, " Back in Love Again," as well as their many ballads, such as "Love Ballad," "We Both Deserve Each Other's Love," and "Where Did We Go Wrong?."-Career:L.T.D...
guitarist Johnny McGhee added guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. McGhee and Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly
Frankie Beverly is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band, Maze.-Early life and career:...
were the only non-band mates featured on the song playing instruments. Beverly also added assorted percussion.
Composition
Despite its later reputation as a "disco classic", the style of "Got to Give It Up" is mainly funkFunk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
with jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
elements. After the start of the song, which includes vocal chatter, the song kicks off with a standard drum beat: kick, snare
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
and hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
while synthesizers are heard soon afterwards. After nearly five minutes, Gaye's vocals appear in a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
, which he sangs in for most of the song. In the second half, after harmonizing in falsetto, Gaye's tenor vocals take over.
The song's story line focuses on a man who is a wallflower
Wallflower
Erysimum is a genus that includes about 180 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus Cheiranthus is sometimes included herein whole or in part. Erysimum has recently adscribed to a monogeneric cruciferous tribe, Erysimeae...
when he comes into a nightclub nervous to perform on the dance floor. But after a minute of this, the music takes over and his body starts to lose any inhibitions. Midway through he finally cuts loose before shouting the chant "let's dance, let's shout, get funky what it's all about!" proving the power of the dance can overtake any shyness. The dance is mainly focused on Gaye and a suitable female partner he seeks. In the second half, a funkier jazz arrangement is helped in guitar, bass and a tambourine. After this, he continues chanting until the song fades
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
.
Release and reaction
Motown released "Got to Give It Up" as a single in March 1977. Response was immediate. By April of the year, it had already climbed to number-one on Billboard's Hot Soul SinglesHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. Within two months, the song had also climbed to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It would reach number-one on the dance chart in May. The single also found success outside the United States reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, his biggest charted hit as a solo artist since his version of "Abraham, Martin & John" had peaked at number nine on the chart in 1970. Before, Gaye had modest success with two singles - "Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
" (which was released as a double-A side with Gaye's 1966 recording, "Little Darling (I Need You)
Little Darling (I Need You)
"Little Darling " is a 1966 single written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland and recorded and released by Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label....
") in 1971 and "Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On is the twelfth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, and at Hitsville West in Los Angeles...
" in 1973 (which peaked at number 31 on the UK chart). The single also found modest success in some countries, peaking at number 24 on the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singles chart and number 31 on the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
charts. The single's success helped its parent album, Live at the London Palladium find substantial success -- especially in Gaye's home country, where it stayed at the top ten for several weeks. Sales of the album eventually reached two-million.
Legacy
Gaye's song became an important influence and motivation for Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, who was searching to write a potential hit after The Jacksons
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
had struggled with previous offerings. Jackson later wrote, with brother Randy, the classic, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
"Shake Your Body ", released December 9, 1978, is a hit single recorded by The Jacksons for the CBS/Epic Records album Destiny and peaked in the Spring of 1979....
", taking and altering bits of Gaye's chant, "let's dance, let's shout, get funky what it's all about." The song, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 28, 1979, the song is the first single from Jackson's fifth studio album, entitled Off the Wall. Written by Jackson, it is in the key of B major and in common time...
", written solely by Jackson and recorded the same year as "Shake Your Body", took even more of Gaye's approach with the entire song, using percussive instruments as the basis of the song and a continued funk guitar riff, that was also present on "Got to Give It Up". Jackson sings most of the song in falsetto though he also adds tenor vocals in the bridge. Jackson and producer Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
added in strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
to make the song different and an original. Much like the party chatter in "Got to Give It Up", Jackson added in vocal chatter, however, the chatter would later be debated as two people having a verbal argument while the tape was recording (a woman could be heard hollering "man I hate your ass anyway!"). Jackson and Jones allowed the argument in the recording.
Personnel
- Written and composed by Marvin Gaye
- Produced and engineered by Art Stewart
- Mixing by Art Stewart and Marvin Gaye
- Marvin Gaye: RMI synthesizer bass, keyboards, percussion
- Johnny McGhee: guitar
- Fernando Harkness: saxophone
- Bugsy Wilcox: drums
- Jack AshfordJack AshfordJack Ashford , known to his friends as Jashford, is an African-American musician, widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings...
: tambourine - Frankie GayeFrankie GayeFrankie Gaye was a singer and the younger brother of the more famous singer Marvin Gaye. Born the son of minister Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and domestic Alberta Cooper in Washington, D.C., Frances watched as Marvin became a superstar...
: background vocals (first part) - Janis Hunter: background vocals (first part)
- Zeola Gaye: background vocals, chatter (first part)
- Vocal, rhythm and synthesizer arrangement by Marvin Gaye
- Lead and background vocals by Marvin Gaye
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| US Soul Singles Chart Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
1 |
| US Dance Songs Chart | 1 |
| RPM Singles Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
5 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
24 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Chart |
31 |
Procession and succession
Aaliyah version
Aaliyah's cover version of Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's "Got to Give It Up" features a rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
from Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
, samples Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
", and was included on her 1996 album One in a Million. It was released as the second single in the UK. Aaliyah's version of "Got to Give It Up" failed to chart in the U.S. when it was commercially released there in January of 1997 (It was not sent to radio stations for airplay, a 12-inch vinyl single was only made for sale in record stores), but it was a minor hit in the UK peaking at number 37 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It reached number 34 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The single's B-side, "No Days Go By", was one of Aaliyah's few self-compositions.
A new remix of Aaliyah's "Got to Give It Up" (without Slick Rick's vocals) was included on her posthumous 2002 compilation album I Care 4 U
I Care 4 U
I Care 4 U is the fourth album and first compilation album by the American singer Aaliyah, released posthumously by Blackground Records on December 10, 2002, in the United States. Along with her hit singles, a number of shelved tracks were included on the album, including the singles "Miss You",...
. The video is a re-edit of the original.
A music video was directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter
Paul Alan Hunter was an English professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the "Beckham of the Baize" because of his good looks and flamboyant style....
. The video was edited to both the album version with Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
, and a remix, without Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
's vocals.
Charts
| Chart (1996/1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
34 |
| UK Top 75 Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
37 |
Covers by other artists
Tenor saxophonist Pharoah SandersPharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
covered the song from his 1977 album "Love Will Find A Way." Another saxophonist David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
covered the song from his 1994 album "Hearsay." Urban Knights, a contemporary jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
group led by legendary pianist Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
performed a cover of this song from their 2003 album Urban Knights V. A second known instrumental version is from saxophonist Kim Waters from his 2007 album You Are My Lady. The song has been featured in several films and soundtracks since its release including the soundtracks to films such as 54
54 (film)
54 is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher, starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell...
, Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime-drama based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee.-Plot:Summer of Sam is the story of a group of people in New York City in the summer of 1977, a time when the headlines were dominated by the Son of Sam serial killer...
and The Nanny Diaries
The Nanny Diaries
The Nanny Diaries is a 2002 novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, both of whom are former nannies. The book satirizes upper class Manhattan society as seen through the eyes of their children's caregivers....
while it was featured on the films, Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 romance film, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King. This film is an adaptation of Terry McMillan's bestselling novel by the same title...
, Menace 2 Society and Barbershop
Barbershop (film)
Barbershop is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Tim Story, produced by State Street Pictures and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on September 13, 2002. Starring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Anthony Anderson, the movie revolves around social life in a barbershop on the South Side of...
. In the latter film, the song is played during a crucial part in the film when two rival barbers nearly come to blows, the song is played which not only cools tension but brings out other people in the neighborhood to step out and dance. Longtime Marvin Gaye fan Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
performed the song live at the 2008 Fashion Rocks concert. Gaye's daughter Nona
Nona Gaye
Nona Marvisa Gaye is an American singer, former fashion model, and screen actress. The daughter of soul music legend Marvin Gaye and granddaughter of jazz great Slim Gaillard, she began her career as a vocalist in the early 1990s...
recorded an unreleased version with Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's band, New Power Generation
New Power Generation
The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, is the current backing group of musician Prince.-History:The phrase "Welcome to the New Power Generation" was mentioned on the opening track of 1988's Lovesexy...
.