Pick Up the Pieces
Encyclopedia
"Pick Up the Pieces" is a 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...

 song by the Average White Band from their second album, AWB
AWB (album)
AWB is the second studio album by the Scottish funk and soul band Average White Band, released in August 1974 . An enormous best-seller, AWB was the Average White Band's breakthrough record, stunning many listeners with its soul and funk coming from a Scottish band.AWB topped Billboard's Pop...

. The principal composer of the track was founding member and saxophonist Roger Ball
Roger Ball (musician)
Roger Ball is a Scottish saxophonist, keyboardist, songwriter and arranger.-Biography:Ball attended the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee from 1962, studying architecture. While there he met Malcolm “Molly” Duncan and Alan Gorrie...

. It was the group's most successful song, and features one of the most recognizable grooves in funk
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...

 music. It is essentially an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....

, apart from the song's title being shouted at several points in the song.
The song features an intro 4 measures of Csus7#9, sus 4 (C F Bb Eb) afterwards in the theme 8 measures of Fm7 (F Ab C Eb), 2 measures of Bb7 (Bb D F Ab), 4 measures of Fm7.

"Pick Up the Pieces" was released in the United Kingdom in July 1974 but failed to make an impression. When the album was released in the United States in October 1974, radio stations started to pick up on the song, and on 22 February 1975, it went to the top of the US singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 chart and peaked at number five on the soul charts. After its US success, the song charted in the UK and climbed to number six. "Pick Up the Pieces" also made it to number eleven on the US disco chart.

Cover versions

Carla Thomas
  • In 1975, it was covered by Louis Prima
    Louis Prima
    Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...

     on his album The Wildest '75.
  • In 1975, it was covered by Van McCoy
    Van McCoy
    Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...

     on his album Disco Baby
  • In 1990, it was covered by Tom Scott
    Tom Scott (musician)
    Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...

     on his album Them Changes.
  • In 1993, it was covered by Candy Dulfer
    Candy Dulfer
    Candy Dulfer is a Dutch smooth jazz alto saxophonist who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality received a Grammy Award nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation...

     on her album Sax-a-Go-Go
    Sax-a-Go-Go
    The second album by Dutch alto saxophonist Candy Dulfer, Sax-a-Go-Go entered the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Album chart at #5 in February 1994, remaining in the chart for 31 weeks...

    .
  • In 1994, it was covered by Jeff Golub
    Jeff Golub
    Jeff Golub is an American jazz guitarist.- Biography :Jeff Golub is a contemporary jazz guitarist with 11 solo albums and 3 CD's as the leader of the instrumental band "Avenue Blue"...

     on his album Avenue Blue.
  • In 1994, it was covered by Buddy Rich
    Buddy Rich
    Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...

     Big Band on their album Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich
    Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich
    Burning for Buddy, Volume 1 is a 1994 Buddy Rich tribute album produced by Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart. The album is composed of performances by various rock and jazz drummers, all accompanied by the Buddy Rich Big Band...

    .
  • In 1999, it was covered by the Phil Collins Big Band on their only album, A Hot Night in Paris
    A Hot Night in Paris
    A Hot Night in Paris is the only album by The Phil Collins Big Band, released in 1999 by Atlantic Records. Fronted by Genesis lead singer Phil Collins, the album did not contain any singing...

    .
  • Also in 1999, it was used by Chris Rock
    Chris Rock
    Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...

     for his comedy album Bigger & Blacker
    Bigger & Blacker
    Bigger & Blacker is an album by Chris Rock, originally released on July 13, 1999, on the Dreamworks label. The album features live stand-up comedy tracks recorded for an HBO special at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and studio-recorded comic sketches, featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard, Biz Markie, Gerald...

    on a track titled "Me & ODB," with Rock talking to Ol' Dirty Bastard
    Ol' Dirty Bastard
    Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...

    , the song's horn refrain acting as ODB.
  • In 2004, Kenny G
    Kenny G
    Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...

     covered "Pick Up the Pieces" with 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...

    . Their version is on the Kenny G cover album, At Last...The Duets Album
    At Last...The Duets Album
    At Last...The Duets Album is the second cover album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 2004, and reached number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 40 on the Billboard 200....

    .
  • In 2007, it was covered by Gary Tole on an album called One Kettle for Count, with an amusing arrangement by Scott Whitfield, incorporating Benny Goodman
    Benny Goodman
    Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

    's hit "Sing, Sing, Sing
    Sing, Sing, Sing
    "Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima and first recorded by him with the New Orleans Gang and released in March 1936 as a 78 as Brunswick 7628 . It is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. It was covered by Fletcher Henderson and most famously Benny Goodman...

    " and the Bob Haggart
    Bob Haggart
    Robert Sherwood Haggart was a dixieland jazz double bass player, composer and arranger...

     - Ray Bauduc
    Ray Bauduc
    Ray Bauduc was a jazz drummer best known for his work with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and their band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, between 1935 and 1942....

     novelty "Big Noise from Winnetka".
  • In 2004, it was covered by Melvin Sparks
    Melvin Sparks
    Melvin Sparks was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records...

     on an album called It is what it is

Appearances in other media

  • In 1977, The Jacksons danced to it on their CBS TV show along with actor Dom DeLuise
    Dom DeLuise
    Dominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death and the father of: actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise; actor David DeLuise; and actor Michael DeLuise...

    .
  • In the 1980 movie Superman II
    Superman II
    Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...

  • The song was featured during the opening title sequence of the film The Spirit of '76 (1990)
  • in "The Way We Was
    The Way We Was
    "The Way We Was" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1991. In the episode, Marge tells the story of how she and Homer first met and fell in love. Flashing back to 1974, we see how Homer falls in love with...

    ", an episode from the second season
    The Simpsons (season 2)
    The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...

     of The Simpsons
    The Simpsons
    The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

  • on the comedy Martin
    Martin (TV series)
    Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...

    , performed by the character Hustle Man
  • in the 1996 movie Swingers
    Swingers (1996 film)
    Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...

  • in the 1996 movie The People vs. Larry Flynt
    The People vs. Larry Flynt
    The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton.The film was written by...

  • in the 1998 film/play Freak
    Freak (film)
    Freak is a 1998 film directed by Spike Lee. The film is a live performance of John Leguizamo's one man show on Broadway of the same name. Leguizamo's show was semi-autobiographical as he would talk about many aspects of his life. In the routine, he also talks about family members such as his...

  • used as the theme for German political talk show Sabine Christiansen (1998–2007)
  • in the Steve Martin
    Steve Martin
    Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....

     and Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy
    Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

     vehicle Bowfinger
    Bowfinger
    Bowfinger is a 1999 comedy cult film directed by Frank Oz. It depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the film...

    , released in 1999
  • in the 2002 film Undercover Brother
    Undercover Brother
    Undercover Brother is a 2002 American comedy film starring Eddie Griffin and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The screenplay is by Michael McCullers and co-executive producer John Ridley, who created the original internet animation characters. It spoofs blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as a...

  • in the 2002 film Crazy as Hell
    Crazy as Hell
    Crazy as Hell, released in 2002 , is a horror suspense film that follows Dr. Ty Adams , an aggressive and overconfident psychiatrist who is producing a documentary film about a nearby state-run mental hospital. While treating a new patient who claims to be Satan, Dr...

  • in the 2004 film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
    Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)
    # Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...

    .
  • in the 2004 film Taxi
    Taxi (2004 film)
    Taxi is a 2004 American remake of the 1998 Luc Besson-penned, Gérard Pirès-directed French film of the same name, starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon and Gisele Bündchen, and directed by Tim Story.-Plot:...

    starring Queen Latifah
    Queen Latifah
    Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...

     and Jimmy Fallon
    Jimmy Fallon
    James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...

  • in the BBC
    BBC
    The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

     TV series Top Gear
    Top Gear (current format)
    Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...

    , used briefly in the 22 May 2005 episode
  • in another episode of Top Gear and was used as background music when Jeremy, James and Richard were playing golf on the Brera, RX-8 and TT test.
  • in the 2005 movie Roll Bounce
  • in the 2006 movie Running with Scissors
    Running with Scissors (film)
    Running with Scissors is a 2006 American comedy-drama film based on Augusten Burroughs' 2002 memoir of the same name, written and directed by Ryan Murphy, and starring Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, and Gwyneth Paltrow with...

  • in the video game Driver: Parallel Lines
  • used as the "theme" for "Wake Up Wakefield!", a recurring sketch on SNL starring Maya Rudolph
    Maya Rudolph
    Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...

    , Rachel Dratch
    Rachel Dratch
    Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...

    , Jimmy Fallon
    Jimmy Fallon
    James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...

     and Horatio Sanz
    Horatio Sanz
    Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...

    . The theme was played by the fictional Wakefield Middle School jazz
    Jazz
    Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

     group Jazzx10 (also written Jazz x 10).
  • In the 2008 comedy Semi-Pro
    Semi-Pro
    Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...

  • as downloadable content in the Rock Band
    Rock Band
    Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

    series.
  • Sam Rockwell's
    Sam Rockwell
    Sam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...

     character Justin Hammer
    Justin Hammer
    Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...

     dances to the song in Iron Man 2
    Iron Man 2
    Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...

    .
  • The song was used numerous times in "Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
    Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
    Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon is a third-person shooter video game published by THQ. The game is set in 1979 and is the fourth Destroy All Humans! game to be released, and is the third game in the Destroy All Humans! trilogy, released December 1, 2008 in North America for the Xbox 360...

    "
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