"Down on the Street" is a 1984 song by British band
Shakatak
Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Nigel Wright and former Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts. Following an initial white label release 'Steppin', the band's name was derived from a record store in Soho, London Record Shack. I ...
. The song is about the joy of
nightlife
Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, c ...
. It was a
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
, reaching No. 9 in the
UK.
SHAKATAK , Artist , Official Charts
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It was also their only chart entry on the U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
Dance Charts, with no further hits there, although their duet with Al Jarreau
Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...
on "Day by Day" in 1985 was a mild success.
Shakatak also reworked the song for the opening titles of 1986 BBC Education
BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...
series ''You Are What You Eat''.
The song has been covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
by Norwegian band D'Sound
D'Sound (stylized as d'sound) is a Norwegian neo soul band based in Oslo, Norway. The band was formed in 1993 with a line-up composed of lead vocalist Simone Eriksrud, bassist Jonny Sjo and drummer Kim Ofstad. After Eriksrud's initial departure i ...
and Rage Against The Machine in 2000, on their covers album Renegades.
Track listing
;7" single
# "Down on the Street" 3:16
# "Holding On" 4:35
;12" single
# "Down on the Street" 6:48
# "Dark Is the Night" 6:05
Charts
References
{{authority control
1984 singles
Jazz-funk songs
Polydor Records singles
1984 songs
PolyGram singles
Songs written by Bill Sharpe (musician)