"Get Up Offa That Thing" is a song written and performed by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. It was released in 1976 as a two-part

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(the

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, titled "Release the Pressure", is a continuation of the same song). It reached #4 on the

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, briefly returning Brown to the Top Ten after a year's absence, and #45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Thanks to its chart success, the song became Brown's biggest hit of the late 1970s. The song's

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

urge listeners to "Get up offa that thing / and dance 'til you feel better." Due to his troubles with the

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for failure to pay back taxes, Brown credited authorship of the song to his wife Deidre and their daughters, Deanna and Yamma Brown.

Background

According to Brown, the inspiration for "Get Up Offa That Thing" came to him during a club performance in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

The audience was sitting down, trying to do a sophisticated thing, ''listening'' to funk. One of the tightest bands they'd ever heard in their lives, and they were sitting. I had worked hard and dehydrated myself and was feeling depressed. I looked out at all those people sitting there, and because I was depressed they looked depressed. I yelled, "Get up offa that thing and dance til you feel better!" I probably meant until ''I'' felt better.

Unlike most popular music of the time, which made sophisticated use of

multitrack recording Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking or tracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a ...

and other techniques, "Get Up Offa That Thing" was recorded live in the studio in only two

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

s. Brown re-recorded "Get Up Offa That Thing" for the ''

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soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

. He also performs the song during his

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

in the film. Other performances of the song appear on the albums '' Hot on the One'', '' Live in New York'', ''

Live at Chastain Park ''Live at Chastain Park'' is a live album recorded by James Brown in 1985 at Chastain Park, the titular city park in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally released in the UK and Europe in 1988 by Charly Records, it has been reissued numerous times on budget ...

'', and ''

Live at the Apollo 1995 ''Live at the Apollo 1995'' is a live album by James Brown. It was the fourth and final album he recorded at Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harl ...

''.

Credits and personnel

* James Brown – lead vocal ''with The J.B.'s:'' * Russell Crimes – trumpet * Holly Ferris – trombone * St. Clair Pinckney – tenor saxophone * Peyton Johnson – tenor saxophone * Joe Poff Jr. - alto saxophone *

Jimmy Nolen Jimmy Nolen (April 3, 1934 – December 18, 1983)
- accessed November 13, 2011 was an American

– guitar * Robert Lee Coleman – guitar *

Charles Sherrell "Sweet" Charles Sherrell (born Charles Emanuel Sherrell, March 8, 1943) is an American bassist known for recording and performing with James Brown. Biography Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Sherrell began his career playing drums with fellow Na ...

– clavinet *

Melvin Parker Melvin Parker (June 7, 1944 – December 3, 2021) was an American drummer. He and his brother, saxophonist Maceo Parker, were key members of James Brown's band. Life and career Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina on June 7, 1944. His drumm ...

– drums *

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hooper' ...

– bass

Chart performance

Appearances in other media

* "Get Up Offa That Thing" was performed as a mash-up with "

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

" by the nuns of ''

Sister Act 2 ''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' is a 1993 American musical comedy film, directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures. It is the sequel to the 1992 film ''Sister Act'', and is loosely based on the life of Crenshaw High School c ...

'' as led by

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. * It was played during the "Soccer" episode of ''

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'' with the beginning of the opening game. * The song is used twice in Jim Henson Pictures' 1999 film ''

Muppets from Space ''Muppets from Space'' is a 1999 American science-fiction film, science-fiction comedy film directed by Tim Hill (director), Tim Hill (in his List of directorial debuts, feature film directorial debut) and written by Jerry Juhl, Joey Mazzarino, Jo ...

'' when

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rides the lawnmower. * The song is featured in the 2009 British film ''

Fish Tank An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

''. * The song is used in the closing sequence of

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

's 1996 film ''

Harriet the Spy ''Harriet the Spy'' is a children's novel written and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh that was published in 1964. It has been called "a milestone in children's literature" and a "classic". In the U.S., it ranked number 12 in the 50 Best Books fo ...

'' and

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was founded on February 22, 1987 by Chris Wedge, Michael Ferraro, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Eugene Troubetzkoy after their e ...

' 2005 computer animated film ''

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''. In the latter film,

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

' character called the song, "a fusion of jazz and funk, it's called junk." * The horn samples of this song were sampled extensively for late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop. * The scream in the opening of the song was sampled in

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

's 1985 hit single "

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". * The song is performed by Oliver James (as Ian Wallace) in the 2003 film '' What a Girl Wants''. * A modified version of this song is performed along with

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

in the Player's Ball sequence of the 1983 film ''

''. * The song appeared in the

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

commercial for the 2012 Super Bowl "The Dog Strikes Back". *

Miss America 2013 Miss America 2013, the 86th Miss America pageant, was held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Results Placements * - America's Choice ** - Saved b ...

Mallory Hagan Mallory Hytes Hagan (born December 23, 1988) is an American politician and former beauty pageant queen, former news anchor and Business Consultant for Sysco Systems. She had won Miss America 2013 as Miss New York 2012 and is running for a seat i ...

performed a

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

to this song as her talent. * The song appeared in the documentary "Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals" on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. * It was also heard during a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

commercial to support Black Friday. * The song is featured in

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...

's 2001 film ''

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

.'' * The song is played at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

, home of the

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during the 4th inning to encourage fans to get up and stretch and dance. Similarly, if the game goes 13 innings, the song plays again. * The song was used as a parody called "Get Up Offa That Tail" for the toy; Dance Star Mickey. * The song is featured in the 2019 film '' Shaft''. * The song was sampled by Chris Classic for

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

's entrance theme "619" from the compilation album

WWE Anthology ''WWE Anthology'' is a compilation album by WWE. Released on November 12, 2002 by Koch Records, it features entrance theme music of various WWE wrestlers and events. The album is the first on which the company is named WWE, after it was renamed fr ...

. * Was sampled by

Jazzy Jay John Bayas (born November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop DJ and producer. Background Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his family to New Y ...

from his song "(This) Def Jam". * The song is used in ''Another World'' in the final episode of the series. Cass is held hostage by a gorilla and the wedding guests must sing along to the song for the gorilla to release him.

References

External links

Song Review A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{Authority control 1976 songs 1976 singles James Brown songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by James Brown