"Shake for the Sheik" is a song by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

band

The Escape Club The Escape Club are an English pop rock band that was formed in London in 1983. They are best known for their 1988 No. 1 US hit "Wild, Wild West (The Escape Club song), Wild, Wild West" and for their top-ten 1991 hit "I'll Be There (The Escape ...

, from their 1988 album ''

Wild Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, from a story penned by brothers Jim and John ...

''. Written by the band members and produced by Chris Kimsey, the song was released as the album's second single and reached number 28 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in January 1989.

Release and reception

"Shake for the Sheik", the follow-up to the U.S. number one hit "

Wild, Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, from a story penned by brothers Jim and Jo ...

", was released as a single in November 1988. The song entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart at number 81 in December. The song spent five weeks in the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

section of the chart, peaking at number 28 in January 1989. The single remained on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks. "Shake for the Sheik" reached number 24 on the Singles Sales chart and number 28 on the

Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart. The song also reached number 46 on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

Lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Trevor Steel said the song "was going down well, especially since we considered ourselves a live band. The humor of the title was a little lost on the U.S. audience, since Americans pronounce Sheik differently than we in the UK do."

Track listing

;7" Vinyl (U.S.) #"Shake for the Sheik" – 3:40 #"Working for the Fatman" – 3:00 ;12" Vinyl (U.S., Canada) #"Shake for the Sheik" (Dance version) – 7:22 #"Shake for the Sheik" (Single edit) – 3:45 #"Shake for the Sheik" (Dub mix) – 6:17 #"Working for the Fatman" – 3:00

Charts

References

{{The Escape Club 1988 singles The Escape Club songs 1987 songs Song recordings produced by Chris Kimsey Atlantic Records singles