"You Can't Sit Down" was originally recorded in 1959 as "Can't Sit Down" by The Bim Bam Boos on Dasher Records catalogue number D-500 and credited to Dasher - Muldrow; it featured Philip Upchurch on guitar and Cornell Muldrow on organ.

Background

The song references " South Street", which is the same good-time area

the Orlons The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1960. The group won gold discs for three of their singles. Career The quartet consisted of lead singer Rosetta Hightower (June 23, 1944 – August 2, 2014), Shi ...

sang about in their 1963 recording of the same name. The Orlons and the Dovells, who later recorded the most popular version, were both from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and recorded for

Cameo-Parkway Records Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 (for Cameo) and 1958 (for Parkway) to 1967. Among the types of music released were doo-wop, ...

Other Versions

*The later better-known recording of "You Can't Sit Down" by Phil Upchurch and his Combo (Upchurch, Muldrow, David Brooks, Mac Johnson and Joe Haddick) was re-recorded in New Orleans in 1960 and released in 1961 by Boyd Records (Boyd 3398) of Oklahoma with distribution by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

. Upchurch's own version reached #29 on the ''Billboard'' pop charts. *This was followed by the vocal cover version by

the Dovells The Dovells were an American doo-wop band (music), group, formed at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1957, under the name 'The Brooktones'. The original members were Arnie Silver, Len Barry, Len Borisoff, Jerry Gross (alias ...

that reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart in 1963. It is based, at least in part, on the gospel song "Sit Down Servant". This version also reached #10 on the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart *In 1962, it appeared as a cover on Booker T. and the MG's first album, ''

Green Onions "Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era", the tune is a ...

''. *The

Bar Kays The Bar-Kays are an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) i ...

and

Hound Dog Taylor Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Life and career Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played the piano and ...

have recorded it (on albums ''Soul Finger'' and ''Natural Boogie''). *In 1964,

the Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ha ...

included it on their LP '' The Kingsmen in Person''. *

The Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Gre ...

recorded it for their 1965 debut album. *

Paul Revere & the Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

had the track on their 1965 album ''Here They Come!''. *

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

have played it live as an encore over thirty times since 1976.

Usage in media

*The song was set to two

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

cartoons on

D-TV ''D-TV'' was a series of music videos created by The Walt Disney Company and produced by Charles Braverman and edited by Ted Herrmann which premiered on May 5, 1984, by taking hit songs of the past and putting them together with various footage of ...

, ''

The Hockey Champ ''The Hockey Champ'' is a 1939 Donald Duck short film, produced in Technicolor and released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot Donald Duck is skating on a frozen duck swamp (at one point mocking Sonja Henie, an Olympic figure skater and popular ...

'' and ''

Hockey Homicide ''Hockey Homicide'' is a cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1945, featuring Goofy. Plot Narrator Doodles Weaver explains the rules of ice hockey in satirical format. The narration's emphasis on good sportsmanship is countered by the v ...

''. *The

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

used a modified version of the song with team-specific lyrics for the franchise's marketing campaign during the 1991–92 season.

References

{{Authority control 1959 songs 1963 singles 1960s instrumentals Songs with lyrics by Kal Mann The Kingsmen songs The Shangri-Las songs Cameo-Parkway Records singles Songs written by Dee Clark