Harlem Shuffle (song)
Encyclopedia
"Harlem Shuffle" is an R&B song
written and originally recorded by the duo
Bob & Earl
in 1963. The tune has been covered
by; Booker T and the MG's, The Boogie Kings
on their self-titled album on the Montel Michelle label (1965), The Fabulous Flippers, a regional band out of Kansas (1966), The Traits, Roy Head's band (Treat her Right), (1967), by John Fred
and his Playboy Band on their album Vigon (1967), by The Righteous Brothers
on their album Sayin' Somethin (1967), and by Johnny
and Edgar Winter
on their album Together
(1976). More recently, it was covered by The Rolling Stones
on their album Dirty Work (1986), and by the 5.6.7.8's in 2002 on their Teenage Mojo Workout
album. Pete Townshend
also performed the song with his short-lived band Deep End.
House of Pain
sampled the song's opening horn line in their breakthrough single "Jump Around
" in 1992.
, co-arranged by Barry White
and Gene Page
, peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #36 on the Cash Box
chart. However, the record was much more successful upon its UK
re-release in 1969, making the Top 10 there. It was released on Marc Records, a subsidiary of Titan Records.
In 2003, the Bob & Earl original version of the song was ranked #23 by the music critics of The Daily Telegraph
on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever".
on backing vocals, appeared on their 1986 album Dirty Work, and went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, and #13 in the UK. Keith Richards
had been looking for songs to possibly include on the album and had been working up songs with Ronnie Wood and Womack while waiting for Jagger to return to the studio in Paris
after doing promo work on his solo album. To Richards's surprise, Jagger liked the feel and cut the vocals quickly. It became the first cover song the Stones had released as an opening single off a new studio album since 1964. It opens with:
In 1986, a 12" extended single mix of the song was released. One side contained the "London Mix" and ran 6:19. The other side had a "New York Mix" and ran 6:35. Both mixes were variations of the 7" mix. The "New York Mix" is available on the CD, Rarities 1971–2003, although it has been edited to 5:48. The full-length versions have not been released commercially on CD.
, which combined live-action and animation
. The live-action was directed by famous animation director Ralph Bakshi
and the animation was directed by future The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi
. Other animators who also worked on the video included Lynne Naylor
, Jim Smith
, Bob Jaques, Vicki Jensen, Pat Ventura and two other unknown animators. Lela Rochon
appeared in the video.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written and originally recorded by the duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
Bob & Earl
Bob & Earl
Bob & Earl were an American soul music singing duo in the 1960s, best known for writing and recording the original version of "Harlem Shuffle".-Career:...
in 1963. The tune has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by; Booker T and the MG's, The Boogie Kings
The Boogie Kings
The Boogie Kings are an American Cajun swamp pop and blue-eyed soul group.-History:The band formulated in Eunice, Louisiana in 1955 as teenagers first consisting members Doug Ardoin, Skip Morris, Bert Miller, Bryan Leger, and Harris Miller...
on their self-titled album on the Montel Michelle label (1965), The Fabulous Flippers, a regional band out of Kansas (1966), The Traits, Roy Head's band (Treat her Right), (1967), by John Fred
John Fred
John Fred was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, "Judy in Disguise ".-Career:...
and his Playboy Band on their album Vigon (1967), by The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
on their album Sayin' Somethin (1967), and by Johnny
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
and Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
on their album Together
Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live
Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live is a 1976 album by brothers Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter.-Track listing:#"Harlem Shuffle"#"Soul Man"#"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"...
(1976). More recently, it was covered by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
on their album Dirty Work (1986), and by the 5.6.7.8's in 2002 on their Teenage Mojo Workout
Teenage Mojo Workout
Teenage Mojo Workout is an album by The 5.6.7.8's. It was released in 2002 on Timebomb Records.-Track listing:# " I'm a Wild One"# "I'm Blue" # "Road Runner"# "I Got a Man" # "Typhoon Girl"...
album. Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
also performed the song with his short-lived band Deep End.
House of Pain
House of Pain
House of Pain is an American hip hop group who released three albums in the 1990s before lead rapper Everlast left to pursue his solo career again. The group's name is a reference to the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr...
sampled the song's opening horn line in their breakthrough single "Jump Around
Jump Around
"Jump Around" is the title of a song by the band House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. This song became a hit in 1992, reaching Number 3 in the USA. A 1993 re-release of the song in the UK, where the original had been a minor hit, peaked at Number 8. On VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of...
" in 1992.
Bob & Earl
The original singleSingle (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...
, co-arranged by Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
and Gene Page
Gene Page
Eugene Edgar "Gene" Page, Jr. was an influential conductor, composer, arranger and record producer most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s....
, peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #36 on the Cash Box
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
chart. However, the record was much more successful upon its UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
re-release in 1969, making the Top 10 there. It was released on Marc Records, a subsidiary of Titan Records.
In 2003, the Bob & Earl original version of the song was ranked #23 by the music critics of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever".
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones' cover version, with Bobby WomackBobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
on backing vocals, appeared on their 1986 album Dirty Work, and went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, and #13 in the UK. Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
had been looking for songs to possibly include on the album and had been working up songs with Ronnie Wood and Womack while waiting for Jagger to return to the studio in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after doing promo work on his solo album. To Richards's surprise, Jagger liked the feel and cut the vocals quickly. It became the first cover song the Stones had released as an opening single off a new studio album since 1964. It opens with:
In 1986, a 12" extended single mix of the song was released. One side contained the "London Mix" and ran 6:19. The other side had a "New York Mix" and ran 6:35. Both mixes were variations of the 7" mix. The "New York Mix" is available on the CD, Rarities 1971–2003, although it has been edited to 5:48. The full-length versions have not been released commercially on CD.
Music video
The Rolling Stones produced an accompanying three minute music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which combined live-action and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. The live-action was directed by famous animation director Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
and the animation was directed by future The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi
John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
. Other animators who also worked on the video included Lynne Naylor
Lynne Naylor
Lynne Naylor is an artist who has worked prolifically in animation, collaborating with others like Bruce Timm and Timothy Björklund, and designing female characters for Batman: The Animated Series. She also co-founded Spümcø, the company of her former boyfriend John Kricfalusi...
, Jim Smith
Jim Smith (animator)
Jim Smith, , is an American animator and musician. He worked on Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures with his long-time working partner John Kricfalusi...
, Bob Jaques, Vicki Jensen, Pat Ventura and two other unknown animators. Lela Rochon
Lela Rochon
Lela Rochon is an American actress who is best known for her role as Robin Stokes in the movie Waiting to Exhale....
appeared in the video.