Time Warp
Encyclopedia
"The Time Warp" is a song
featured in the 1973 rock musical The Rocky Horror Show
and in the 1975 film adaption The Rocky Horror Picture Show
, as well as a dance
performed during the chorus
of the song of the same name. The song is both an example and a parody
of the dance song
genre
in which much of the content of the song is given over to dance step instructions. The dance is one of the major audience-participation activities during screenings of the film and performances of the show. It has become a popular song beyond the reaches of the film and show, and is often played at dances and weddings. An extended remix version of the song was released in 1989.
Cover versions have been recorded by such artists as Black Lace
, Damian
, Groovie Ghoulies, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
, and Sebastian Bach
of the heavy metal
band Skid Row, as well as an Italian adaptation by Elio e le Storie Tese
and a Spanish adaptation by the pop group Timbiriche
. In October 2006, the song was ranked and voted 338 out of 2006 songs featured in the Triple M
Essential 2006 Countdown.
", "Dammit, Janet!
", "Over at the Frankenstein Place
" and "Sweet Transvestite
"), but fourth in the film (following "Over at the Frankenstein Place
"). Stage productions continued to use the original placing until Richard O'Brien
revised the script for the 1990 West End
revival in which he moved the song to the film’s placing. For reasons of pacing, most productions now follow this order.
The song consists of verses sung by alternating characters, serving as the introduction to two of them, and choruses sung by the chorus of "Transylvanians" (Movie) or "Phantoms" (Musical), and the Criminologist/Narrator (played by Charles Gray
in the movie). The characters that sing the verses are, in order, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien
in the movie), Magenta (Patricia Quinn
in the movie), and Columbia (Little Nell Campbell
in the movie). After the second full chorus, Columbia often launches into her tap dance.
The order of the solos varies in certain albums. In the movie and Roxy cast album, Columbia's solo is right after Magenta's, then Columbia does her tap dance after a second chorus. The version that has been in stage shows more recently is similar to the movie and Roxy cast, with Columbia singing her solo right after Magenta's, but then she does her tap dance right after her solo, leaving only two choruses. Occasionally, Columbia's solo and tap dance come after the chorus after Magenta's solo.
The song is reprised/revisited briefly at the end of the film, in flashback, and in the show as an encore, led by Dr Frank N. Furter.
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...
featured in the 1973 rock musical The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
and in the 1975 film adaption The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
, as well as a dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
performed during the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
of the song of the same name. The song is both an example and a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the dance song
Dance song
The expression dance song has the following meanings that basically relate dance to the song.*A danceable song; see dance music, dancing music.*A song concerning itself almost entirely with a particular dance...
genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
in which much of the content of the song is given over to dance step instructions. The dance is one of the major audience-participation activities during screenings of the film and performances of the show. It has become a popular song beyond the reaches of the film and show, and is often played at dances and weddings. An extended remix version of the song was released in 1989.
Cover versions have been recorded by such artists as Black Lace
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
, Damian
Damian (musician)
Damian is an English pop musician and actor, who was briefly successful in the late 1980s. He is best known for his 1989 hit, "The Time Warp", a cover version of the original track from The Rocky Horror Show...
, Groovie Ghoulies, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers were a 1980s and early 1990s novelty pop music act from Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. The face of the group was Jive Bunny, a cartoon rabbit who appeared in the videos, and also did promotional appearances for them...
, and Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
of the heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Skid Row, as well as an Italian adaptation by Elio e le Storie Tese
Elio e le Storie Tese
Elio e le Storie Tese , often abbreviated EelST, is an Italian band from Milan, formed in 1980, whose music is clearly inspired to the style of Frank Zappa, both in music and lyrics...
and a Spanish adaptation by the pop group Timbiriche
Timbiriche
Timbiriche is the name of a Mexican group that debuted on April 30, 1982, during a broadcast of the news program Hoy Mismo with Alex Gongora and disbanded in 1994....
. In October 2006, the song was ranked and voted 338 out of 2006 songs featured in the Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
Essential 2006 Countdown.
Placement
"The Time Warp" was the fifth song in the original stage show (after "Science Fiction/Double FeatureScience Fiction/Double Feature
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" is the opening song to the original 1973 musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show as well as its 1975 film counterpart The Rocky Horror Picture Show, book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, musical arrangements by Richard Hartley...
", "Dammit, Janet!
Dammit, Janet!
"Dammit Janet" is a song/musical number in the original 1973 British musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show as well as its 1975 film counterpart The Rocky Horror Picture Show, book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, musical arrangements by Richard Hartley.The number provides well known...
", "Over at the Frankenstein Place
Over at the Frankenstein Place
"Over at the Frankenstein Place" is the third song in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 cult film includes the song being sung outside Dr. Frank N. Furter's castle in the rain. It is performed by Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick and Richard O'Brien...
" and "Sweet Transvestite
Sweet Transvestite
"Sweet Transvestite" is a song from 1973 British musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show and its 1975 film counterpart The Rocky Horror Picture Show, of which the book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, and the musical arrangements by Richard Hartley...
"), but fourth in the film (following "Over at the Frankenstein Place
Over at the Frankenstein Place
"Over at the Frankenstein Place" is the third song in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 cult film includes the song being sung outside Dr. Frank N. Furter's castle in the rain. It is performed by Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick and Richard O'Brien...
"). Stage productions continued to use the original placing until Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
revised the script for the 1990 West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
revival in which he moved the song to the film’s placing. For reasons of pacing, most productions now follow this order.
The song consists of verses sung by alternating characters, serving as the introduction to two of them, and choruses sung by the chorus of "Transylvanians" (Movie) or "Phantoms" (Musical), and the Criminologist/Narrator (played by Charles Gray
Charles Gray (actor)
Charles Gray was an English actor who was well-known for roles including the arch-villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes in the Granada television series, and as The Criminologist in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in...
in the movie). The characters that sing the verses are, in order, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
in the movie), Magenta (Patricia Quinn
Patricia Quinn
Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens is a Northern Irish actress best known for her role as Magenta in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Hers were the red lips that appeared in the film's opening song "Science Fiction/Double Feature"...
in the movie), and Columbia (Little Nell Campbell
Nell Campbell
"Little" Nell Campbell is an Australian actress, club owner and singer.-Early life:She was born in Sydney, to Ruth and Ross Campbell, a writer, who called her "Little Nell" in his family life column in the Sydney Daily Telegraph...
in the movie). After the second full chorus, Columbia often launches into her tap dance.
The order of the solos varies in certain albums. In the movie and Roxy cast album, Columbia's solo is right after Magenta's, then Columbia does her tap dance after a second chorus. The version that has been in stage shows more recently is similar to the movie and Roxy cast, with Columbia singing her solo right after Magenta's, but then she does her tap dance right after her solo, leaving only two choruses. Occasionally, Columbia's solo and tap dance come after the chorus after Magenta's solo.
The song is reprised/revisited briefly at the end of the film, in flashback, and in the show as an encore, led by Dr Frank N. Furter.
Cover versions
- GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
psychobillyPsychobillyPsychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
band Rumble On The Beach included a cover of "The Time Warp" on their 1988 album Rumble. - A dance pop cover of the song was recorded in 1989 by BritishUnited KingdomThe 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...
music artist DamianDamian (musician)Damian is an English pop musician and actor, who was briefly successful in the late 1980s. He is best known for his 1989 hit, "The Time Warp", a cover version of the original track from The Rocky Horror Show...
. However, Damian's version omits the verses of the song sung by the character of Columbia. - A technoTechnoTechno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
cover of the song by German group Warp Machine was released in 1997. - The 2003 tribute compilation The Rocky Horror Punk Rock ShowThe Rocky Horror Punk Rock ShowThe Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show is an album featuring the soundtrack of the 1975 cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show as performed by modern punk rock bands...
featured a cover by the American band The Groovie GhouliesThe Groovie GhouliesThe Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally...
. - The US group Kidz Bop Kids covered this song on the 2004 album Kidz Bop Halloween. However, the line "it's the pelvic thrust" is changed to "it's the way you shake it."
- Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
and The ChipettesThe ChipettesThe Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
covered this song on the album The A-Files: Alien SongsThe A-Files: Alien SongsThe A-Files: Alien Songs is a 1998 music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Sony Wonder. The album's concept parodied the 1993–2002 FOX series The X-Files.-Track listing:# "Purple People Eater" – 3:35# "Men in Black Movie Theme" – 3:46...
. It later appeared as a bonus track on their newest album, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Undeniable. - The MexicanMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
band TimbiricheTimbiricheTimbiriche is the name of a Mexican group that debuted on April 30, 1982, during a broadcast of the news program Hoy Mismo with Alex Gongora and disbanded in 1994....
covered the theme in their 1983 album La Banda Timbiriche en concierto. The cover in Spanish was named El baile del sapo (The toad's dance). - Elio e Le Storie TeseElio e le Storie TeseElio e le Storie Tese , often abbreviated EelST, is an Italian band from Milan, formed in 1980, whose music is clearly inspired to the style of Frank Zappa, both in music and lyrics...
covered the song for an Italian show called Mai Dire Gol. The name of the Italian cover is Balla Coi Barlafus. - During a Children in Need appeal night in the 2000s the BBC Newsreaders performed a skit to the song.
- The US band Pain recorded a version for a punk/ska tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, the album was never released. The song is now available on the Pain DVD entitled In A Band: The Pain Years 1994-2000. This DVD was limited to 1,000 prints.
- On The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
, Drew and his friends compete in a dance off with Mimi and her friends. Drew dances to "The Time Warp" while Mimi dances to "Shake Your Groove ThingShake Your Groove Thing"Shake Your Groove Thing" is a song by disco duo Peaches & Herb. It reached #2 for four weeks on the Billboard Disco chart in 1978. The single reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard R&B Chart.-In pop culture:...
" by Peaches and Herb. - In a second season episodeThe Rocky Horror Glee Show"The Rocky Horror Glee Show" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 27th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, from a story by Murphy and Tim Wollaston, directed by Adam Shankman, and premiered on Fox on October 26, 2010...
of GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, the song/dance was performed.