Get Down Tonight

"Get Down Tonight"

French 7-Inch Single Cover
Single by KC and the Sunshine Band
from the album KC and the Sunshine Band
B-side "You Don't Know"
Released February 11, 1975
Genre
Length
  • 3:20 (radio edit)
  • 5:19 (album version)
Label TK
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Harry Wayne Casey
  • Richard Finch
Certification Gold (CRIA)[3]
KC and the Sunshine Band singles chronology
"I'm a Pushover"
(1974)
"Get Down Tonight"
(1975)
"Shotgun Shuffle"
(1975)

"Get Down Tonight" is a song released in 1975 on the self-titled album by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became widely successful, becoming the first of their five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart[4] and was an international chart hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada and charting in Australia (No. 44), Belgium (No. 11), the Netherlands (No. 5), and the UK (No. 21).

Composition

The song displays some of the signature characteristics of the disco era such as a fast tempo and repeating lyrics. The song features a distinctive introduction, in which a recorded guitar solo is rendered at double speed in a distinct shamisen rhythm over a normal-speed guitar line in the background.

The song was originally titled "What You Want Is What You Get" before KC changed the title to "Get Down Tonight".

Cover versions

Sampling

Appearances in other media

The original rendition of "Get Down Tonight" has been used in the films Sid and Nancy, Forrest Gump, Hotel de Love, Rush Hour, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Arlington Road and Roll Bounce. It has also been used in the television shows Futurama (episode "Crimes of the Hot"), House, M.D. (episode "Top Secret") and The Big Bang Theory (episode "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation"), among others.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 44
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 13
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[8] 11
Canada (CHUM)[9] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 1
France (IFOP)[11] 74
Italy (FIMI)[12] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 21
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 1
US Billboard Hot Disco Singles[16] 6
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[16] 1
US Cash Box[17] 1
US Record World[18] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Position
Canada (RPM Top 200 Singles)[19] 29
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 74
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 62
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 64
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[23] 3
US Cash Box[24] 33

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell
Canadian CHUM number-one single
September 13, 1975 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet
Canadian RPM Top Singles number-one single
September 27, 1975 (one week)
Preceded by
"Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
August 30, 1975 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell
US Record World number-one single
August 6, 1975 – August 13, 1975 (two weeks)
Preceded by
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John
US Cash Box number-one single
August 23, 1975 – August 30, 1975 (two weeks)
Succeeded by
"Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Preceded by
"Dream Merchant" by The New Birth
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single
August 23, 1975 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Your Love" by Graham Central Station

References

  1. Yorke, Ritchie (1976). The History of Rock'n'roll. Methuen. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-8467-0186-6. And that's the way fans like it, as KC and the Sunshine Band came through with the top disco hit of the year, Get Down Tonight.
  2. Henderson, Alex. "KC & the Sunshine Band – KC and the Sunshine Band". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  3. "Gold Platinum Database". Music Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 315.
  5. Roberts, David (2004). British Hit Singles & Albums (17th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 0-85112-199-3.
  6. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  7. "Ultratop.be – KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  8. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 18 oktober 1975" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  9. CHART NUMBER 973 – Saturday, September 13, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4035a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  11. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "KC & the Sunshine Band" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  12. "Indice per Interprete: K" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – KC And The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  15. "Archive Chart: 1975-04-26" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 "KC & the Sunshine Band – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  17. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 23, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived October 3, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  18. RECORD WORLD 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived August 1, 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  19. "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  20. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1975" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  21. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1975" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  22. "Top 100 Hits for 1975". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  23. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived June 18, 2009). Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  24. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 20, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2014.

External links

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