Shut Up and Dance (band)
Shut Up and Dance are an English music duo that fused hip hop, house and hardcore, and are best known for their single "Raving I'm Raving", which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1992.[1]
Career
The group was formed in 1988 in Stoke Newington, London, England by Philip 'PJ' Johnson and Carl 'Smiley' Hyman.[2] In 1990, they made the lower end of the UK chart with two singles, "£20 To Get In" and "Lamborghini", both released on their own record label, Shut Up and Dance Music.[1]
In 1992, they reached No. 43 with their double A-side single "Autobiography Of A Crackhead" / "The Green Man", before hitting the headlines in May of that year when they released "Raving I'm Raving".[1] The track is based on Marc Cohn's hit single "Walking in Memphis", but the sample had not been given clearance. Upon its release, Cohn obtained an injunction to stop production of further copies of the single. A court order was also sought to prevent the sale of any copies already produced, but Cohn was persuaded to allow such sales on condition that all the proceeds went to charity. This caused panic-buying of the copies on sale, as consumers knew that no more would be produced. The single soared to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, but plummeted to No. 15 the following week, before leaving the chart completely. The German dance group Scooter reached No. 33 in 1996 when they covered the track as "I'm Raving".[1]
Shut Up and Dance released one further single from their Death Is Not The End album, "The Art Of Moving Butts", which featured singer Erin. The album itself reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1992.[1] In 1995, they made the chart with two further singles, including the No. 25 hit "Save It 'Til The Mourning After", sampling Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" whilst retaining its original chorus.
In the early 2000s, they re-emerged as a prominent UK garage and 2-step garage act, releasing "No Doubt" which became popular in Ayia Napa scene in 2001.
Discography
Albums
- Dance Before The Police Come (1990)
- Death Is Not The End (1992)
- Black Men United (1995)
- Reclaim the Streets (2004)
- The Great British Public (2007)
- How The East Was Won 1989-2009 (2009 compilation)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3] |
IRE | NED [4] | |||||||||
| 1989 | "5, 6, 7, 8" | — | — | — | singles only | ||||||
| 1990 | "£20 To Get In / Raps My Occupation" | 56 | — | — | |||||||
| "Lamborghini / A Change Soon Come" | 55 | — | — | Dance Before The Police Come! | |||||||
| 1991 | "Derek Went Mad / This Town Needs A Sheriff" | 81 | — | — | |||||||
| "Dance Before Police Come" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1992 | "Autobiography Of A Crackhead / The Green Man" | 43 | — | — | Death Is Not The End | ||||||
| "Raving I'm Raving" | 2 | 12 | — | ||||||||
| "The Art Of Moving Butts" | 69 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1994 | "Hands In The Air" | — | — | — | singles only | ||||||
| "Say Party" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1995 | "Save It 'Til The Mourning After" | 25 | — | 41 | Black Men United | ||||||
| "I Love U" | 68 | — | — | ||||||||
| "The Weekend's Here" | 82 | — | — | ||||||||
| "Blackmen United" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1998 | "Green Man" | — | — | — | singles only | ||||||
| "Hold Me Down" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Got Em Locked" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1999 | "Psycho Jump" | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2001 | "No:Doubt" | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Moving Up" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2002 | "4th Floor" | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Heaven On Earth" | — | — | — | Reclaim The Streets | |||||||
| 2003 | "Release The Gimp" | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Arrest The President" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Reclaim The Streets" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "SuperNova" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2007 | "Sensation / Culture Clash" | — | — | — | The Great British Public | ||||||
| "Outta National / Da Night Bus" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Make The Needle Jump" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Glory Days / All Loved Up" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2008 | "Come To Turn It Out" | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Epileptic" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2009 | "Cream" | — | — | — | singles only | ||||||
| "Tell Me / Love Will" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Suicide" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 497. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "Biography by John Bush". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
- ↑ "Official Charts Company: Shut Up & Dance". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ↑ "Shut Up & Dance - Dutch chart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
External links
- Shut Up & Dance Website
- Shut Up & Dance discography at Discogs
- Shut Up and Dance Interview - September 2007
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