Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1959
Shout (Isley Brothers song)
Buy Shout (Isley Brothers song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Shout'" is a popular song, written and originally recorded by American vocal group the Isley Brothers in 1959. Later versions include a UK Top 10 hit in 1964 by Scottish singer Lulu.
"Shout" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
The Isley Brothers
In performances around 1958, the Isley Brothers would typically end their shows with a cover version of Jackie Wilson's hit "Lonely Teardrops". At one performance at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, lead singer Ronald Isley could see the audience standing and yelling their approval, so he extended the song by improvising a call-and-response around the words "You know you make me wanna..." "Shout!". The group developed the song further in later performances and rehearsals, using a drawn out "We-eee-ll" copied from Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman". On returning to New York City at the end of their engagement, they suggested to record producers Hugo & Luigi that they record the "Shout!" climax of the performance as a separate song. The producers agreed and suggested that the band invite friends to the recording studio to generate a party atmosphere.
The recording took place on July 29, 1959, with Hugo and Luigi choosing the studio musicians and the Isley Brothers inviting organist Herman Stephens. Released in August 1959, with the song split over both sides of the record, the single reached number 47 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, becoming the group's first chart hit, and later the brothers' first gold single on the basis of its longevity. Ronald Isley later said that church groups wrote to radio stations asking them to stop playing the record, because of its use of a traditional black gospel sound.
In the Isley Brothers versions, they quote the "Say You Will" chorus from the song "Lonely Teardrops" by Jackie Wilson. The first bridge changes the rhythm from 2/4 to 6/8 before reverting to the 2/4 rhythm. A slow recitative portion, sung by the lead singer, beginning with "Now wait a minute", separates the faster portions of the song, with the other band members shouting and clapping with "Yeah, yeah". The second part of the song is noted for the repeated call and response lines: "A little bit softer/louder now", where both the lead singer and the backups first sing softly, and then loudly. This song ends with the repeated phrases: "Jump up and shout now" and the word "Shout" before the song's fade.
Other recordings
One month after the initial release, Johnny O'Keefe performed the song on his Australian TV show 'Six O'Clock Rock'. He released it as a single, which reached number 2 in Australia. His 1964 re-recording was only a minor hit at number 49. Joey Dee and the Starliters reached number 6 with their recording of the song in 1962. It begins with Joey Dee quietly speaking his suggestion to do a little bit of "Shout" before he begins singing, in which the group only covers the first part of the song, omitting the "Say you will" portions as well. They also reworked the chorus portion of the song into an even bigger hit, "Peppermint Twist", while the Isley Brothers' version re-charted that same year at number 94.
In 1964, in the U.K., a version by Scottish pop singer Lulu reached number 7 (attributed to Lulu and the Luvvers). 'Enter' Lulu 'for Artist and' Shout 'for Title and click' Search. She re-recorded the song in 1986, and it reached number 8. The Shangri-Las included a version of the song in their debut LP 'Leader of the Pack' in 1965. Tommy James and the Shondells recorded a version of the song on their 1967 album, 'I Think We're Alone Now'.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-think-were-alone-now-mw0000865778 Tommy James and the Shondells, 'I Think We're Alone Now' AllMusic] Retrieved August 17, 2012.
The song was famously performed in its entirety, by Lloyd G. Williams (credited as Otis Day and the Knights), for the 1978 hit movie 'National Lampoon's Animal House' during the frat house toga party sequence.
The Beatles recorded "Shout" in 1964 for a television special called 'Around the Beatles'. The recording was later released in 1996 on the Beatles archival album, 'Anthology 1'.
The National Football League (NFL)'s Buffalo Bills created a version of "Shout" in 1987 with modified lyrics sung by Scott Kemper. It has served as the team's official fight song ever since, except for a brief period in 1993 when Polaroid's worldwide licensing of the song led to a dispute over royalties, during which the team used a version of "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" by Ernie Maresca.
The song was prominently featured in 'Elvira: Mistress of the Dark', but they could not afford to license the original recording, so it was covered by Larry Wright.
Polaroid used a version of the song in a 1990s-era ad campaign.
A recording of the song was used for the soundtrack of the movie 'Sister Act' in 1992.
Louchie Lou & Michie One recorded a ragga/rap version of the song, titled "Shout (It Out)", which reached number 7 on the UK chart in 1993.
The original 1959 recording was featured in the 1982 film 'Diner', and the 'Cheers' season 4 episode "Suspicion".
Michael Jackson used the hook of "Shout" in 2001 for the song of the same title, which was the B-side to the UK single of "Cry" from the 'Invincible' album.
'Rolling Stone' magazine ranked it at number 119 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
See also
* "Shout and Shimmy"
References
Buy Shout (Isley Brothers song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1959