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Twist and Shout

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Wikipedia article




"'Twist and Shout'" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers in 1962. The song has been covered by several artists, including the Beatles, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chaka Demus & Pliers, who experienced chart success with their versions. The tune was obviously copied from, or at least heavily influenced by, the 1958 Ritchie Valens version of "La Bamba".

Original version



The Top Notes, an American R&B vocal group, recorded "Twist and Shout" at the Atlantic Studios on February 23, 1961. The session was arranged by Teddy Randazzo and produced by Phil Spector.In 1961, Spector was staff producer at Atlantic Records, before he developed his trademark "Wall of Sound". The Top Notes' Howard "Howie" Guyton provided the lead vocals, with accompaniment by saxophonist King Curtis, guitarist John Pizzarelli, drummer Panama Francis, and backing vocalists the Cookies.

In a song review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger described the Top Notes recording as "a Latin-tinged raveup with a drab generic R&B melody" that he felt was "not very good".

Bert Berns, the song's co-writer, was dissatisfied with the recording and Spector's production.

It failed to chart.

The Isley Brothers version



When the Isley Brothers decided to record the song in 1962, Berns (who also used the name Bert Russell) assumed the role of producer. According to Unterberger, the new arrangement infused the tune with more "gospel-fired soul passion":

"Twist and Shout" became the group's first single to reach the Top 20 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 singles chart.

Personnel

*Lead vocals by Ronald Isley

*Background vocals by Rudolph Isley and O'Kelly Isley Jr.

Charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

!Chart (19621963)

!Peak
position

|-

!scope="row"|US 'Billboard' Hot 100

| style="text-align:center;"|17

|-

!scope="row"|US 'Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles'

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

!scope="row"|US 'Cash Box' Top 100

| style="text-align:center;"|7

|-

!scope="row"|US 'Cash Box' Rhythm & Blues Singles

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

| style="text-align:center;"|42

|}

The Beatles version



The Beatles' rendition of "Twist and Shout" was released on their first UK album 'Please Please Me', based on the Isley Brothers' version. John Lennon provided the lead vocals and initially felt ashamed of his performance in the song "because I could sing better than that, but now it doesn't bother me. You can hear that I'm just a frantic guy doing his best." A second take was attempted, but Lennon had nothing left, and it was abandoned. The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" has been called "the most famous single take in rock history."

The song was released as a single in the US on March 2, 1964, with "There's a Place" as its B-side. It was released by Chicago-based Vee-Jay Records on the Tollie label and reached 2 on April 4, during the week that the top five places on the chart were all Beatles singles. It was the only million-selling Beatles single in the U.S. that was a cover song, and the only Beatles cover single to reach the top 10 on a national record chart. The song failed to hit No. 1 because the group's own follow-up single "Can't Buy Me Love" held the spot.

In the UK, "Twist and Shout" was released by Parlophone on an eponymous EP with "Do You Want to Know a Secret", "A Taste of Honey", and "There's a Place" from the 'Please Please Me' (1963) album. Both the EP and album reached No. 1. In Canada, it became the title track to the second album of Beatles material to be issued by Capitol Records of Canada on February 3, 1964.

The song was used as the Beatles' closing number on 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' in October 1963 and at 'The Royal Variety Show' in November 1963; the 'Royal Variety' performance was included on the 'Anthology 1' compilation album in 1995. The Beatles performed the song on their 'Ed Sullivan Show' appearance in February 1964, and they continued to play it live until the end of their 1965 American tour. Additionally, they recorded "Twist and Shout" on nine occasions for BBC television and radio broadcasts, the earliest of which was for the 'Talent Spot' radio show on November 27, 1962.

In 1986, Matthew Broderick lip-synced to the Beatles' version of it in the film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. Coincidentally, the Rodney Dangerfield film 'Back to School' (released two days after 'Ferris') also featured the song, this one sung by Dangerfield himself and patterned after the Beatles' arrangement. The use in the two films helped propel the single up the 'Billboard' Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 23 at the issue date September 27, 1986, giving the group their second chart single of the 1980s (the other being "The Beatles Movie Medley" in 1982).

In November 2010, 47 years after its recording, the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" made a debut on the UK Singles Chart. One of a number of Beatles tracks re-entering the chart in the aftermath of their new availability on iTunes, it peaked at No. 48.

Charts



Certifications



Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' version



In 1962, Decca Records signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, a British group from Dagenham, East London, in preference to the Beatles. Both groups had auditioned on the same day, and it has become legend that the Beatles were rejected by the label. Ironically, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes had no chart success until the beat boom in British rock had surfaced, following the success of the Beatles. This triggered the frenzied signing of most of the popular Liverpool rock groups of that period by the major record labels, and their distinctive "sound" became known as Merseybeat. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes imitated this style, and covered "Twist and Shout" four months after the Beatles had released their version, and achieved the No. 4 position in the UK Singles Chart.

Salt-N-Pepa version



American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa recorded a cover version on their 1988 album 'A Salt with a Deadly Pepa'. It was released as a single and was met with success, reaching the top five in Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, where it reached No. 4, as well as the top 40 in Ireland, Belgium and Germany.

Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Chaka Demus & Pliers version



{{Infobox song

| name = Twist and Shout

| cover = Chaka_Demus_&_Pliers_Twist_and_Shout.jpg

| type = single

| artist = Chaka Demus & Pliers featuring Jack Radics and Taxi Gang

| album = Tease Me

| released =

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = Reggae fusion

| length =

| label =

* Mango

* Island

| writer =

* Bert Berns

* Phil Medley

| producer =

* Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis

* Sly & Robbie

| chronology = Chaka Demus & Pliers

| prev_title = She Don't Let Nobody

| prev_year = 1993

| next_title = Murder She Wrote

| next_year = 1994

| misc =

}}

Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers, collaborating with Jack Radics and Taxi Gang, recorded "Twist and Shout" for their fourth album, 'Tease Me' (1993). It was released as single on December 6, 1993, and topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1994. It was also a top-10 hit in Ireland (No. 9), Flanders (No. 7), the Netherlands (No. 6), Denmark (No. 4), and New Zealand (No. 2).

Critical reception

Rick Anderson from AllMusic said the song is "a fun novelty". Larry Flick from 'Billboard' wrote, "Who'da thunk this Beatles evergreen would become viable fodder for a reggae reconstruction? It has, and it works far better than you might imagine." He added, "With assistance from Jack Radis and Taxi Gang, Chaka Demus & Pliers playfully skip around a fast and jaunty island groove, darting in and out of familiar lyrics with bits of chatter and toasting. Visionary programmers will find this will flow over playlists like a fresh, cool breeze." Troy J. Augusto from 'Cash Box' declared it as an "infectious cut", that "add peppy new island life to this classic made famous, of course, by The Beatles." In a review for the 'Gavin Report', Dave Sholin commented, "Summertimetime to hit the beach and party! And what better for the occasion than this upbeat production that puts a new twist on the Isley Brothers' original and Beatles' cover?" Alan Jones from 'Music Week' deemed it a "fine regga re-reading", that "contains all the usual Chaka Demus & Pliers hallmarks, with sweetly cooed verses alternating with rapped passages. Just right for the party season." James Hamilton from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update described it as a "'La Bamba' based raver's reggae inflected but surprisingly conventional Sly & Robbie revival, a party season smash".

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



See also



* List of twist songs

References



Category:1961 songs

Category:1962 singles

Category:1964 singles

Category:1986 singles

Category:1993 singles

Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:Music Week number-one dance singles

Category:Songs written by Bert Berns

Category:Songs written by Phil Medley

Category:The Beatles songs

Category:Chaka Demus & Pliers songs

Category:The Isley Brothers songs

Category:The Kingsmen songs

Category:The Mamas and the Papas songs

Category:Salt-N-Pepa songs

Category:The Tremeloes songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Sly & Robbie

Category:Capitol Records singles

Category:Tollie Records singles

Category:Atlantic Records singles

Category:MCA Records singles

Category:Mango Records singles

Category:Twist (dance)

Category:Songs about dancing

Category:Wand Records singles

Category:Music published by MPL Music Publishing

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