Spirit of the Boogie

Album: Spirit of the Boogie (1975)
Charted: 35
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With growling vocals and effects from Kool & the Gang's technician Donal Boyce, aka "The Boogie Man," this funky soul number is a call back to the group's 1973 hit "Jungle Boogie," but with an edge. Ronald Bell, the Gang's musical director and saxophonist, told Blues & Soul in 1975: "We were trying to get a harder sound using double bass - synthesizer bass and Kool's bass. It was also an experimentation with close harmonies on the horns."
  • Bell remembers the moment he came up with the idea for the song: "I was coming out of Mediasound and it hit me - I heard the melody in my head, with the chord changes on top. The hook came to me right then, too: It's the spirit of the boogie/The baddest little boogie in the land. Sometimes song ideas, melodies, or hooks float out there. I just heard this one, picked it up, moved on it, and started playing."
  • That's the band's alto sax player Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas singing "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
  • You can't boogie without The Boogie Man. Bell explained the genius of Donal Boyce, whose usual duties were running sound and lights: "He had a voice that could do anything. We'd be working and he'd and make all these different voices. I said, 'Hey, set up the mike and let's go.' Live, he'd do his bit during those songs, then go back to the tech side."
  • This was the group's fourth Top 40 hit and their third #1 on the soul charts.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.