Raving I'm Raving

Album: single release only (1992)
Charted: 2
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Shut Up And Dance was formed in 1988 in Stoke Newington, London, by two black club DJs: Philip "PJ" Johnson and Carl "Smiley" Hyman. By speeding up hip-hop and funk breaks, they practically invented jungle. This poppy, high speed rave track was their biggest hit.
  • PJ and Smiley based the song without permission on Marc Cohn's "Walking In Memphis," over which Peter Bouncer (who really was a club bouncer!) sings about going to Ibiza for a raving holiday.
  • The song is a satire of drug culture, which clubbers had assumed PJ and Smiley went along with. Smiley explained to Red Bull Music Academy: "We never really liked old school ravey hardcore. I never liked that then, I don't like it now. It's weird to be sucked into something. People used to say, 'You're king of raves, king of hardcore.' What?"
  • Shut Up And Dance were renowned for their flagrant abuse of samples, which led to this song's downfall. After it entered the UK charts at #2, a legal challenge obliged the duo to stop pressing copies and donate the profits from the single to charity. The track dropped to #15 the following week based on the copies remaining in store, after which it dropped out of the chart completely.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

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