Songfacts®:

• There have been many songs where someone sends out a metaphorical S.O.S. distress signal, but only one band named after it. The S.O.S. Band is from Atlanta but were using the name Santa Monica when they signed to Clarence Avant's Tabu Records because one of their members once played a gig in that California city. Their producer, Sigidi Abdullah, convinced them to go with The S.O.S. Band, with S.O.S. meaning "Sounds Of Success." With his help, the band wrote a song around the concept - "S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" - explaining who they are and what the name means. Their S.O.S. signal is a funky groove you can dance to.
• The "Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit" in the title and the bridge is Morse Code, a system of dots and dashes (or dits and dahs) used to transmit messages before voice communication was practical. Each letter is represented by a series of dits and dashes; "Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit" spells out "S.O.S." which was chosen as a distress signal because it can be sent quickly.
  
  Many songs have incorporated Morse code, but this is a rare one where the dots and dashes are sung.
• Released on the band's first album, S.O.S., this song was the group's second single, following "Take Your Time (Do It Right)," a big hit and their best known song. The S.O.S. Band faltered on their next two albums but did better on their fourth effort, On The Rise in 1983, with some songs written and produced by the upstart team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who quickly rose to the top of their field, most notably with Janet Jackson's 1986 album Control.
• The band name provided a visual theme as well, as they went with a vaguely nautical look because S.O.S. was commonly associated with ships that used it to send out distress signals. In this post-disco era, funk bands needed flashy outfits to stand out from the pack and draw attention on stage. The Gap Band dressed like space cowboys, a nod to their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.