Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)

"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)"
"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)"
Single by Elton John
from the album Blue Moves
B-side	"Chameleon"
Released	January 1977 (US); 3 June 1977 (UK)
Recorded	March 1976
Genre	Rock, pop, disco
Length	3:37 (7" single); 6:39 (Album version)
Label	MCA (US); DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
Official audio
	"Bite Your Lip (Get Up And Dance!)" on YouTube (12" single version)

Last updated April 01, 2023

"Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" is a song co-written by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It is the closing track of his 1976 album, Blue Moves . It came out as a single two months after the release of the album. The US b-side was another album track, "Chameleon", which was also featured on the "Crazy Water" single that only came out in the UK, only four days later, but the UK release of 'Bite Your Lip' was released as a double-A side single, which was backed with 'Chicago' by Kiki Dee, making the release a joint chart effort. The single peaked at No. 28 in both the U.S. and the UK. 500 copies were sent to radio DJ's on a special 12" edition, by The Rocket Record Company.

Lyrical meaning

The song is a party-song. It mentions various places. There is a choir singing throughout most of the song. It could be put in the same vein as disco, but also uses rock and roll, gospel, and pop elements.

Musical structure

The song opens with Elton on piano, and then kicks off to the beat, with the song's first of two slide guitar solos by Davey Johnstone along with the heavy percussion rhythms of Ray Cooper. The rest of the band notably includes, among others, Caleb Quaye. The song begins to turn into a jam after about the first two minutes, prominently including a choir of singers chanting "Bite your lip – get up – (get up) – get up and dance – bite your lip – get up – (get up – get up and dance – bite your lip – get up – get up and dance, dance, dance! (Dance, dance...) (Dance, dance, daaaaaance!)". Like the amount of vocals, the amount of instrumentation increases significantly during this portion, but with John on piano, the piano is obviously the dominant instrument; there are three piano solos in the song. As a result of the musical free-for-all, the song is six minutes and forty-three seconds, making it one of John's longest.

Performances

The song closed his "last" concert in 1977, which featured Stevie Wonder on stage. He also played it dressed as Donald Duck at the free concert in Central Park in 1980. The most recent performance dates from 2004, the first time since his throat surgery. The song was played as part of his tour for Peachtree Road but played in just a handful of concerts and then dropped from the set^[1] (a performance was later issued as a B-side of the "Electricity" single).

Reception

Billboard described "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" as an "all -out disco rocker" and praised its "dynamic and cheerful energy."^[2] Cash Box said that it "falls somewhere between hard-driving boogie and more conventional disco productions" and that "the grand finale utilizes orchestra and repeated chorus, while the basic rhythm section, especially John at the piano, cooks as if in live performance."^[3] Record World said of the single that "Elton's raving disco-styled number...has been edited and given a Tom Moulton mix for maximum danceability."^[4]

Personnel

Elton John – piano, lead vocals
Davey Johnstone – slide guitar, backing vocals
Caleb Quaye – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Kenny Passarelli – bass
Roger Pope – drum kit
James Newton-Howard – synthesizers
Ray Cooper – bongos and congas

With:

The Cornerstone Institutional Baptist and Southern California Community choirs (5 males and 16 females)
The Gene Page Strings: five wide cellos, two normal cellos, six violins, and two violas)

Instrument with uncredited players: additional rhythm guitar; bongo and conga set; pair of tambourines; vibraphone; French horn; trumpet; trombone; flute

Related Research Articles

<i>Madman Across the Water</i> 1971 album by Elton John

Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.

<i>Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy</i> 1975 studio album by Elton John

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was released in May 1975 by MCA Records in America and DJM in the UK and was an instant commercial success. The album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honors. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks.

<i>Rock of the Westies</i> 1975 studio album by Elton John

Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 4 October 1975. The title is a spoonerism on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

<i>Blue Moves</i> 1976 studio album by Elton John

Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in October 1976. It was John's second double album and the first to be released by his own label, Rocket Records Ltd. The album reached number 3 in the US charts, ending a long streak of chart-topping albums for John that began with Honky Château in 1972.

<i>A Single Man</i> (album) 1978 album by Elton John

A Single Man is the twelfth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1978, it is the first album for which Gary Osborne replaced Bernie Taupin as lyricist. It is also the first of two John albums that, on the original cut, have no tracks co-written by Taupin.

"Tiny Dancer" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's 1971 album Madman Across the Water, and was later released as a single in 1972. It was ranked No. 47 on the 2021 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Olsson</span> Musical artist

Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer and singer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatever Gets You thru the Night</span> 1974 single by John Lennon

"Whatever Gets You thru the Night" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1974 on Apple Records, catalogue number Apple 1874 in the United States and Apple R5998 in the United Kingdom. It peaked at No. 1 on all three record charts: Billboard Hot 100, Cashbox, and Record World, and at No. 36 in the UK. It was the lead single for Lennon's album Walls and Bridges; in the UK the single was released on the same day as the album. "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" was Lennon's only solo No. 1 single in the United States during his lifetime, and he was the last member of the Beatles to top the charts.In Canada, the single spent two weeks at No. 2, and became the 30th biggest hit of 1974.

<i>Taupin</i> 1971 studio album by Bernie Taupin

Taupin is the debut studio album by longtime Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin.. It is a spoken word album of his poetry with music that revolves around the them. The album was produced by Gus Dudgeon and coordinated by Steve Brown.

"Grow Some Funk of Your Own" is a song by English musician Elton John. It was released as a single in 1976 from the album Rock of the Westies. It shared its A-side status with "I Feel Like a Bullet ". The song went to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, but in Britain broke a five-year run of successful singles by failing to reach the top 50 despite extensive radio play. Guitarist Davey Johnstone is credited as a co-writer.

The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members since 1970, 1971 and 1973 respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both English and American musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.

"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies, and also reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bitch Is Back</span> 1974 single by Elton John

"The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was the second single released from John's 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada, number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom.

"Crazy Water" is a song by English musician Elton John with lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. It is the seventh track on his 1976 album, Blue Moves. It was released as a single in the UK in February 1977. The single reached No. 27 in the UK singles charts.

<i>Tommy</i> (soundtrack) 1975 soundtrack album by The Who

Tommy is a soundtrack album by The Who with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 Tommy film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969. Pete Townshend oversaw the production of this double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original Tommy LP were realised by the extensive use of synthesiser.

The Too Low for Zero Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 17th studio album Too Low for Zero. The tour consisted in 24 shows across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

The 1980 World Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 14th studio album 21 at 33. the tour included two legs and a total of 63 shows.

The Rock of the Westies Tour was a North American concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. The tour included a total of 17 shows across the United States and Canada.

The Louder Than Concorde Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. the tour included two legs and a total of 62 shows.