"Get Down" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Gilbert O'Sullivan | ||||
from the album I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter | ||||
B-side | "A Very Extraordinary Sort of Girl" | |||
Released | 9 March 1973 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | Pop Rock | |||
Length | 2:39 | |||
Label | MAM | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gilbert O'Sullivan | |||
Producer(s) | Gordon Mills | |||
Gilbert O'Sullivan singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Get Down" on YouTube |
"Get Down" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, from his 1973 album I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter . Released as a single, it spent two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in April 1973, [2] was also a number-one hit in Ireland for three weeks and was a top-ten hit in the United States and Canada. The song was originally used by O'Sullivan as a piano warm-up tune, [3] but was eventually extended into a full song and released as a single; O'Sullivan recorded and released the song as a change from his more melancholy pieces.
Believed to be an order from O'Sullivan to his dog ("Get Down!"), the singer is actually referring to a girl in the song behaving as a dog jumping on him, hence the request to "get down". [4]
The distinctive electric piano riff was performed by Laurie Holloway. [5]
In 2006 British dance group Malibu Sneakers recorded a dance version of the song entitled "Get Down Again". [6] In 2008 it was released as a vinyl 12", including a vocal remix by Raul Rincon. [7]
The song was used in the 2013 film The Harry Hill Movie . [8]
According to Rick Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, the song was the inspiration for the 1975 disco hit "Get Down Tonight". [9]
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
---|---|
Argentina [10] | 6 |
Australia (KMR) [11] | 6 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [12] | 3 |
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders) [13] | 2 |
Canada (RPM) Top Singles [14] | 3 |
Canada (RPM) Adult Contemporary [15] | 1 |
Denmark (Tracklisten) | 4 |
France (SNEP) [16] | 8 |
Ireland (IRMA) [17] | 1 |
Italy (FIMI) [18] | 10 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [19] | 3 |
New Zealand ( Listener ) [20] | 7 |
Norway (VG-lista) [21] | 4 |
South Africa (Springbok) [22] | 3 |
Spain (AFYVE) [23] | 3 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] | 2 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [25] | 1 |
U.S. (Billboard Hot 100) [26] | 7 |
U.S. (Billboard Easy Listening) [27] | 3 |
U.S. ( Cash Box Top 100) [28] | 4 |
West Germany (GfK) [29] | 1 |
Chart (1973) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia [11] | 34 |
Canada [30] | 67 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31] | 38 |
Switzerland [32] | 5 |
UK [33] | 14 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [34] | 66 |
U.S. Cash Box [35] | 40 |
This song, along with another one of O'Sullivan's songs, "Alone Again (Naturally)", were featured as the opening and ending for episode 24 of the Japanese anime hit Maison Ikkoku . At the time, O'Sullivan was signed to production company Kitty Film's associated record label, Kitty Records, which wanted to use the anime's popularity as a way to promote the singer's career in Japan. According to series director Kazuo Yamazaki, the reason the songs were dropped after only one episode was that they were unpopular with viewers; due to copyright issues, they were not included on the English-language American release of the anime, replaced by the previously used Japanese theme songs. The anime was based upon the popular manga of the same name by Rumiko Takahashi.
Raymond Edward "Gilbert" O'Sullivan is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s with hits such as "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair" and "Get Down". His songs are often marked by his distinctive, percussive piano playing style and observational lyrics using word play.
"Daniel" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was first released on John's 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player as its opening track. The original single release was also notable for a re-recorded version of 'Skyline Pigeon" on its B-side, which went on to be a popular track in its own right.
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France, where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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"Clair" is a song by Gilbert O'Sullivan, released in 1972 as the first single from his second album Back to Front. It was written by O'Sullivan and produced by Gordon Mills, and is one of O'Sullivan's biggest-selling singles.
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing "Clair").
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I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter is the third studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, originally released by MAM Records in September 1973. After becoming one of the most successful performers worldwide in 1972, O'Sullivan pursued new directions with the album, taking influence from rock music and funk and incorporating an array of then-new electric keyboards, as well as emphasizing a new rhythmical focus. The album was recorded "on and off" with producer Gordon Mills at the latter's studio, and although several overdubs were recorded in the United States, O'Sullivan referred to the album as an ultimately "very ad hoc home-based" project.
A Stranger in My Own Back Yard is the fourth studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan, originally released in October 1974 by MAM Records. Peaking at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart, it was O'Sullivan's fourth and, to date, final top ten album, although it received positive reviews from critics. After the funk-inflected I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter, A Stranger in My Own Back Yard marked a return to the style of O'Sullivan's first two albums. The album's only single, "A Woman's Place", was O'Sullivan's first since his breakthrough to miss the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Union Square Music reissued the album on the Salvo label in 2012 as part of the Gilbert O'Sullivan - A Singer & His Songs collection.