Give It Up (KC and the Sunshine Band song)

"Give It Up"
Single by KC and the Sunshine Band
from the album All in a Night's Work and KC Ten
B-side	"Uptight"
Released	1982
Genre	Dance-pop [1] post-disco [2] [3]
Length	4:14 (album version) 4:05 (7" version) 5:16 (12" version)
Label	Epic Meca Records
Songwriters	Harry Wayne Casey Deborah Carter
Producers	H. W. Casey Richard Finch
KC and the Sunshine Band singles chronology
"Don't Run (Come Back to Me)" (1982) "Give It Up" (1982) "Are You Ready?" (1984)
Music video
"Give It Up" on YouTube

"Give It Up" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band, ^[4] although it was simply credited as KC in several markets, including the United States. Following the backlash against many disco artists on the charts at the beginning of the 1980s, "Give It Up" was a comeback hit for the band in the US. Epic Records refused to re-release it when included on the band's 1982 album All in a Night's Work and failed to chart upon initial release; however, the independent Meca Records label showed its support and included it on their 1983 album KC Ten .

Following its re-release, "Give It Up" peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1984. It was a hit in the United Kingdom several months earlier, where it topped the UK singles chart for three weeks in August 1983. It went on to become the 18th-best-selling single of the year in the UK. "Give It Up" was the last of the band's hit singles in the US and UK and is their most successful UK hit. Elsewhere, "Give It Up" peaked at number two in Belgium, number three in Australia, and reached the top 10 in several other markets.

In 1993, Danish musical group Cut 'N' Move scored a big hit with their version of "Give It Up", which reached number one in Australia and their native Denmark.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–1984)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5]	3
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders) [6]	2
Ireland (IRMA) [7]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8]	6
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9]	8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10]	4
South Africa (Springbok) [11]	6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [12]	12
UK Singles (OCC) [4]	1
Uruguay (UPI) [13]	6
US Billboard Hot 100 [14]	18
US Dance/Disco Top 80 ( Billboard ) [15]	24
US Cash Box Top 100 [16]	17
West Germany (GfK) [17]	23

Year-end charts

Chart (1983)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [18] [19]	17
UK Singles (OCC) [20]	19

Chart (1984)	Position
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [21]	127
US Billboard Hot 100 [22]	75

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [23]	Gold	35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [24]	Platinum	600,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cut 'N' Move version

"Give It Up"
Single by Cut 'N' Move
from the album Peace, Love & Harmony
Released	February 3, 1993
Genre	Eurodance
Length	4:22
Label	SoulPower Productions
Songwriters	Casey & Finch
Producers	Jørn K Per Holm
Cut 'N' Move singles chronology
"Spread Love" (1991) "Give It Up" (1993) "Peace, Love & Harmony" (1993)
Music video
"Give It Up" on YouTube

"Give It Up" was covered by Danish Eurodance group Cut 'N' Move and released in February 1993 as the first single from their second album, Peace, Love & Harmony (1993). Their version reached number one in Denmark for five weeks and in Australia for four weeks. The song also peaked at number two in Norway, number five in New Zealand, and number six in Austria, Germany, and Sweden. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 31 in August 1993. In Australia, it was certified platinum. It is sung by singers Zindy Laursen and Thera Hoeymans. The rap part is performed by MC Zipp (a.k.a. Jens Kjær Larsen). A colorful music video was produced to promote the single. Cut 'N' Move covered the song again in 1997 for Dancemania Covers .

Track listing

Denmark, CD maxi (1993)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Give It Up" (album version)	4:22
2.	"Give It Up" (extended version)	5:54
3.	"Cut 'N' Move Theme Part II"	2:51
4.	"Give It Up" (instrumental version)	4:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1993–1994)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [25]	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [26]	6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [27]	43
Denmark (IFPI) [28]	1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [29]	31
Germany (GfK) [30]	6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31]	27
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [32]	30
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [33]	5
Norway (VG-lista) [34]	2
Spain (AFYVE) [35]	7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [36]	6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [37]	34
UK Singles (OCC) [38]	61
UK Dance ( Music Week ) [39]	23
UK Club Chart ( Music Week ) [40]	72

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)	Position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [41]	58
Germany (Media Control) [42]	33
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [43]	174
Sweden (Topplistan) [44]	62

Chart (1994)	Position
Australia (ARIA) [45]	13
New Zealand (RIANZ) [46]	32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [45]	Platinum	70,000^
Germany (BVMI) [47]	Gold	250,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Europe	February 3, 1993	12-inch vinyl CD	SoulPower Productions	[48]
United Kingdom	September 20, 1993	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD	EMI United Kingdom	[49]
Australia	November 29, 1993	CD cassette	EMI United Kingdom SoulPower Productions	[50]
Japan	June 29, 1994	Mini-CD	EMI	[51]

Cover versions

The song was covered by Annie Lennox and Chrissie Hynde during a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 9, 1986. ^[52]

"Love You Long Time" by The Black Eyed Peas, from their 2010 album, The Beginning , contains a sample of "Give It Up". ^[53]

The song was also covered in French by the Quebecer singer Jacynthe on her 1999 album Entends-tu mon cœur.

In popular culture

• The song has been turned into a sporting chant in the United Kingdom, especially at football games in England and Scotland:
  • After Liverpool defeated Manchester United 5-0 on October 25, 2021, Liverpool's travelling fans mocked under pressure Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær by singing "Ole's at the Wheel" to the tune of "Give It Up". ^[54]
  • At a UEFA Europa Conference League match on September 8, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a crowd of Shamrock Rovers supporters at Tallaght Stadium were heard singing the chant as "Lizzie's in a Box" to mock the death (owing to historic anti-British sentiment in Ireland). ^[55]
  • The song is commonly used in support of UFC mixed martial artist Tom Aspinall during his fights.
  • The song is the walk-on music for darts player Vincent van der Voort. The crowd is singing his name during the chorus, replacing the words "Baby, give it up". They usually do the same when supporting other darters if their names have the same amount of syllables as this sentence.
• The song is heard in Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson)'s lair when Valentine activates the V-Day program in the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service . ^[56]
• The song is played at the beginning of concerts by Scottish singer Gerry Cinnamon. ^[57]
• The song is featured in the opening scene of Black Mirror episode “Loch Henry” Charlie Brooker. ^[58]

References

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2. Graff, Gary (1996). Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Visible Ink Press. ISBN   978-0-7876-1037-1. the scope of KC's work into the 80s with post-disco singles such "Give It Up."
3. Hoffmann, Frank (2006). American Popular Music: Rhythm & Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop. Infobase Publishing. p. 149. ISBN   978-0-8160-6980-4.
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13. "Las canciones más populares en América Latina". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). January 20, 1984. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
14. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012. Record Research. p. 453.
15. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 143.
16. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 24, 1984". Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2016.. Cash Box magazine.
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20. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 singles: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 42–43. ISBN   0-906154-04-9.
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52. Chrissie Hynde – Feb 9, 1986 , retrieved August 24, 2021
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54. "Ole's at the Wheel! Lyrics & story behind famous Man Utd chant". Goal. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
55. Murphy, Nick; Grennan, Dan (September 9, 2022). "Shamrock Rovers fans sing 'Lizzie's in a box' song after Queen dies". DublinLive. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
56. Review: Kingsman, The Secret Service
57. A superstar? An enigma? Gerry Cinnamon is our next folk hero ready to leap, Big Issue, February 20, 2019
58. “Loch Henry” Series 6, Episode 2 Black Mirror, Netflix, June 15, 2023