Shout (Isley Brothers song)

"Shout –Part 1"
Single by the Isley Brothers
from the album Shout!
B-side	"Shout –Part 2"
Released	August 1959
Recorded	July 29, 1959
Studio	RCA Victor, New York City
Genre	Rock and roll [1] gospel [1] R&B [2]
Length	2:15 (part 1) 2:10 (part 2)
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	O'Kelly Isley Jr. Rudolph Isley Ronald Isley
Producer(s)	Hugo & Luigi
The Isley Brothers singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" (1959) "Shout –Part 1" (1959) "Respectable" (1960)

"Shout" is a popular song, written and originally recorded by American vocal group the Isley Brothers in 1959. Later versions include a UK Top 10 hit in 1964 by Scottish singer Lulu.

"Shout" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. ^[3] Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 119 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". ^[4]

The Isley Brothers

In performances around 1958, the Isley Brothers would typically end their shows with a cover version of Jackie Wilson's hit "Lonely Teardrops". At one performance at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, lead singer Ronald Isley could see the audience standing and yelling their approval, so he extended the song by improvising a call-and-response around the words "You know you make me wanna..." "Shout!". The group developed the song further in later performances and rehearsals, using a drawn out "We-eee-ll" copied from Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman". On returning to New York City at the end of their engagement, they suggested to record producers Hugo & Luigi that they record the "Shout!" climax of the performance as a separate song. The producers agreed and suggested that the band invite friends to the recording studio to generate a party atmosphere. ^[5]

The recording took place on July 29, 1959 at the RCA Victor Studios in New York City, with Hugo and Luigi choosing the studio musicians and the Isley Brothers inviting organist Herman Stephens. Released by RCA Victor in August 1959, with the song split over both sides of the record, the single reached number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's first chart hit, ^[6] and later the brothers' first gold single on the basis of its longevity. It reached number 44 in Canada. ^[7] Ronald Isley later said that church groups wrote to radio stations asking them to stop playing the record, because of its use of a traditional black gospel sound. ^[5]

Other recordings

• One month after the initial release, Johnny O'Keefe performed the song on his Australian TV show Six O'Clock Rock . He released it as a single, which reached number 2 in Australia. His 1964 re-recording was only a minor hit at number 49. ^[8] Joey Dee and the Starliters reached number 6 with their recording of the song in 1962. It begins with Joey Dee quietly speaking his suggestion to do a little bit of "Shout" before he begins singing, in which the group only covers the first part of the song, omitting the "Say you will" portions as well. They also reworked the chorus portion of the song into an even bigger hit, "Peppermint Twist", while the Isley Brothers' version re-charted that same year at number 94.

• The Beatles recorded "Shout" in 1964 for a television special called Around the Beatles . The recording was later released in 1995 on the Beatles archival album, Anthology 1 . It is the only Beatles recording with a solo lead vocal from each of the four members.

• Dion covered the song in 1962 on his album Lovers Who Wander .

• In 1964, in the U.K., a version by Scottish pop singer Lulu reached number 7 (attributed to Lulu and the Luvvers). ^[9] She re-recorded the song in 1986, and it reached number 8. ^[9] The Shangri-Las included a version of the song in their debut LP Leader of the Pack ^[10] in 1965. Tommy James and the Shondells recorded a version of the song on their 1967 album, I Think We're Alone Now . ^[11]
• In 1968, The Chambers Brothers had a hit with the song which got to no. 83 nationally. ^[12]
• In 1977, 1978, and 1983 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers covered the song during live performances over these years. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

• The song was famously performed in its entirety by Lloyd G. Williams (credited as Otis Day and the Knights) for the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House during the frat house toga party sequence.

• Joan Jett covered this song on her 1980 solo album, Bad Reputation.

• The original 1959 recording was featured in the 1982 film Diner , and the Cheers season 4 episode "Suspicion".

• The song was prominently featured in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark , but they could not afford to license the original recording, so it was covered by Larry Wright.

• The National Football League (NFL)'s Buffalo Bills commissioned a version of "Shout" in 1987 with modified lyrics sung by jingle writer Scott Kemper. ^[16] It has served as the team's official fight song ever since, ^[17] except for a brief period in 1993 when Polaroid's worldwide licensing of the song for the aforementioned ad campaign led to a dispute over royalties, during which the team used a version of "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" by Ernie Maresca. ^[18]

• In 1989, John Stamos, playing Uncle Jesse, covered the song with his fictional band on the series Full House , in the ninth episode of the third season, entitled "Dr. Dare Rides Again".

• Polaroid used a version of the song, retitled "Shoot", in a 1990s-era ad campaign. ^[19]

• A recording of the song was used for the soundtrack of the movie Sister Act in 1992.

• Louchie Lou & Michie One recorded a ragga/rap version of the song, titled "Shout (It Out)", which reached number 7 on the UK chart in 1993. ^[20]

• Michael Jackson used the hook of "Shout" in 2001 for the song of the same title, which was the B-side to the UK single of "Cry" from the Invincible album.

• Green Day performed a cover for the 2005 live/video album Bullet in a Bible .

• In 2013, the song is featured in Glee , in the episode "Girls (and Boys) on Film", the fifteenth episode of season four. It is sung by the New Directions, with Blaine and Brittany singing lead.

• The song was featured in the 2025 film Final Destination: Bloodlines during the Sky View collapse scene.

Charts

Chart performance for "Shout"

Chart (1959)	Peak position
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) [21]	44
US Billboard Hot 100 [22]	47

See also

• "Shout and Shimmy"

References

1. "The Isley Brothers - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". Vocalgroup.org. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
2. "The Isley Brothers: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 1992". January 2012.
3. "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". The Recording Academy. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
4. "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2003. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
5. Myers, Marc (2016). Anatomy of a Song. Grove Press. pp. 23–27. ISBN   978-1-61185-525-8.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 339. ISBN   0-89820-155-1.
7. "CHUM Hit Parade - November 2, 1959".
8. "Johnny O'Keefe with the Rajahs - Shout (Parts 1 & 2)". Where Did They Get That Song?. PopArchives.com.au. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
9. "UK Top 40 Hit Database". EveryHit.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2011.Enter Lulu for Artist and Shout for Title and click Search.
10. "The Shangri-Las Albums". TheShangri-Las.com. Leader of the Pack. Archived from the original on August 4, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
11. Tommy James and the Shondells, I Think We're Alone Now AllMusic Retrieved August 17, 2012.
12. MusicVF.com - The Chambers Brothers songs, Top songs / Chart singles discography, 1968, 4 12/1968 ③ Shout
13. "Shout! (chicago april 1977 & san francisco june 1977) by Tom Petty, CD with gmvrecords". www.cdandlp.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
14. "Sunday Cinema | Tom Petty & Heartbreakers NYE 1978". JamBase. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
15. "Reliving Iconic Cleveland Concerts: 50+ Historic Shows You Can Stream". clevelandmagazine.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
16. Tim, O'Shei (September 12, 2015). "He makes you want to 'Shout!': Meet singer of famous Bills jingle". The Buffalo News . Retrieved November 28, 2022.
17. Miller, Ryan (January 4, 2020). "Buffalo Bills 'Shout' song: Lyrics, videos, history of one of NFL's best fight songs". Democrat and Chronicle . Gannett Company . Retrieved January 17, 2021.
18. Githens, Lauri (May 7, 1993). "Critics wonder if new Bills' song is worth shouting about". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
19. Githens, Lauri (May 14, 1993). "Bills reportedly rejected paying to the tune of $7,000-$10,000 a year for use of 'Shout'". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
20. "Louchie Lou & Michie One". The Official Charts Company.
21. "CHUM Hit Parade, week of November 2, 1959".
22. "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

External links

• List of recorded versions, SecondhandSongs.com