The Original Instrumental, The Bim Bam Boos, 1959

"You Can't Sit Down" was originally recorded as in instrumental in 1959 as "Can't Sit Down" by The Bim Bam Boos on Dasher Records catalogue number D-500 and credited to Dasher - Muldrow; it featured

Phil Upchurch Phillip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American soul music, R&B, jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfiel ...

on guitar and Cornell Muldrow on organ.

1963: Vocal Added Version, The Dovells / The Phrase "Hip Hop"

The Dovells The Dovells were an American doo-wop group, formed at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia in 1957, under the name 'The Brooktones'. The original members were Arnie Silver, Len Borisoff, Jerry Gross (alias Summers), Mike Freda, and Jim Mealey ( ...

added dance-themed lyrics and vocals to their cover of the song, which was released as a single in 1963, and also included on their album of the same name. The song peaked at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on April 27, 1963, and charted for 14 weeks. The lyrics foreshadow the

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

genre with the invocation, "you gotta slop, bop, flip, flop, hip hop, all around". The lyrics also mention South Street in Philadelphia.

The Orlons The Orlons are an American Rhythm and blues, R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 1960. The group won Music recording sales certification, gold discs for three of their single (music), singles. Career The quartet consisted ...

, the Dovells' label mates on

Cameo-Parkway Records Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 (for Cameo) and 1958 (for Parkway) to 1967. Among the types of music released were doo-wop, ...

, released a song in the same year called " South Street", and in 1964 the two songs appeared on an album called ''Golden Hits'', consisting of half Dovells songs and half Orlons songs, in addition to their previous releases.

Other versions

*The later better-known recording of "You Can't Sit Down" by Phil Upchurch and his Combo (Upchurch, Muldrow, David Brooks, Mac Johnson and Joe Haddick) was re-recorded in New Orleans in 1960 and released in 1961 by Boyd Records (Boyd 3398) of Oklahoma with distribution by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

. Upchurch's own version reached No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' pop charts. *This was followed by the vocal cover version by the Dovells that reached No.3 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart in 1963. It is based, at least in part, on the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

song "Sit Down Servant". This version also reached No.10 on the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart *In 1962, it appeared as a cover on Booker T. and the MG's first album, ''

Green Onions "Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. One of the most popular soul songs ever, and R&B instrumentals of its era, it utilizes a twelve-bar blues progression and features a rippling Hammond M3 ...

''. *The

Bar-Kays The Bar-Kays is an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including " Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) in ...

recorded a cover for their 1967 album ''

Soul Finger "Soul Finger" is the first single released by R&B group the Bar-Kays. It was issued by Stax Records on the Volt Records label on April 14, 1967. Background The song was written by the Bar-Kays while they were rehearsing with Norman West to ...

''. *

Hound Dog Taylor Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Life and career Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played t ...

and the HouseRockers also recorded a cover for their 1974 album ''

Natural Boogie ''Natural Boogie'' is the second studio album released by Hound Dog Taylor and his band the HouseRockers. Released on Alligator Records (AL 4704) in 1974, it was the follow-up to their 1971 debut album '' Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers''. ...

.'' *In 1964,

the Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s American rock band from Portland, Oregon. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and has bec ...

included it on their LP '' The Kingsmen in Person''. *

The Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs docu ...

recorded it for their 1965 debut album ''

Leader of the Pack "Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as ...

''. *

Paul Revere & the Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

had the track on their 1965 album '' Here They Come!''. *

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording ...

have played it live as an encore over thirty times since 1976.

Usage in media

*The song was set to two

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

cartoons on D-TV, '' The Hockey Champ'' (1939) and ''

Hockey Homicide ''Hockey Homicide'' is a cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1945, featuring Goofy. Plot Narrator Doodles Weaver explains the rules of ice hockey in satirical format. The narration's emphasis on good sportsmanship is countered by the vi ...

'' (1945). *The

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

used a modified version of the song with team-specific lyrics for the franchise's marketing campaign during the 1991–92 season.

References

{{Authority control 1959 songs 1963 singles 1960s instrumentals Songs with lyrics by Kal Mann The Kingsmen songs The Shangri-Las songs Cameo-Parkway Records singles Songs written by Dee Clark