Get Down Tonight

"Get Down Tonight"
French 7-Inch Single Cover
Single by KC and the Sunshine Band
from the album KC and the Sunshine Band
B-side	"You Don't Know"
Released	February 11, 1975
Genre	Disco[1] funk[2]
Length	3:20 (radio edit) 5:19 (album version)
Label	TK
Writer(s)	Harry Wayne Casey Richard Finch
Producer(s)	Harry Wayne Casey Richard Finch
Certification	Gold (CRIA)[3]
KC and the Sunshine Band singles chronology
"I'm a Pushover" (1974) "Get Down Tonight" (1975) "Shotgun Shuffle" (1975)

"Get Down Tonight" is a song released in 1975 on the self-titled album by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became widely successful, becoming the first of their five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart^[4] and was an international chart hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada and charting in Australia (No. 44), Belgium (No. 11), the Netherlands (No. 5), and the UK (No. 21).

Composition

The song displays some of the signature characteristics of the disco era such as a fast tempo and repeating lyrics. The song features a distinctive introduction, in which a recorded guitar solo is rendered at double speed in a distinct shamisen rhythm over a normal-speed guitar line in the background.

The song was originally titled "What You Want Is What You Get" before KC changed the title to "Get Down Tonight".

Cover versions

• In 1988, "Get Down Tonight" was covered by British band Shriekback. Harry Wayne Casey appears in the videoclip for a few seconds.
• In 2010, the song was covered by Sing It Out Loud for the MTV original movie Turn The Beat Around soundtrack.

Sampling

• Mack 10 interpolated the chorus for the hook of "Get A Lil' Head" off his 1998 album The Recipe.
• In 1998, the song was sampled by the house production act Bamboo for the hit single "Bamboogie". The song reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1998.^[5]

Appearances in other media

The original rendition of "Get Down Tonight" has been used in the films Sid and Nancy, Forrest Gump, Hotel de Love, Rush Hour, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Arlington Road and Roll Bounce. It has also been used in the television shows Futurama (episode "Crimes of the Hot"), House, M.D. (episode "Top Secret") and The Big Bang Theory (episode "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation"), among others. It was also used in a Bollywood film The Great Gambler.

• In 1996, the song was referenced in "The One with the Prom Video" episode of Friends by Chandler, joking about what Rachel's new boyfriend Casey might want.
• In 1998 it was sung by Rodney the guinea pig in Dr. Dolittle.
• In the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember, the song is featured as part of the medley-song "Hey Goldmember" along with Earth, Wind & Fire's "Sing A Song" and two other KC and the Sunshine Band's songs, namely "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and "That's the Way (I Like It)". The lyrics of all four songs were changed completely, and the song is performed by Foxxy Cleopatra, portrayed by Beyoncé.
• In 2009, an extended version of this song was played during the dedication ceremonies for AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas as the stadium's roof was being opened. The ceremonies took place prior to the Dallas Cowboys' regular-season home opener, a game telecast on NBC Sunday Night Football.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1975) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 44 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 13 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[8] 11 Canada (CHUM)[9] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 1 France (IFOP)[11] 74 Italy (FIMI)[12] 9 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 5 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 21 US Billboard Hot 100[16] 1 US Billboard Hot Disco Singles[16] 6 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[16] 1 US Cash Box[17] 1 US Record World[18] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1975) Position Canada (RPM Top 200 Singles)[19] 29 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 74 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 62 US Billboard Hot 100[22] 64 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[23] 3 US Cash Box[24] 33

References

1. Yorke, Ritchie (1976). The History of Rock'n'roll. Methuen. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-8467-0186-6. And that's the way fans like it, as KC and the Sunshine Band came through with the top disco hit of the year, Get Down Tonight.
2. Henderson, Alex. "KC & the Sunshine Band – KC and the Sunshine Band". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
3. "Gold Platinum Database". Music Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 315.
5. Roberts, David (2004). British Hit Singles & Albums (17th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 0-85112-199-3.
6. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
7. "Ultratop.be – KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
8. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 18 oktober 1975" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
9. CHART NUMBER 973 – Saturday, September 13, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4035a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
11. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "KC & the Sunshine Band" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
12. "Indice per Interprete: K" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – KC And The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
15. "Archive Chart: 1975-04-26" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
16. "KC & the Sunshine Band – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
17. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 23, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived October 3, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
18. RECORD WORLD 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived August 1, 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
19. "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
20. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1975" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
21. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1975" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
22. "Top 100 Hits for 1975". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
23. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived June 18, 2009). Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
24. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 20, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2014.

External links