“(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” by KC and the Sunshine Band
Whereas some people have viewed “Shake Your Booty” as having an overt sensual connotation, it is pretty clear that it is rather a dance tune. In fact that aspect of the track is made evident from the very-first lyrical line of the song.
KC and the Sunshine Band were a highly-successful musical act which specialized in disco music. And this song was inspired by what they witnessed on the dance floor. For instance, when they would go around to different venues rockin’ the house, KC (aka Harry Wayne Casey) would notice that there would always be a certain segment of the audience who were not as into the performance as others. Thus one of the purposes of this track is to encourage such individuals to “get on the floor” and actually dance.
But more to the point, is that the band simply wanted to drop a slappin’ disco tune, one which reflected the particular era in which it was released. For instance, Richard Finch pointed out that in those days the Bump and other booty-based dances were really popular. So basically when writing this song he and KC wanted to capitalize on the dance trends of the moment.
Conclusion
And honestly we think it’s a bit confusing how someone could actually perceive this track as a song promoting intimacy in the bedroom, as the lyrics provide little room for alternate interpretations. For instance, the word “shake” is mentioned almost 100 times. And whereas in later years the image of strippers would become standard in African-American dance music and the word shake would take on a different, sensualized meaning, remember that this particular song was released back in the 1970s.
Furthermore, the overall theme and even sound of this track really doesn’t give off any type of sensual-related energy. In other words, even if there were no lyrics, it would still be abundantly clear that this is a dance song. It is certainly not a song with an adult theme but one alluding to a more general, party-like atmosphere.
Facts about “Shake Your Booty”
This song is from KC and the Sunshine Band’s fourth album. Interestingly enough, the band titled that album “Part 3”. This is actually the lead single from that effort, with the track being released by TK Records on 27 May 1976.
“(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well as Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles (aka Hot Hip-Hop/R&B Songs), the US Cash Box and the US Record World chart. And it also scored a number one on Canada Top Singles.
Moreover outside of North America it also charted in eight other countries, including breaking the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.
The writing of this song was handled by two members of KC and the Sunshine Band who regularly served as the group’s songwriters, Richard Finch and Harry Wayne Casey.
This track has been featured on popular television programs such as “That ‘70s Show” and “The Simpsons”. It also made on appearance on some big-screen hits like “Carlito’s Way” (1993) and “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002).
This is the first track in history to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that has a singular word (“shake”) repeated four times in the title.
