"Get Up Offa That Thing" is a song written and performed by James Brown. It was released in 1976 as a two-part single (the B-side, titled "Release the Pressure", is a continuation of the same song). It reached #4 on the R&B chart, briefly returning Brown to the Top Ten after a year's absence, and #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be Brown's biggest hit during his late-1970s career decline. The song's lyrics urge listeners to "Get up offa that thing / and dance 'til you feel better." Brown's declamatory vocals include slights directed at his musical competitors, including Barry White, the Ohio Players, and K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Due to his troubles with the IRS for failure to pay back taxes, Brown credited authorship of the song to his wife Diedre and their daughters, Deanna and Yamma Brown.
According to Brown, the inspiration for "Get Up Offa That Thing" came to him during a club performance in Fort Lauderdale:
The audience was sitting down, trying to do a sophisticated thing, listening to funk. One of the tightest bands they'd ever heard in their lives, and they were sitting. I had worked hard and dehydrated myself and was feeling depressed. I looked out at all those people sitting there, and because I was depressed they looked depressed. I yelled, "Get up offa that thing and dance til you feel better!" I probably meant until I felt better.
Unlike most popular music of the time, which made sophisticated use of multitrack recording and other techniques, "Get Up Offa That Thing" was recorded live in the studio in only two takes.
Album release info:
Arranged and Produced by:
James Brown
Polydor USA #PD-1-6071 1976
Tracklist:
01. Medley: Get Up Offa That Thing, Release The Pressure (9:18)
02. You Took My Heart (3:23)
03. I Refuse To Lose (7:34)
04. Can't Take It With You (9:06)
05. Home Again (4:39)
06. This Feeling (8:23)
*Digitally remastered from vinyl on WAVE 44100hz 16Bit by funkerman
*Re-encoded with dBpoweramp to mp3@320
Media Info:
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Channels: joint stereo
Samplerate: 44100
Encoder: LAME 3.99
MPEG-1 layer 3
*many thanks and much respect to funkerman for the source and to all those who care enough to share