"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.
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 producersHugo & 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. 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]
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.[7]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 1996 on the Beatles archival album, Anthology 1. It is one of the only Beatles recordings with a solo lead vocal from each of the four members.
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.
Polaroid used a version of the song, retitled "Shoot", in a 1990s-era ad campaign.[14]
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.[15]
The Isley Brothers' 1959 recording of "Shout" was featured in the 1982 film "Diner" and the "Cheers" season 4 episode "Suspicion." However, due to copyright issues, the song was removed from later airings and replaced with "My Mind is Gone" by Lil' Ed and the Blue Imperials.
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.
^ ab"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.
^"The Shangri-Las Albums". TheShangri-Las.com. Leader of the Pack. Archived from the original on 2004-08-04. Retrieved October 17, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
