Alvin and the Chipmunks is a five-time Grammy Award-winning animated music … Read Full Bio ↴Alvin and the Chipmunks is a five-time Grammy Award-winning animated music group, created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing chipmunks: Alvin , the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group, Simon , the tall bespectacled intellectual, and Theodore , the chubby, impressionable sweetheart. The trio is "managed" by their human "father" and confidant, David Seville. In reality, David Seville was Bagdasarian's stage name, and the Chipmunks themselves are named after the executives of their original record label, Liberty Records: Alvin Bennett (the president), Simon Waronker (the founder and owner), and Theodore Keep (the chief engineer).

branched out into music, but that is the opposite of how they began. After first being brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks, the characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series and motion pictures.

The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create the higher pitched, squeaky voices. This process was not entirely new; Bagdasarian had also used it for a previous novelty song project, "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the "trio" two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of "real" albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. After his death in 1972, the voices of the Chipmunks were subsequently recorded by his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, in all subsequent incarnations to date.

Shake Your Groove Thing
Alvin and The Chipmunks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shake your groove thing (yeah)
C'mon.

Shake your groove thing,shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now
Shake your groove thing,shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now

Let's show the world we can dance (dance)
Bad enough to strut our stuff
The music gives us a chance (chance)
We do more out on the floor
Groovin' loose or heart to heart
We put in motion every single part
Funky sounds wall to wall
We're bumpin' bodies. Havin' us a ball, y'all

Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now
Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now

Do it now, shake it down
Shake your body all around
Do it now, upside down
Come on y'all, let's show them how

Do it now, shake it down
Shake your body all around
Do it now, upside down
Come on y'all, let's show them how

We got the rhythm tonight (night)
All the rest know, we're the best
So,shadows flashing in the light (yeah)
Twistin', turnin', we keep burnin'
Shake it high,shake it low
We take our bodies, where they wanna go
Feel that beat,never stop
Oh,hold me tight, spin me like a top

Shake your groove thing,shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now
Shake your groove thing,shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now

Do it now, shake it down
Shake your body all around
Do it now, upside down
Come on y'all, let's show them how

Do it now, shake it down
Shake your body all around
Do it now, upside down
Come on y'all, let's show them how

There's nothing more (nothing more)
that I'd like to do (like to do)
than take the floor (take the floor)
and dance with you
Keep dancin', let's keep dancin'

Let's keep dancin'

Shake your groove thing
Alvin, Simon, Theodore
Shake your groove thing

Shake your groove thing

Shake it now
Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now

Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah
Show 'em how you do it now

Overall Meaning

The song "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Alvin and The Chipmunks is all about letting loose and dancing to the groovy music. The lyrics encourage listeners to show off their dance moves and let the rhythm take over, whether it be grooving loose or heart to heart. The song also emphasizes the importance of having fun and enjoying the music with others. The line "we're bumpin' bodies, havin' us a ball, y'all" captures the essence of the song's message - to let go of inhibitions and dance with joy.

The repetition of the phrase "shake your groove thing" throughout the song drives the message of the lyrics home. The chorus serves as a call to action, pushing listeners to move their bodies and show off their dance moves. The verses continue this message of enjoying the music and letting it take control of your body. The song is ultimately a celebration of dance, rhythm, and community.

Line by Line Meaning

Shake your groove thing (yeah)
Let's dance with enthusiasm.

Shake your groove thing,shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah Show 'em how you do it now
Let's dance and show everyone how it's done.

Let's show the world we can dance (dance) Bad enough to strut our stuff The music gives us a chance (chance) We do more out on the floor
We want to prove to the world that we can dance well and the music is giving us an opportunity to showcase our moves.

Groovin' loose or heart to heart We put in motion every single part Funky sounds wall to wall We're bumpin' bodies. Havin' us a ball, y'all
We are dancing freely and passionately to every beat of the funky music, feeling joyful and having fun.

Do it now, shake it down Shake your body all around Do it now, upside down Come on y'all, let's show them how
Let's move our bodies and dance in every possible way, even upside down, and impress everyone.

We got the rhythm tonight (night) All the rest know, we're the best So,shadows flashing in the light (yeah) Twistin', turnin', we keep burnin'
We are in sync with the music and dancing with confidence, proving to everyone that we are the best on the dance floor.

Shake it high,shake it low We take our bodies, where they wanna go Feel that beat,never stop Oh,hold me tight, spin me like a top
We are moving our bodies up and down, going along with the music, never stopping, and even spinning around tightly with our partners.

There's nothing more (nothing more) that I'd like to do (like to do) than take the floor (take the floor) and dance with you
The singer wants nothing more than to dance with their partner, sharing the joy and energy of the music.

Shake your groove thing Alvin, Simon, Theodore Shake your groove thing Shake your groove thing
The Chipmunks are encouraging everyone to dance and shake their bodies to the music.

Shake it now Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah Show 'em how you do it now Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah, yeah Show 'em how you do it now
Let's dance right now and show everyone how it's done with enthusiasm and energy.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DINO FEKARIS, FREDERICK J. PERREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS