There can be little argument that Chic was disco's greatest band; and, working in a heavily producer-dominated field, they were most definitely a band. By the time Chic appeared in the late '70s, disco was already slipping into the excess that eventually caused its downfall. Chic bucked the trend by stripping disco's sound down to its basic elements; their funky, stylish grooves had an organic sense of interplay that was missing from many of their overproduced competitors. Chic's sound was anchored by the scratchy, James Brown-style rhythm guitar of Nile Rodgers and the indelible, widely imitated (sometimes outright stolen) bass lines of Bernard Edwards; as producers, they used keyboard and string embellishments economically, which kept the emphasis on rhythm. Chic's distinctive approach not only resulted in some of the finest dance singles of their time, but also helped create a template for urban funk, dance-pop, and even hip-hop in the post-disco era. Not coincidentally, Rodgers and Edwards wound up as two of the most successful producers of the '80s.
Rodgers and Edwards first met in 1970, when both were jazz-trained musicians fresh out of high school. Edwards had attended New York's High School for the Performing Arts and was working in a Bronx post office at the time, while Rodgers' early career also included stints in the folk group New World Rising and the Apollo Theater house orchestra. Around 1972, Rodgers and Edwards formed a jazz-rock fusion group called the Big Apple Band. This outfit moonlighted as a backup band, touring behind smooth soul vocal group New York City in the wake of their 1973 hit "I'm Doin' Fine Now." After New York City broke up, the Big Apple Band hit the road with Carol Douglas for a few months, and Rodgers and Edwards decided to make a go of it on their own toward the end of 1976. At first they switched their aspirations from fusion to new wave, briefly performing as Allah & the Knife Wielding Punks, but quickly settled into dance music. They enlisted onetime LaBelle drummer Tony Thompson and female vocalists Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson, and changed their name to Chic in summer 1977 so as to avoid confusion with Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (who'd just hit big with "A Fifth of Beethoven").
Augmented in the studio by keyboardists Raymond Jones and Rob Sabino, Chic recorded the demo single "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and shopped it around to several major record companies, all of which declined it. The small Buddah label finally released it as a 12" in late 1977, and as its club popularity exploded, Atlantic stepped in, signed the group, and re-released the single on a wider basis. "Dance, Dance, Dance" hit the Top Ten, peaking at number six, and made Chic one of the hottest new groups in disco. Chic scrambled to put together their self-titled first album, which spawned a minor follow-up hit, "Everybody Dance," in early 1978. At this point, Wright left to try her hand at a solo career (with assistance from Rodgers and Edwards), and was replaced by Luci Martin. It was a good time to come onboard; "Le Freak," the first single from sophomore album C'est Chic, was an out-of-the-box smash, spending five weeks on top of the charts toward the end of 1978 and selling over four-million copies (which made it the biggest-selling single in Atlantic's history). Follow-up "I Want Your Love" reached number seven, cementing the group's new star status, and C'est Chic became one of the rare disco albums to go platinum.
1979's Risqué was another solidly constructed LP that also went platinum, partly on the strength of Chic's second number one pop hit, "Good Times." "Good Times" may not have equaled the blockbuster sales figures of "Le Freak," but it was the band's most imitated track: Queen's number one hit "Another One Bites the Dust" was a clear rewrite, and the Sugarhill Gang lifted the instrumental backing track wholesale for the first commercial rap single, "Rapper's Delight," marking the first of many times that Chic grooves would be recycled into hip-hop records. Also in 1979, Rodgers and Edwards took on their first major outside production assignment, producing and writing the Sister Sledge smashes "We Are Family" and the oft-sampled "He's the Greatest Dancer." This success, in turn, landed them the chance to work with pop / R&B superstar Diana Ross on 1980's blockbuster opus, diana , and they wrote and produced "Upside Down," her first number one hit in four years, as well as another top-ten smash, "I'm Coming Out."
If you listen closely to Chic's early productions, the strings play a prominent role, especially on the beautiful ballads from the recordings for the band and Sister Sledge. It is also very significant to note the strong background vocalists on those recordings -- many of New York's finest session singers -- among them, one who would soon become a superstar Grammy winner in his own right, Mr. Luther Vandross, who also was a featured vocalist with the studio disco group, Change.
The disco fad was fading rapidly by that point, however, and 1980's Real People failed to go gold despite another solid performance by the band. Changing tastes put an end to Chic's heyday, as Rodgers and Edwards' outside production work soon grew far more lucrative, even despite aborted projects with Aretha Franklin and Johnny Mathis. Several more Chic LPs followed in the early '80s, with diminishing creative and commercial returns, and Rodgers and Edwards disbanded the group after completing the lackluster Believer in 1983. Later that year, both recorded solo LPs that sank without a trace. Hungry for acceptance and respect in the rock mainstream (especially after accusations that they had ripped off Queen instead of the other way around), both Rodgers and Edwards sought out high-profile production and session work over the rest of the decade. Rodgers produced blockbuster albums like David Bowie's Let's Dance, Madonna's Like a Virgin, and Mick Jagger's She's the Boss. Edwards wasn't as prolific as a producer, but did join the one-off supergroup The Power Station along with Tony Thompson as well as Robert Palmer and members of avowed Chic fans Duran Duran; he later produced Palmer's commercial breakthrough, Riptide. Edwards also worked with Rod Stewart (Out of Order), Jody Watley, and Tina Turner, while Rodgers' other credits include the Thompson Twins, the Vaughan Brothers, INXS, and The B-52's' comeback Cosmic Thing.
Rodgers and Edwards re-formed Chic in 1992 with new vocalists Sylver Logan Sharp and Jenn Thomas, and an assortment of session drummers in Thompson's place; they toured and released a new album, Chic-ism. In 1996, the reconstituted Chic embarked on a tour of Japan; sadly, on April 18, Edwards passed away in his Tokyo hotel room due to a severe bout of pneumonia. Rodgers continued to tour occasionally with a version of Chic, and, in 1999, his Sumthing Else label issued a recording of Edwards' final performance with the band, Live at the Budokan.
CHIC has been nominated for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nine times: 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Rodgers and Chic continue to perform to major audiences worldwide as CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers.
In October 2010, Rodgers began his fight with prostate cancer. In October 2011, he released his autobiography entitled Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. On July 29, 2013, Rodgers posted on Twitter that he was cancer free.
In 2013, CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers headlined the West Holts Stage on Friday night at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, and played a variety of tracks both from Chic and from Nile Rodgers' extensive list of songs he had worked on for other artists. A compilation album, Up All Night, credited to The Chic Organization and featuring their productions for various artists between 1977 and 1982, was released the following Monday, 1 July, and entered the UK Compilation Albums Chart at number 2 a week later.
CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers played the iTunes Festival in London on September 14, 2013. CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers, opened The X Factor (UK TV series) live show on 2 November 2013 for Disco week. They performed a medley of hits including "Le Freak", "He's The Greatest Dancer" and "Good Times".
Rodgers announced in 2013 that he was working on a new Chic album, based on recently rediscovered tapes of unreleased material from the early 1980s. He also stated that Daft Punk is interested in working on at least one song of the unreleased material with him. Rodgers co-wrote and performed on three songs off Daft Punk's 2013 Grammy Award winning Album of the Year Random Access Memories including the Grammy Record of the Year Get Lucky with the duo and Pharrell Williams.
CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers headlined at the 2014 Essence Festival curated by Prince. Special guests performing with Chic during a segment of the show that highlighted Chic's songwriting and production work for other artists, were Kathy Sledge for Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", Janelle Monae for Sister Sledge's "He's The Greatest Dancer" and Prince for David Bowie's "Let's Dance". CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers headlined Bestival in the Isle of Wight, UK on September 7, 2014. Nile Rodgers played tribute to his guitar technician Terry Brauer at Bestival after learning of his death from cancer.
While chatting with Billboard's Kerri Mason, Rodgers announced a new Chic album and shared a never-before-heard new solo track. The upcoming album is set to feature collaborations from the David Guetta and Avicii. Rodgers described how a lick he played to test a freshly-repaired guitar caught the ear of DJ Nicky Romero, ending as an important part of a "huge song" on the upcoming album. Rodgers assumed "It sounds like a pop record".
A year later, it was announced that Nile Rodgers has signed a new record deal with Warner Bros. with a release of a new Chic album for the first time in in more than two decades this June. The album will be titled It's About Time. The lead single from the record, titled "I'll Be There", will come out March 20th. Beside this, Warner Bros. signed a deal with the label that Rodgers and music exec Michael Ostin formed, Land of the Good Groove. Rodgers decided to officially unveil the track “I’ll Be There” during the vernal equinox on March 20 to signify the rebirth of the Chic Organisation. The star received a box of lost Chic demos back in 2010, and “I’ll Be There” is one of those lost tapes finished for a new generation of Disco fans.
In other news, Rodgers gave an update on his new solo material with a new track called "Do What You Wanna Do" and announced that a Chic-inspired musical is in the early stages of production.
Dance with Me
Chic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get on your feet, feet, feet, feet
Get on your feet, feet, feet, feet
And dance with me (hey)
Come on
Get on your feet, feet, feet, feet
Get on your feet, feet, feet, feet
And dance with me
I feel the fire burnin' all inside (yeah, yeah yeah)
My body is askin' me to dance tonight (oh)
Sound up, the bass is flowing down my spine (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Grab a hand, baby (baby)
And make romance, baby (baby)
Ohh
Get on the floor, make some moves
I want more
Let me see what you can do
Put the party in your grooves
To the left, to the right
We can do this all night
Say yeah (yeah)
Now put your hands up in the air
If you feel it, put your hands in the air
And break it on down (yeah, yeah)
Turn the music up now
It's a night we can't forget
So let's make it worth it
Turn the music up loud and dance, dance, dance with me
And the crowd is jumpin' (yeah, yeah)
And the music's pumpin' (yeah, yeah)
We have to keep on jammin', yeah (let's turn it on up)
Work your step (don't you stop)
Can you feel it? (what you got?)
Let me see you (alright)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Stay on the floor, make some moves
I want more
Let me see what you can do
Put the party in your grooves
To the left, to the right
We can do this all night
Say yeah (yeah)
Now put your hands up in the air
If you feel it, put your hands in the air
Go on and break it on down (break it on down)
Turn the music up now
It's a night we can't forget
So let's make it worth it (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Turn the music up loud and dance, dance, dance with me
If you're feelin' the vibe, just relax your mind
Let the music take control for you
It's time to let go
And to just give in
It's your moment to shine
Just get up on your feet, and move to the beat
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Come on, ooh
Mmm, oh, oh
Turn it up loud
Yeah, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Yeah
Don't lie
And if you feel it, put your hands on the air
And break it on down (yeah, yeah)
Turn the music up now
It's a night we can't forget
So let's make it worth it (let's make it worth it)
Turn the music up loud and dance, dance, dance with me
If you feel it, put your hands in the air
And break it on down (break it on down)
Turn the music up now
It's a night we can't forget
So let's make it worth it (uh-huh, uh- huh)
Turn the music up loud and dance, dance, dance with me
If you feel it, put your hands on the air
And break it on down (break it on down)
Turn the music up loud
It's a night we can't forget
So let's make it worth it (let's make it worth it)
Turn the music up loud and dance, dance, dance with me (with me)
The lyrics of "Dance Dance Dance" by Chic featuring Nile Rodgers are an invitation to the listener to let go of their inhibitions and dance. The repetition of the phrase "get on your feet" emphasizes the song's high-energy and danceability, urging the listener to join in the fun. The singer expresses their desire to dance and encourages their partner to join them. As they dance, they feel the music's power, with the bass causing a physical reaction in their body.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of letting go and enjoying the moment on the dance floor. The crowd is described as "jumpin'" and the music as "pumpin'," adding to the song's overall sense of excitement. The singer urges the listener to keep dancing, describing it as their moment to shine on the dance floor.
Overall, "Dance Dance Dance" is a simple, straightforward song with an upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics that make it perfect for dancing.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on
Encouraging the listener to join in
Get on your feet, feet, feet, feet
Inviting the listener to stand up
And dance with me (hey)
Encouraging the listener to dance with the singer
I feel the fire burnin' all inside (yeah, yeah yeah)
The artist is excited and can feel the energy of the music
My body is askin' me to dance tonight (oh)
The rhythm is irresistible and the artist needs to dance
Sound up, the bass is flowing down my spine (yeah, yeah, yeah)
The heavy bass is physically affecting the singer
Grab a hand, baby (baby)
Inviting a romantic partner to join in on the dance
And make romance, baby (baby)
Encouraging intimacy while dancing
Get on the floor, make some moves
Encouraging the listener to start dancing
I want more
The artist is enjoying the music and wants to keep dancing
Let me see what you can do
Challenging the listener to show off their moves
Put the party in your grooves
Encouraging the listener to feel the music and let loose
To the left, to the right
Instructions for dance moves
We can do this all night
The music is good enough to keep dancing indefinitely
Say yeah (yeah)
Asking the listener to participate
Now put your hands up in the air
Classic call to action for a dance party
If you feel it, put your hands in the air
Another call to participate
And break it on down (yeah, yeah)
Inviting the listener to show off their moves
Turn the music up now
Asking someone to adjust the volume
It's a night we can't forget
The artist is enjoying the party and doesn't want to forget it
So let's make it worth it
Suggesting that the music and dancing can create a memorable experience
And the crowd is jumpin' (yeah, yeah)
Describing the excitement of the party
And the music's pumpin' (yeah, yeah)
The music is energetic and catchy
We have to keep on jammin', yeah (let's turn it on up)
Encouraging the party to continue and to turn the volume up
Work your step (don't you stop)
Encouraging the listener to keep dancing and not quit
Can you feel it? (what you got?)
Asking the listener if they are enjoying the music and dancing
Let me see you (alright)
Challenging the listener to show off their moves
If you're feelin' the vibe, just relax your mind
The music can put the listener in a relaxed and free mindset
Let the music take control for you
Encouraging the listener to let the rhythm guide their dance moves
It's time to let go
Suggesting that dancing can be a freeing experience
And to just give in
Encouraging the listener to fully embrace the music and dance
It's your moment to shine
Emphasizing that dancing can be a self-expression and a time to shine
Just get up on your feet, and move to the beat
Encouraging the listener to stand up and dance
Don't lie
Challenging the listener to be honest about their love of dancing
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Fitzgerald Williams, Nile Rodgers, Sha Sha Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind