Sanborn, who suffered from polio in his youth, has been a highly regarded session player since the mid 1970s. One of his first professional gigs was as a member of Paul Butterfield's band. One of Sanborn's earliest guest recordings was on David Bowie's Young Americans. Around this time his output as a session player became prolific and over the next ten years he played with a dazzling array of artists, such as Paul Simon, James Taylor (contributing to the remake of the Marvin Gaye classic "How Sweet It Is"), The Rolling Stones, The Eagles and Stevie Wonder.
In the late 1980s he was a regular guest member of Paul Shaffer's band on Late Night with David Letterman. From 1988-89, he co-hosted a late-night TV music show on NBC with Jools Holland. The show, "Night Music", following producer Hal Willner's eclectic approach, drew Sanborn together with many famed musicians, such as Miles Davis, Lou Reed, Santana, Curtis Mayfield, and many others.
Throughout his career, Sanborn has skirted the edges of free jazz: In his youth he studied with Roscoe Mitchell and Julius Hemphill, and performed on Tim Berne's Diminutive Mysteries, dedicated to Hemphill. His 1991 album Another Hand, produced by Hal Willner, features Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, and various other players not usually associated with smooth jazz.
In television, Sanborn is well-known for his sax solo in the theme song for the NBC hit drama L.A. Law. He has also dabbled in writing for film, contributing to such scores as Lethal Weapon and Scrooged.
In 2004, David Sanborn was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
You can find photographs and additional information on David's official website, www.DavidSanborn.com.
Got To Give It Up
David Sanborn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause I was too nervous to really get down.
But my body yearned to be free.
I got up on the floor, boy,
so somebody could choose me.
No more standin' upside the wall.
I have got myself together, baby,
now I'm havin' a ball.
somebody watchin' might wanna make romance.
Move your body, move baby, and dance all night,
To the groovin', I feel all right.
Havin' a party, ooh, invite all your friends;
But if you see me stop by, let me in.
Baby, just party all night long.
Let me slip into your erotic zone.
(We heard that!)
Move it up,
Turn it around, ooh, shake it down
Ooh, you can bump me when you want to, babe.
This is such a groovy party, baby.
Dancin' face to face and everybody's screamin'
this is such a groovy place.
All the young ladies are so fine.
You're movin' your body leaves me no doubt;
know what you're thinkin', baby, you want to turn me out.
Think I'm gonna let you do it?
Keep on dancin' oh, Keep on dancin' oh.
Ooh, look so good, yeah, keep on dancin'
Oh, now sugar, got to give it up.
Keep on dancin', gotta give it up.
Keep on dancin' . . . . .
David Sanborn's "Got to Give It Up" is a song about a man who used to be too shy to dance or let loose at parties but has now found his confidence and rhythm. He sings about how he used to stand against the wall at parties, too nervous to dance, but his body yearned to be free. He longed for someone to choose him to dance and now that he's gotten up on the floor, he's having a good time. He's learned that as long as you're grooving, someone might want to make romance with you. The lyrics are all about letting go of inhibitions, dancing all night long, and having a good time with friends.
The chorus of the song encourages the listener to move their body, dance all night, and invite their friends to the party. The verses talk about how the party is groovy, and everyone is having fun, especially the young ladies who look so fine. The song has a sexual undertone with the lyrics "let me slip into your erotic zone", implying that the singer is looking for more than just a dance partner. The song is all about letting go, having fun, and enjoying the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to go out to parties and stand around;
I used to attend parties and would stand on the sidelines because I was too nervous to dance.
'cause I was too nervous to really get down.
I was too anxious to let go and dance the night away.
But my body yearned to be free.
My body desperately wanted to relax and enjoy the music.
I got up on the floor, boy,
I overcame my shyness and started dancing.
so somebody could choose me.
I started dancing so that someone might ask me to dance with them.
No more standin' upside the wall.
I'm not standing around anymore, watching other people dance.
I have got myself together, baby,
I regained my confidence and self-assurance.
now I'm havin' a ball.
I'm having a great time now that I'm letting myself enjoy the party.
Long as you're groovin' there's always a chance
As long as you're dancing, there's always a possibility
somebody watchin' might wanna make romance.
that someone who is observing you may be interested in starting a romantic relationship.
Move your body, move baby, and dance all night,
Move your body and dance as much as you want throughout the night.
To the groovin', I feel all right.
The music is so good and I am having a great time.
Havin' a party, ooh, invite all your friends;
If you're throwing a party, make sure to invite all your friends.
But if you see me stop by, let me in.
But if I am not invited yet, please let me join the party.
Baby, just party all night long.
Let's enjoy the party all throughout the night.
Let me slip into your erotic zone.
Allow me to enter your personal space and maybe start an intimate relationship.
(We heard that!)
An exclamation of agreement, showing approval of the previous statement.
Move it up,
Move your body up.
Turn it around, ooh, shake it down
Turn your body around and shake it down.
Ooh, you can bump me when you want to, babe.
You can bump into me whenever you feel like it.
This is such a groovy party, baby.
This party is really cool and groovy.
Dancin' face to face and everybody's screamin'
People are dancing in pairs and having a great time.
this is such a groovy place.
This location is fantastic and stylish.
All the young ladies are so fine.
All the young women at the party are attractive.
You're movin' your body leaves me no doubt;
The way you're dancing makes me believe something.
know what you're thinkin', baby, you want to turn me out.
I know what you are thinking, you probably want to seduce or attract me.
Think I'm gonna let you do it?
Do you really think that I'll let you seduce me that easily?
Keep on dancin' oh, Keep on dancin' oh.
Keep on dancing, don't stop.
Ooh, look so good, yeah, keep on dancin'
You look so good while you're dancing, keep it up.
Oh, now sugar, got to give it up.
Oh, now darling, it's time to let go and dance.
Keep on dancin', gotta give it up.
Just keep dancing and let yourself go.
Keep on dancin' . . . . .
Keep dancing without any inhibition.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marvin P Gaye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind