Twist and Shout
Isley Brothers Lyrics
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Twist and shout
Come on baby now
Come on and work it on out
Well work it on out, honey
You know you look so good
You know you got me goin' now
Just like I know you would
Well, shake it up baby now
Twist and shout
Come on, come on, come, come on baby now
Come on and work it on out
You know you twist, little girl
You know you twist so fine
Come on and twist a little closer now
And let me know that you're mine, woo
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Yeah, shake it up baby now
Twist and shout, shake it up, work it on out
Well shake it, shake it, shake it, baby
Ooh
The lyrics to "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers are a call to action for the listener to let loose and dance. The repeated exhortation to "shake it up" and "work it on out" creates a fun, energetic atmosphere that encourages dancing and movement. The chorus, with its repeated phrase "Twist and shout," reinforces this message and encourages the listener to enjoy themselves without any pretensions or worries.
The song's lyrics also have a romantic undercurrent, particularly in the final verse when the singer urges the girl he's dancing with to "twist a little closer now / And let me know that you're mine." This adds an extra layer of meaning to the song, suggesting that dancing and physical movement can also be a way to connect with someone romantically.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, shake it up baby now
Encouraging the partner to dance in an energetic way
Twist and shout
Instructing the partner to move their body in a specific way while shouting
Come on baby now
Urging the partner to join in and dance together
Come on and work it on out
Encouraging the partner to keep moving their body and let go of their inhibitions
Well work it on out, honey
Confirming that the partner is doing a good job and should continue dancing
You know you look so good
Complimenting the partner's appearance and inviting them to keep dancing
You know you got me goin' now
Expressing the great effect the partner's dancing has on the singer
Just like I know you would
Affirming that the partner is living up to the singer's expectations
Come on, come on, come, come on baby now
Continuing to urge the partner to dance and have fun
You know you twist, little girl
Praising the partner's dancing of the specific dance move called 'twist'
You know you twist so fine
Reinforcing the compliment of the partner's dancing ability
Come on and twist a little closer now
Inviting the partner to dance with more intimacy
And let me know that you're mine, woo
Expressing desire and possessiveness over the partner
Yeah, shake it up baby now
Emphasizing the need for high energy dancing
Twist and shout, shake it up, work it on out
Encouraging the partner to keep dancing
Well shake it, shake it, shake it, baby
Continuing to push for high energy dancing and having fun
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: B. RUSSELL, P. MEDLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mike8903
@tacticalboi Bert Berns wrote the song and the first recording of it was by "the top notes" produced by Phil Spector. Berns hated Spectors production so Bert produced this version with the Isley Brothers.
@zhou_sei
interesting. and to think, phil was famous for his production style (although now infamous for his insanity)...
thanks for sharing
@cactuspixel
Great tune kids today (Millennials) dont know real music they only like having dreadlocks and not working at all while eating their avacodas,
my wife died in.1981 from gallbladder disease
-Ted Phillips
@zhou_sei
@Keith Sumner sucks about his wife, but ted phillips really sounds like a miserable and out of touch old fart with that there quote.
@cactuspixel
@zhou sei Gravey RRecipe googel
@burtbosma5200
The Top Notes version is appalling, so Berns got that right. This is good, and The Beatles clearly copied the arrangement, but their version makes it so much more exciting as a song, so deserves to be remembered as the standard.
@MuhammadFarukh
Can we appreciate both this version and The Beatles version without insulting either one of them?
@2bobaf
+Muhammad Farrukh Of course we can.
@brendanh792
yeah we can
@vashna3799
Well said, Paul McCartney would be embarrassed to read all these comments.