Shalamar's first single, the 1977 Motown medley "Uptown Festival," featured a bevy of faceless studio musicians; once it became a hit, Griffey decided to form a performing group under the name Shalamar. Through Soul Train, Griffey found Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel, and Gerald Brown, the three vocalists that became Shalamar; Brown was quickly replaced by Howard Hewitt in 1978.
Shalamar's string of poppy dance-soul hits began in 1979 with "Take That to the Bank"; later that year, "The Second Time Around" hit the Top Ten. Throughout the early '80s the group were favorites on the U.S. R&B scene, as well as scoring a number of British hit singles (the two biggest being "A Night To Remember" and "There It Is" in 1982). Watley and Daniel left the group in 1982 and were replaced by Delisa Davis and Micki Free in 1984; Watley went on to stardom as a solo act. Daniel released an album "Skinny Boy in 1990 and choreographed Michael Jackson's Bad and Smooth Criminal videos. He is also credited with teaching Michael the Moonwalk.
The following year Shalamar won a Grammy award for "Don't Get Stopped in Beverly Hills," which was featured in Beverly Hills Cop. Hewitt left for a solo career in 1986, signaling the end of the band's career as hit-makers. Sidney Justin replaced Hewitt and the group recorded 1987's Circumstantial Evidence, which was a commercial disappointment. The group faded away soon after the release of 1990's Wake Up.
Jeffrey, Howard Hewett and Carolyn Griffey (Solar Records Dick Griffeys daughter) reformed Shalamar in the late nineties and played two UK Arena tours in 1999 and 2003. In 2005 Shalamar appeared on the primetime TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time and have been touring globally ever since.
In October 2009, the reconstituted Shalamar of Hewett, Daniel, and Griffey, performed as a part of "The Ultimate Boogie Nights Disco Concert Series", at IndigO2, within the O2 Arena Entertainment Avenue in London. This prompted their return to the UK in April 2010 for a tour. Shalamar returned to IndigO2 in October 2011, December 2012, December 2013 and December 2014. Shalamar performed a series of eight UK tour dates in April 2015 and another tour of four UK dates in July 2015.
http://shalamar.info/
Uptown Festival
Shalamar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going to a go-go (Na, na, na, na, yeah, yeah)
Well, there's a brand new place I found
Where people come from miles around
They come from everywhere and if you drop in there
You might see anyone in town
Going to a go-go (Come on now)
Don't you wanna go, yeah (Yeah)
Oh, sugar pie, honey bunch
You know that I love you
Oh, I can't help myself
I love you and nobody else
Oh, you're in and out my life (In and out my life)
You come and you go (Come and you go)
Leavin' just your picture behind (Ooohooohooo)
And I've kissed it one thousand times, hey, hey, hey, hey
Baby, everything is alright
Uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is alright
Uptight, out of sight
Stop in the name of love
Before you break my heart
Stop in the name of love
Before you break my heart
Think it over
Oh, think it over
I tried so hard to be patient
Hopin' you'd stop this infatuation
But each time we are together
I'm so afraid of losing you forever
Stop
You're sweet (You're sweet) as a honey bee
But like a honey bee stings you've gone and left my heart in dreams
All you left (All you left) is our favourite song
The one we danced to all night long
You used to bring (Bring) sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be
Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you've been gone
Same (Same) old song (Song)
But with a different meaning since you've been gone
Love you, oh, baby
The opening lines of Shalamar's Uptown Festival is an invitation to listeners to come along to a go-go, an energetic form of dance popular in the 60s, that originated in African American nightclubs in Washington, D.C. The song’s lyrics describe a place where everyone is welcomed regardless of where they came from. The place becomes a melting pot for the town’s residents, where everyone goes to dance and let loose. The reference to miles shows that the place is a destination, a place to gather and enjoy the atmosphere. The lyrics suggest that anyone could be at the go-go, adding excitement and a buzz to the scene.
The next part of the song switches to a cover, a medley featuring Three Motown songs played back-to-back in a nonstop celebration of rhythm and sound. The slow-paced, romantic “Sugarpie, Honey Bunch by The Four Tops,” starts off the medley. The lyrics express an undying love for someone and how the infatuation remains despite the friend’s constant comings and goings. We then get “Stop In The Name Of Love” by Diana Ross and The Supremes, where the lyrics tell the story of a love affair that’s going sour. Finally, we get back to The Four Tops with “It's The Same Old Song,” whose lyrics share with us the sentiment of the previously mentioned track.
The song has a central theme of music's immense power to bring people together and provide an atmosphere for them to enjoy each other’s company. The medley then takes that a step further by sharing the emotional depth that music can convey. The song’s lyrics’ universal orientation and the celebration of diverse crowds stepping out to enjoy themselves were a significant part of the disco's identity, making “Uptown Festival” an iconic manifestation of the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Going to a go-go
We are heading out to a dance party
Going to a go-go (Na, na, na, na, yeah, yeah)
We are heading out to a dance party with excitement and vigor
Well, there's a brand new place I found
I discovered a fresh new location
Where people come from miles around
where people come from distant places for entertainment
They come from everywhere and if you drop in there
People come from everywhere and if you decide to join us
You might see anyone in town
you could see anyone from the town there at the dance party
Going to a go-go (Everybody)
Everyone is going to the dance party
Going to a go-go (Come on now)
Come on and join us at the dance party
Don't you wanna go, yeah (Yeah)
Don't you feel like joining us at the dance party
Oh, sugar pie, honey bunch
An affectionate way of addressing a lover
You know that I love you
I am reminding my lover that I love them
Oh, I can't help myself
Expressing that I have no control over my love for you
I love you and nobody else
I love you exclusively, and no one else
Oh, you're in and out my life (In and out my life)
I feel like you keep coming in and out of my life
You come and you go (Come and you go)
You keep disappearing (physically or emotionally)
Leavin' just your picture behind (Ooohooohooo)
You leave behind only a photograph
And I've kissed it one thousand times, hey, hey, hey, hey
I have kissed the photo so many times
Baby, everything is alright
I assure you that everything will be okay
Uptight, out of sight
We are happy and carefree
Stop in the name of love
Urging my lover to not hurt me
Before you break my heart
Asking my lover to avoid breaking my heart
Think it over
I want my lover to think about our relationship
Oh, think it over
I'm pleading with my lover to think about our relationship
I tried so hard to be patient
I have been very patient in loving my partner
Hopin' you'd stop this infatuation
I hoped that my partner would stop being infatuated with someone else
But each time we are together
Every time we meet
I'm so afraid of losing you forever
I fear that I may permanently lose your love
You're sweet (You're sweet) as a honey bee
You are as sweet as honey
But like a honey bee stings you've gone and left my heart in dreams
But similar to how a honey bee stings, you have hurt me and I'm now living in a dream world
All you left (All you left) is our favourite song
All you've left behind is a song that we both love
The one we danced to all night long
The song we used to dance to all night long
You used to bring (Bring) sweet memories
You used to evoke sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be
Memories of a love that was once very tender
Now it's the same old song
Now things have become repetitive and monotonous
But with a different meaning since you've been gone
But things seem to have a different significance since you left
Same (Same) old song (Song)
Life has become mundane and tiresome without you
But with a different meaning since you've been gone
Everything has become less meaningful since you have left
Love you, oh, baby
An expression of love and endearment to my lover
Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FOX is FOX
My brother recorded this song on a tape while he was on military duty in Somalia and brought it to me. This record actually changed my life, I'm a music producer now with multiple gold and platinum records :)
Nick Avvento
Arguably one of the best disco songs of its time. You couldn’t help but sing along and break out into dance no matter where you were, schoolyard, beach, block party, affair, street corner, and of course at a club. If you were just cruising in a car, you had to set the volume all the way and turned on your power boaster. This is such a good song, so glad to have access to it, which takes me back to many memories of people, places and things.
Old timer
I can't believe it's five years ago since I commented on this epic song, where does it go? It's heartwarming reading the happy memories it brings to others , especially the local ones that I can really relate to, thanks for all the replies, loved reading them, I hope everyone is well and still loving this.
butterflyyube
I remember this from in the day. It hasn't dated. Something special about the way it's put together. Love from Bristol, Brighton, Swansea
cruzis12
LOS AŇOS 70S 80S FUERON LO MEJOR EN MUSICA Y CALIDAD.NO COMO AHORA.CADA QUIEN ANDABA SU GRABADORA .EN EL SALVADOR SE GOZABA EN LOS.BAILES DE LOS.PUEBLOS.QUE TIEMPOS MAS.BONITOS.
Nick Marino
This song was a huge crowd pleaser everyone knew the words and the arrangement was infectious.
RHS cafe 1977
s s
I have this in vinyl. Disco is so underrated.
Ronnie Smith
I still have this vinyl album
Jose Cuella
Me too!
janiej1966
@arthur verbraak ty for posting. Great tune!!