His initial rise to stardom occurred under tutelage of producer's Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International in 1970. The Blue Notes had hits such as "I Miss You," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," the two million seller "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and many more. Following personality conflicts between Melvin and Pendergrass, Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like "The More I Get the More I Want," "Close the Door," "I Don't Love You Anymore," "Turn Off the Lights" and others.
His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live! Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980's TP and the final Philadelphia International Records album It's Time for Love (1981). He also sang a duet with Whitney Houston on "Hold Me," from her self-titled debut album.
Teddy Pendergrass started singing gospel music in Philadelphia churches, becoming an ordained minister at ten years old. While attending public school, he sang in the citywide McIntyre Elementary School Choir and in the All-City Stetson Junior High School Choir. A self-taught drummer, Pendergrass had a teen pop vocal group when he was 15.
By his late teens, Pendergrass was a drummer for local vocal group the Cadillacs. In the late 60s, the Cadillacs merged with another more-established group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. In 1970, when the Blue Notes broke up, Melvin, now aware of Pendergrass' vocal prowess, asked him to take the lead singer spot. It's no secret that Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff wanted Marvin Junior of the Dells for their Philadelphia International Records roster. Since the Dells were signed to Chess, they were unavailable. When the gruff'n'ready vocals of Pendergrass came their way, they eagerly signed the group.
Beginning with "I Miss You," a steady stream of hit singles flowed from the collaboration of Pendergrass and Gamble & Huff: "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody" (#1 R&B for two weeks in 1976), and two gold albums, To Be True and Wake Up Everybody.
Unfortunately, the more success the group had, the more friction developed between Melvin and Pendergrass. Despite the revised billing of the group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Theodore Pendergrass, Pendergrass felt that he wasn't getting enough recognition. Around 1976, Pendergrass left Melvin's Blue Notes and formed his own Blue Notes, featuring Teddy Pendergrass. Briefly, there was some confusion as to which Blue Notes was which. The resolution came when Pendergrass disbanded his Blue Notes in favor of a solo career and Melvin's group signed a recording contract with Source Records, distributed through ABC Records, scoring a hit with "I Want to Be Your Lover."
Pendergrass signed a new contract with Philadelphia International Records sometime between late 1976 and early 1977. He burst back on the scene with Teddy Pendergrass, a platinum solo debut that included the top-notch singles "I Don't Love You Anymore," "You Can't Hide From Yourself," and "The More I Get the More I Want." Around this time, Pendergrass began to institute his infamous "Ladies Only" concerts. His next three albums went gold or platinum: Life Is a Song Worth Singing, Teddy, and Live! Coast to Coast. The hit single "Close the Door" was used in the film Soup for One, where Pendergrass had a minor role.
The singer received several Grammy nominations during 1977 and 1978, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, and awards from Ebony magazine and the NAACP. He was also in consideration for the lead in the movie biopic The Otis Redding Story. The '70s ended, but Pendergrass kept racking up the hits. TP, his fifth solo album, went platinum in the summer of 1980 off the singles "Turn Off the Lights," "Come Go With Me," "Shout and Scream," "It's You I Love," and "Can't We Try." It's Time for Love gave Pendergrass another gold album in summer 1981, which included the hit singles "Love TKO" and "I Can't Live Without Your Love." However in the UK chart success was limited to a handful of singles peaking just short of the top 40. Amazingly "Love TKO" failed to even grace the top 100.
A 1982 car accident left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound. After almost a year of physical therapy and counseling, Pendergrass returned to the recording scene, signing a contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1983. His ninth solo album, his Elektra/Asylum debut, Love Language went gold the spring of 1984. Philadelphia International issued two albums of unreleased tracks, This One's for You (1982) and Heaven Only Knows (1983). Other albums included Workin' It Back (1985), Joy (1988, whose title track stayed at #1 in the R&B charts for two weeks), and A Little More Magic (1993). The latter half of '90s found Pendergrass recording for the Surefire/Wind Up label. Truly Blessed (the name of an 1991 Elektra album) is the title of the autobiography Pendergrass co-authored with Patricia Romanowski.
Pendergrass passed away at age 59 on January 13, 2010 from complications following surgery for colon cancer.
Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose
Teddy Pendergrass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Whatcha come out here for?
Do you wanna party? (Yeah!)
Do you wanna dance? (Yeah!)
Come on people
Come on and get down, down!
I come out here to party
And party is what I'm gonna do, alright
I done worked hard both night and day
And now it's time for me to shake it loose
Took me an hour just to get here
Well, do you think I'm gonna stand up on the wall?
Gonna have myself a ball
Do you hear me?
Have myself a ball
Come on y'all! (Woo!)
Come on, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Come on, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Do you wanna party? (Yeah!)
Do you wanna dance? (Yeah!)
Come on people
Come on and get down, down!
Down, down, down, down!
Though this crowd is full of people
Well, there's room enough for you and me, yeah
I can't get a chance to hold you in my arms
And whisper something sweet in your ear
When you're having fun the time just slips away
So let's make use of the moments that we share
Let's act like we don't care
Do you hear me?
Free like a bird in the air
Come on people! (Woo!)
Get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Alright, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Whatcha come out here for?
Do you wanna party? (Yeah!)
Do you wanna dance? (Yeah!)
Do you wanna party?
Come on and get down!
Down, down, down, down, down, down!
Get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Alright, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Come on, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Yeah
Yeah
Come on people
Yeah
Get up, come on
Get down, come on
Come on, get up
Come on, get down
Let the music tell the party people
Well, you feel like partyin'?
Alright well, yeah
Come on, clap your hands and have a good time
Come on, clap your hands and have yourself a ball
Come on, get up, sit down
Come on, get up
Well, well
Do you feel like dancin'? Dancin, yeah
Do you feel like dancin'? Dancin, yeah
The music keeps groovin', keep on groovin'
The music is sure 'nough groovin'
Well, yeah, groovin'
Come on now, do that, do that, do that dance, alright
Come on now, do that, do that, do that dance, ooh, lord
Get up, get down
Come on, get up and then on down, yeah
Get up, get down, get down
Come on and do that, do that, do that dance
Do that, do that, do that dance
Do your thing (ooh, ooh)
Do that dance (ooh, ooh)
Do that, do that, do that dance
Come on and party (ooh, ooh)
Do that, do that, do that dance (ooh, ooh)
Come on and party (ooh, ooh)
Come on and do that, do that, do that dance (ooh, ooh)
Party! (Ooh, ooh)
Come on now, do that dance (ooh, ooh)
Put your hands together (ooh, ooh)
Do the music, let the music take your mind (ooh, ooh)
Yeah (ooh, ooh)
Yeah (ooh, ooh)
Let the music move and move ya
Got to move it, take me groovin'
Yeah
Stand on up (groove)
Get on up (move)
Stand on up (groove)
Move on up
Can't sit still
The music got your party gone away
Keep on movin', movin'
Get on up
Keep on movin', movin'
In Teddy Pendergrass's song Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose, the singer is encouraging people to loosen up and dance. The verses suggest that the singer has been extensively working and has come out to the party in order to unwind and change his daily routine. Teddy Pendergrass is asking people if they wanna party or dance, and then tells them to get down and get funky. He advises party-goers not to stand on the wall but to move and let loose. Teddy's voice accompanied by the upbeat instrumentation lures everyone to enjoy themselves and let the music take over.
The lyrics of Get Up Get Down Get Funky Get Loose are relatively simple and repetitive. However, the song is an exceptional example of Teddy Pendergrass's vocal range and his ability to connect with the audience. The back and forth discussion with the crowd is another example of the relationship that Teddy always fostered with his audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on, get up, get down, get funky, get loose
Encouraging people to dance, have fun, and enjoy the music
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Asking why someone came to the event
Do you wanna party? (Yeah!)
Asking if someone wants to have fun and enjoy the event
Do you wanna dance? (Yeah!)
Asking if someone wants to dance and enjoy the music
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Again, asking why someone came to the event
Come on people
Encouraging everyone to join in the fun and dance
Said, whatcha come out here for?
Continuing to ask why someone came to the event
Though this crowd is full of people
Acknowledging that there are a lot of people in attendance
Well, do you think I'm gonna stand up on the wall?
Expressing a desire to dance and have fun, rather than just stand and watch
I done worked hard both night and day
Implying that the artist deserves to have fun and enjoy the event
Let's act like we don't care
Encouraging people to let go and not worry about anything except having fun
Free like a bird in the air
Suggesting that dancing and having fun is liberating and freeing
Come on and get down!
Encouraging people to dance and have fun
Let the music tell the party people
Indicating that the music should guide people's movements and energy
Do you feel like dancin'? Dancin, yeah
Asking if people want to dance and urging them on
Put your hands together (ooh, ooh)
Encouraging everyone to clap and participate
Do the music, let the music take your mind (ooh, ooh)
Encouraging people to let go and let the music guide them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leon Huff, Kenny Gamble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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