1. A Deep Funk outfit act… Read Full Bio ↴There are two Australian bands with this name:
1. A Deep Funk outfit active from 2001 onwards.
2. An Alternative Rock outfit active from 1984 to 1987.
1. The Bamboos are masters of super-heavy, raw and upfront drum-break driven grooves. Led by Guitarist Lance Ferguson (Equatorial Records/Lanu/No Comply), other members include Ben Grayson (Hammond Organ), Danny Farrugia (Drums), Yuri Pavlinov (Bass), Anton Delecca (Sax/Flute) and Ross Irwin (Trumpet). The Bamboos formed in 2001 and released the 7” single ‘Eel Oil/Blackfoot’, earning them international acclaim from the likes of Snowboy, Mr Scruff, Jazzanova, Patrick Forge and Russ Dewbury. Their next release ‘Tighten Up/Voodoo Doll’ was picked up by Kenny Dope (Masters At Work) and Keb Darge (Legendary Deep Funk) for their U.S-based imprint Kay-Dee Records. Making their home at Tru Thoughts records (home to Quantic and Alice Russell) in 2005, The Bamboos debut album ‘Step it Up’ looks set to bolster their reputation as heavy players in the global Funk scene. In 2004 and 2005 The Bamboos toured Australia and New Zealand alongside Quantic and Alice Russell to universal acclaim. The Bamboos live shows have evolved into non-stop mixtape-style throwdowns that draw the links between Hip Hop, Funk and old-school Breaks. The Bamboos have supported international artists including: Keb Darge (UK) Moloko (UK) Mathew Herbert (UK) Dynamo productions (UK) Derrick Carter (USA) Patrick Forge (UK) Snowboy (UK) Jazzanova (GERM) Chris Lum (UK) Alice Russell (UK) Quantic (UK) Nextmen (UK) Russ Dewbury (UK) Steinski (USA) Guru (USA)
2. The Bamboos consisted of members Russel Hopkinson, Mark Gelmi, Craig Hallsworth, Greg Hitchcock. The band is chiefly remembered today for the number of ex-members who have gone to feature prominently in high profile Australian acts.
Tighten Up
The Bamboos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
only sing but we dance just as good as we walk. In Houston we just started a
new dance called the Tighten Up. This is the music we tighten up to.
First tighten up on the drums. Come on now drummer. I want you to tighten
it up for me now. oh yeah
Tighten up on that bass now. Tighten it up. ha ha Yeah
Now let that guitar fall in. Oh yeah
Ya, do the tighten up. Yeah now.
I said if you can do it now,
It sure would be tough.
Now look here. Come on now. Make it mellow.
Let's tighten up now. Do the tighten up.
Everybody can do it now. So let's do it.
We're gonna tighten up. Let's do the tighten up.
You can do it now. So baby get to it.
Let's do your left now. Let's do your right.
You can do it. But don'tcha just do it light.
Come on and tighten up. Tighten it up now.
Come on now drum. Tighten it up.
Tighten up that bass. Oh yeah
Now look here. I want that guitar to fall in on that.
Tighten it up now. Oh yeah
Now tighten it up organ.
There everybody, tighten it up.
Now look here. We gonna make it mellow for ya now.
We gonna make it mellow now.
Tighten up. You can tighten up.
The Bamboos's song Tighten Up is inspired by Archie Bell & The Drells's song of the same name, which was released in 1968. The lyrics describe the new dance craze called the Tighten Up that originated in Houston, Texas. The singer Archie Drell and his band not only sing but also dance the Tighten Up. The song encourages listeners to join in the fun and tighten up on various musical instruments like drums, bass, guitar, and organ. The song is upbeat and lively, and the lyrics provide clear instructions on how to do the dance moves.
Line by Line Meaning
First tighten up on the drums. Come on now drummer. I want you to tighten it up for me now. oh yeah
Start with tightening up the drums. Drummer, I want you to give your best and tighten it up now.
Tighten up on that bass now. Tighten it up. ha ha Yeah
Next, tighten up the bass. Come on, really tighten it up now.
Now let that guitar fall in. Oh yeah
Now let the guitar join in. Make it sound smooth and let it fall in the right place.
Tighten up on that organ now.
Lastly, tighten up the organ. Make it sound more coordinated with the rest of the instruments.
Ya, do the tighten up. Yeah now.
Let's dance to the music and do the tighten up now.
I said if you can do it now,
It sure would be tough.
The dance moves are quite challenging, but let's try to do it now.
Now look here. Come on now. Make it mellow.
Let's tighten up now. Do the tighten up.
Let's make the music mellow and then let's start to tighten up to the rhythm.
Everybody can do it now. So let's do it.
We're gonna tighten up. Let's do the tighten up.
Everyone can dance to the tighten up, so let's start dancing and tighten up to the music.
You can do it now. So baby get to it.
You can do the dance moves, so let's start doing it now, baby.
Let's do your left now. Let's do your right.
You can do it. But don'tcha just do it light.
Come on and tighten up. Tighten it up now.
Let's start with your left and then your right. Don't perform the moves lightly, but tighten up and dance to the rhythm.
Come on now drum. Tighten it up.
Tighten up that bass. Oh yeah
Let's focus on the drums and bass now and make them sound more coordinated and tighter.
Now look here. I want that guitar to fall in on that.
Tighten it up now. Oh yeah
Now tighten it up organ.
There everybody, tighten it up.
Again, let's focus on making the guitar sound smoother and tighter, followed by the organ. Let's make every instrument sound more coordinated and tighter.
Now look here. We gonna make it mellow for ya now.
We gonna make it mellow now.
Tighten up. You can tighten up.
Let's make the music more relaxing now, but keep dancing and tightening up to the rhythm as you can do it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARCHIE BELL, BILLY BUTTIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phillip Brock
That is VERY funky. I have always loved the song by Archie Bell and the Drells, but I always feel the song would have been much tighter had he not kept breaking in to the proceedings to tell us all how much they were tightening it up, man.
ModMokkaMatti
And then they had to tell everyone ya gotta make it mellow, too.
Davett53
Thanks for posting! Another person had this tune posted and removed it, a year ago. Good to have it back in my life! Bravo!
Michael Hayes
Fantastic! Beautiful idea to feature flute! Thanks!
BigHRD2
Real nice classic breakbeat.
suzy Q
This is the jam!!!
willi koeller
love it so much
awitabet a
like this version.....original brings back a lot of memories
Míster Funke
@awitabet Yeah : late 1967 from Archie Bell & The Bells from Houston, Texas.
Craig Stewart
Love this, Chris Colombus & The Swinging Gates version my fave…