The Gap Band was a funk and soul group, the three-piece being known for hit… Read Full Bio ↴The Gap Band was a funk and soul group, the three-piece being known for hits such as "Outstanding" and "You Dropped a Bomb on Me".Their first major hit was a snazzy rnb tune called "Shake". Just prior to the completion of their first major album, bringing them under the wing of Mercury, musician Charlie Wilson ran the song by his brothers Robert and Ronnie, thinking that they might ridicule the lyrics. His brothers loved it though, and the 1979 song ended up being a popular single in numerous clubs, elevating the three of them to national status. As parent album 'The Gap Band' rose up to the #10 slot on the top R&B Albums chart, their critical praise proved that they had earned the spotlight.

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Wilson brothers began singing and playing in their father's Pentecostal church, and it was also mandatory they practice their music lessons at home as well. They learned various instruments, which primarily included lots of playing the piano. As much as they despised the lessons at the time, it proved to be a value tool for all three. With Ronnie being the oldest, he established his own band when he was just a fourteen-year-old.

Charlie, a few years younger, joined a rival band a couple of years later. One particular night, the two bands were performing just across the street from one another. Ronnie stopped by to check out Charlie grooving on the organ. While there, Ronnie asked Charlie to join his band for $50 over what he was making. Though Charlie's band-mates doubled his offer, he joined his brother's band as fate would have it

At a gig not too long after the two had joined forces, the group's bass player quit; Ronnie and Charlie summoned their younger brother Robert, barely fourteen himself, to the group to play bass. For a short while, the group performed without a name. Musician Carlton Morales, co-writer of Julian Lennon's pop hit "Vallotte" played with the band shortly after leaving the outfit The Mighty Majors. Finally, the Wilson brothers began calling their outfit the "Greenwood, Archer and Pine Streets Band". As such a name proved too long for music posters, the band shortened their name to the "G.A.P. Street Band". Due to a typographical error, the group was actually advertised as "Gap Band" and "The Gap Band". That title stuck.

They performed at various venues around the Tulsa area, including country & western joints, tennis clubs, rock clubs, and wherever else called on their services. However, by the middle of the 70s, Charlie became interested in Los Angeles, California and left Tulsa to explore his possibilities; the country's big cities were in the middle of a soul music boom, and he wanted in.. A short time later, Charlie convinced his brothers to join him. The group floundered about L.A.; hitting and missing on record deals, gigs, and the like, the guys had a lot of talent but needed guidance. Still maintaining their interest in major label work, the group met entertainment businessman Lonnie Simmons through a friend, a musician D.J. Rogers, and their destiny was set. Simmons owned a nightclub called "The Total Experience" on Crenshaw Blvd and a recording studio at the time, and he signed the group to his company, which was called "Total Experience Records". Simmons would later start up a record label, also co-songwriting the Gap Band's tunes at times.

The Top Five single "Shake" followed in 1979, along with "Steppin' Out" (number ten) and "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head)" (number four) in 1980. The latter was inspired at a concert in Pittsburgh where some kids were chanting the groove and the Gap Band picked up on it. In December of 1980, the trio dropped its first number one single with "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" and followed it with the Top Five ballad "Yearning for Your Love" (1981).

The group went on to score three more number one songs ("Early in the Morning" and "Outstanding" in 1982 and "All of My Love" in 1989), three more number two songs ("You Dropped a Bomb on Me" in 1982, "Beep a Freak" in 1984, and "Going in Circles" in 1986) and a horde of Top Ten hits. They also did the soundtracks for Leon Isaac Kennedy's Penitentiary III and Keena Ivory Waynans' I'm Gonna Get You Sucker. The group was given only 24 hours notice to complete the title song.

In 1984 Ronnie became a born-again Christian and started pastoring. He joined Melba Moore and David Peaston in the touring play Mama, I'm Sorry. Charlie went through rough times fighting a cocaine addiction until finally rehabilitating a few years later. Charlie has been one of most sought-after vocalists in the music industry. He has worked with Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Eurythmics, Snoop Dogg, and scores of others. The Gap Band has recorded for various labels, including Mercury and Capitol Records. The group remained together for quite song time, enduring the good with the bad, and kept on touring into the new millennium.

The death of Robert Wilson, at the age of 53, on August 15, 2010 changed everything. Mourned by fans of the group across the world, many musicians cited his role in creating the band's funky soul sound. Numerous singles such as "Outstanding" and "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" remain radio classics to this day.

I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance
The Gap Band Lyrics

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say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
pay attention now
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
now I want all you gappers, and finger snappers
you toe tappers and you love rappers

I want you all to
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
say oops upside your head say oops upside your head

I say groove groove on
just because you don't believe that I wanna dance
don't mean that I don't want to
just because you don't believe that I wanna dance
don't mean that I don't want to

I dont't believe that you wanna get up and dance
I dont't believe that you wanna get up and dance
I dont't believe that you wanna get up and dance
I dont't believe that you wanna get up and dance
I dont't believe that you wanna get up and dance

ba ba ba ba ba da ba ba ba ba da baba
watch out I think I like that groove
you can sing it
ba ba ba ba ba da ba ba ba ba da ba
it's lovely it's lovely it's lovely
I mean it, oh
say oops upside you head say oops upside you head
just because you don't believe that I wanna dance

say oops upside you head say oops upside you head
just because you don't believe that I wanna dance

Overall Meaning

The Gap Band's "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance" is a danceable and catchy song with a simple yet powerful message: just because someone doesn't believe you want to dance doesn't mean you don't want to. The chorus repeats the phrase "say oops upside your head" four times, which is a reference to a dance move where people would slap themselves on the top of their head while dancing. The song encourages everyone, from "gappers and finger snappers" to "toe tappers and love rappers" to get up and dance, regardless of what others may think.

The lyrics also address the idea of people projecting their own insecurities and doubts onto others. The repeated phrase "I don't believe that you wanna get up and dance" suggests that some people might be hesitant to dance because they don't believe others want to, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The song challenges this mindset by asserting that everyone should dance if they feel like it, regardless of what others believe.

Overall, "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance" is a fun and energetic call to dance, and an anthem for shaking off doubts and insecurities.

Line by Line Meaning

say oops upside your head say oops upside your head
Encourage everyone to clap and hit their own head with the rhythm