Twist And Shout
The Top Notes Lyrics


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Shake it up, baby
Twist and shout
Come on, baby
And work it on out

Work it on out, honey
Well, you look so good
You got me goin'
Like I knew you would

Well, baby
Come, comfort me
Come on, come on, come on, baby
Gotta work on out

Gotta twist, little girl
Oh, you twist so fine
Gonna twist a little closer
Show me that you're mine

Shake it up, baby
Twist and shout
Come on, baby
And work it on out

Work it on out, honey
Well, you look so good
You got me goin'
Like I knew you would

Well, yeah
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah




Oh, yeah
...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Top Notes's song Twist and Shout are full of energy and excitement as they encourage their audience to shake, twist, and shout. The first stanza of the song is an invitation to the listener to join in and dance with the singers. The second stanza is about how good the person being sung to looks and how they have the ability to make the singer feel good too. The third stanza is a plea to comfort the singer and also an encouragement to keep dancing. The fourth stanza is an exclamation about how well the person being sung to is twisting and an invitation to come closer, with a suggestion that they belong together. The final stanza is a repetition of the refrain, with an extended "yeah" that shows the enthusiasm of the singers and the audience.


The lyrics of Twist and Shout are relatively straightforward and convey the excitement of dancing and the feelings of attraction that come with it. The use of repetition and the repetition of certain phrases is a common technique in pop music, and it serves to make the song catchy and memorable. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including The Beatles, who had a huge hit with their version in the early 1960s. Overall, the lyrics of Twist and Shout are fun and upbeat, and they capture the essence of a good dance party.


Line by Line Meaning

Shake it up, baby
Encouragement to the baby to shake their body


Twist and shout
Instruction to the baby to twist their body and shout


Come on, baby
Request for the baby to join in


And work it on out
Instruction to the baby to work their body out


Work it on out, honey
Encouragement to honey to work their body out


Well, you look so good
Complimenting honey on their good looks


You got me goin'
Honey has excited and energized the singer


Like I knew you would
Speaker expected to be excited by honey's moves


Well, baby
Addressing honey in a friendly manner


Come, comfort me
Requesting for honey to comfort the artist


Come on, come on, come on, baby
Urging honey to come closer


Gotta work on out
Instruction to work the body out


Gotta twist, little girl
Instruction to twist the body, particularly directed at a young girl


Oh, you twist so fine
Complimenting the young girl on her great twisting


Gonna twist a little closer
Speaker wants the young girl to come a little closer


Show me that you're mine
Requesting for confirmation of a special status with the young girl


Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
General exclamation of excitement and satisfaction


Oh, yeah
Another exclamation of excitement




Contributed by Caden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@RossM3838

This was before the isleys and I love it but the Isleys really nailed it.

@babyEroose

Well let's always keep in mind that there wouldn't be a "Beatles' version" had there not been this one, which provided the lyrics and then the Isley Brothers rendition which provided the now famous arrangement of the song that the Beatles get all the credit for.

@mrmcgiggles

hahaha i was watchin a bon jovi vid where they covered it. and it said its by the beatles which i didnt know. then i went to a beatles vid and one of the comments said it was originally by the isley brothers. so i went to an isley brothers video and a comment there said it was originally done by topnotes and i think i finally found the ORIGINAL haahah

@rockinjohn89

The Top Notes version of Twist And Shout" is the original. It was produced by Phil Spector. It's one of Spector's early productions. The lead vocalist of The Top Notes is Howie Guyton. He was in a doo wop group called The Pearls in the 1950's.

@LCPD9111

So this is the original

@lazur1

I remember hearing this in '61,( I was 11). The Isley's version came out a few months later, in early '62.

@dandman1575

Wow, sounds pretty cool! I also thought the Isleys originally put this out, but I guess I was wrong. I love finding rare treasure like this. Thanks for posting, and allowing me to hear the original version.

@oliviathefolkie

I always wanted to hear this version. Having heard it, I can honestly say that I prefer the Beatles' version, although I imagine that this was the popular style of music at the time that it was written.

@miles7291

The Isley Brothers version is my favorite. They sing it with soul.

@64098

I like this, a really frantic arrangement.

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