Released 1963 Label Marc Records 104 | Format 7", 45rpm Length 2:30 | |
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B-side "I'll Keep Running Back" | ||
"Harlem Shuffle" is an R&B song written and originally recorded by the duo Bob & Earl in 1963. In 1986 it was covered by The Rolling Stones on their album Dirty Work.
Contents
House of Pain sampled the song's opening horn line in their breakthrough single "Jump Around" in 1992.
Bob & Earl
The original single, co-arranged by Barry White and Gene Page, peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #36 on the Cash Box chart. The record was a commercial failure when first released in the UK in 1963, but on reissue in 1969 peaked at #7. It was released on Marc Records, a subsidiary of Titan Records.
In 2003, the original Bob & Earl version of the song was ranked #23 by the music critics of The Daily Telegraph on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever".
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones' cover version, with Bobby Womack on backing vocals, appeared on their 1986 album Dirty Work, and went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #13 in the UK. Keith Richards had been looking for songs to possibly include on the album and had been working up songs with Ronnie Wood and Womack while waiting for Jagger to return to the studio in Paris after doing promo work on his solo album. To Richards's surprise, Jagger liked the feel and cut the vocals quickly. It became the first cover song the Stones had released as an opening single off a new studio album since 1965. It opens with:
In 1986, a 12" extended single mix of the song was released. One side contained the "London Mix" and ran 6:19. The other side had a "New York Mix" and ran 6:35. Both mixes were variations of the 7" mix. The "New York Mix" is available on the CD, Rarities 1971–2003, although it has been edited to 5:48. Both full-length 12" versions can be found on Disc 25 of Singles 1971–2006.
Music video
The Rolling Stones produced an accompanying three-minute music video, which combined live-action and animation. The live-action was directed by famous animation director Ralph Bakshi and the animation was directed by future The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi. Other animators who also worked on the video included Lynne Naylor, Jim Smith, Bob Jaques, Vicky Jenson, Pat Ventura and two other unknown animators.
Chart performance
1Remix