Shut Up and Dance are an English music duo that fused hip hop, house and hardcore, and are best known for their single "Raving I'm Raving", which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1992.
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Career
The group was formed in 1988 in Stoke Newington, London, England by Philip 'PJ' Johnson and Carl 'Smiley' Hyman. In 1990, they made the lower end of the UK chart with two singles, "£20 To Get In" and "Lamborghini", both released on their own record label, Shut Up and Dance Music.
In 1992, they reached No. 43 with their double A-side single "Autobiography Of A Crackhead" / "The Green Man", before hitting the headlines in May of that year when they released "Raving I'm Raving". The track is based on Marc Cohn's hit single "Walking in Memphis", but the sample had not been given clearance. Upon its release, Cohn obtained an injunction to stop production of further copies of the single. A court order was also sought to prevent the sale of any copies already produced, but Cohn was persuaded to allow such sales on condition that all the proceeds went to charity. This caused panic-buying of the copies on sale, as consumers knew that no more would be produced. The single soared to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, but plummeted to No. 15 the following week, before leaving the chart completely. The German dance group Scooter reached No. 33 in 1996 when they covered the track as "I'm Raving".
Shut Up and Dance released one further single from their Death Is Not The End album, "The Art Of Moving Butts", which featured singer Erin. The album itself reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1992. In 1995, they made the chart with two further singles, including the No. 25 hit "Save It 'Til The Mourning After", sampling Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" whilst retaining its original chorus.
In the early 2000s, they re-emerged as a prominent UK garage and 2-step garage act, releasing "No Doubt" which became popular in Ayia Napa scene in 2001.