Saturday, April 17, 2021

80's Hit Song Review: "The Curly Shuffle" by Jump 'N' the Saddle Band (1983)

 


U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Peak Position No. 15 (released in late '83, peaked in early '84)

Backstory: This country pop and novelty swing music group formed and founded by Peter Quinn and T.C. Furlong was formed in Chicago in 1983. This following novelty song based on the classic Three Stooges comedy film series was originally a small regional hit released off of the independent ACME Records label. As the song gained more popularity, it gained the interest of Atlantic Records who eventually signed the group to the label. This following song was sadly their one and only ever hit song. A self titled album was eventually released with many covers and some originals, but it sadly went nowhere as well. However, it definitely sounded a lot different from other Top 40 hit songs from that year, that's for sure! The band still occasionally performs to this day, mostly in thrift native Chicago area.

The review: Now, this was quite the unusual little goody groove, especially for 1984! I liked this song quite a bit when I first heard it, but I liked it even more once I listened to it multiple more times. The swing like horns and trumpets really add a blend of zesty and corny fun to this tune. The imitations and occasional cheesy sound effects are pretty nice as well. But, my favorite part of the song is the fun and fast paced ending. Overall, a really good and unique one of a kind novelty song from this wonderful decade.

Final rating: 8/10