The story behind “Give It Up,” KC and the Sunshine Band’s ultimate dance-pop band

Among the artists who defined the disco era, there may be no one more strongly associated with their output in the mid-to-late ’70s than KC and the Sunshine Band. The Bee Gees established themselves as stars in the late ’60s, and Donna Summer and Chic (most notably Nile Rodgers) continued to make an impact in the ’80s, but most of the Miami-based group’s success occurred during the ’80s. Disco craze. KC and the Sunshine Band had a Top 20 hit with “Give It Up” in 1982, but it was the exception that proved the rule.

“Give It Up” was notable for more than just bringing KC and the Sunshine Band back into the spotlight. The song represented a return to the style of music that made the band so popular in the 1970s, and it was also a personal triumph for the band’s namesake founder Harry Casey. Those who lived through KC mania in real time may be surprised to learn how strong the legacy of “Give It Up” is, even when compared to KC’s and the Sunshine Band’s other hits.

As Disco went, so went KC and the Sunshine Band

By the late 1970s, disco’s appeal was in steep decline. Artists who owed their popularity to disco either found themselves becoming less commercially relevant or turned to other musical genres. KC and the Sunshine Band went through both phases. Between 1975 and 1977, the band had four hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 and “Keep It Comin’ Love” would have been their fifth chart entry during that period if not for Meco’s “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” and Debbie Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” making it No. 2. For three weeks. When the disco began to fade, only two of KC and Sunshine Band’s next nine singles reached the Top 40, and none reached higher than #35.

KC and the Sunshine Band would eventually return to the top of the charts with “Please Don’t Go,” but they are now miles away from the disco tour. “Spacey Slow Jam” was the first No. 1 hit of the ’80s and signaled the end of disco. Two months later, Casey almost topped the Hot 100 again, as his duet with Teri DeSario, “Yes, I’m Ready,” climbed to number two. Casey’s revival would be short-lived, as he would release two unplanned albums in 1981 (one as a solo artist and one with the Sunshine Band).

Casey’s successful comeback despite his label

In late 1981, Casey went to work on another KC and Sunshine Band album. All in a night shiftwhich would be his second release for Epic Records. In January 1982, Casey was involved in a car accident that left him with a concussion and paralyzed on his right side for nine months. At the end of his recovery, Epic released All in a night’s work. Epic released the danceable “Give It Up” as a single in many countries, but not in the United States. Even after it became the #1 song in the UK in the summer of 1983, Epic did not release it as a single in 1983. Although it has yet to become a hit in the United States, Kissy has finally shown that he can achieve success again with a song that is similar in style to his songs from the 1970s.

After performing the song on American platform During his 1984 appearance, Casey explained to host Dick Clark that he had convinced Epic to return the rights to “Give It Up” to him, as he planned to release it as an American single on his own label Meca. (Casey told Clark that Meca stands for “Musical Entertainment Corporation of America.”) Casey then recorded a solo album for Meca called Meca. KC Tenreleased in December 1983 with “Give It Up” as the lead single.

The impact of “Give It Up”

“Give It Up” brought Casey back to the Hot 100 for the first time in more than three years, peaking at #18. It also moved up to #24 on BillboardDance Club Songs, making “Give It Up” the first KC and Sunshine Band song to reach the Top 40 and Dance Club Songs chart since “Keep It Comin’ Love” achieved that feat in 1977. “Give It Up” was also Casey’s last Hot 100 hit, with or without the Sunshine Band, and was his only UK No. 1 single.

While “Give It Up” was far from KC and the Sunshine Band’s biggest hit upon its release, it became the most popular song on both Spotify (257 million streams) and YouTube (5.7 million views). In 1993, the Danish group Cut ‘N’ Move Move achieved worldwide success with their “Give It Up” cover. Although it was not charted in the United States, it reached the top ten in eight countries. Black Eyed Peas sampled the chord progression from “Give It Up” on “Love You Long Time” from their top ten album The beginning (2010).

During the disco backlash of the early ’80s, it was hard to imagine that KC and the more successful Sunshine Band were still ahead of them. It would have seemed like a bigger long shot than that the song in question would bring back the horns and funk that defined the ’70s sound. “Give It Up” defied the odds, and thanks to Casey’s persistence, he got another US smash hit to add to his resume.