Shake Me Like a Monkey

by

The Dave Matthews Band

Album: Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King      Released: 2009

Get the Ringtone  Get Song @ Amazon
Get the Sheet Music  Check Stubhub Tickets

Send "Shake Me Like a Monkey" Ringtone to your Cell

Submit Lyrics (you have to register, but it's harmless)

Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

Matthews told Relix magazine about this piece of stutter-stepping funk: "Of all the songs on the album, this one, in a way, is the most throwaway lyric. But it's not really throwaway because it's like an invitation: Don't be all highfalutin! Don't be too good to feel good! Don't be too hip to f--kin' understand! Wake the f--k up! Get off your ass and feel some s--it. It's boastful. When the narrator's trying to tell his girl they go together like cigarettes and coffee, little girls and ponies, Romeo and Juliet, the hangman and his noose—it's ballsy, you know? I like that the music isn't apologetic, either. Gotta stand up on that song. Can't go, 'Baby, I like you baby'—no. It's 'Do you know how it feels to have the light of love inside you? I'm goin' all the way to your f--kin' core!' It sounds silly when I say it, but in that song, the guy's got a f--kin' top hat on, a big cane and he's slapping people. He's singing this song with his big platform clogs on, silver pants and a long, black coat. He's out of his mind—and in this song, he should be."

In the summer of 2008, the band's sax player, LeRoi Moore, died following a quad-bike accident, something that shook the DMB to the core. After the loss of comrade, the band members regrouped and were happy to find several tracks featuring him, including this song. Matthews told Relix about Moore's contribution to this song, aided by the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section: "When I was playing that song for Roi on the bus after I wrote those lyrics, I said, 'There has got to be (full horn) sections on this—you've got to be blown up.' I told Roi from the beginning, 'Stab this thing to death.' Earth Wind and Fire—everybody loved that section. Before we put the horn section on, the song was cool and marchy, real low and strutting but now it's got all this attitude. It's not just coming to slap you—it's gonna come slap you and then take your girlfriend."

Bassist Stefan Lessard told Relix: "It's funny—when that first jam came out, I had no idea it was gonna end up like this. It was definitely heavy on the guitar side and the riff side, before the horns were put on it. When I hear this one, it brings to mind almost a Peter Gabriel style. And this year we covered 'Sledgehammer' on the road, so maybe there's a little bit of that feel in there."

Send "Shake Me Like a Monkey" Ringtone to your Cell

Comments:

Great song, but does it remind anybody else of Cameo's Word Up!???
- Shanice, Sugar Land, TX

Send "Shake Me Like a Monkey" Ringtone to your Cell