| "The Nitty Gritty" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Shirley Ellis | ||||
| B-side | "Give Me a List" | |||
| Released | 1963 | |||
| Genre | R&B, novelty | |||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | Congress | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lincoln Chase | |||
| Producer(s) | Hutch Davie | |||
| Shirley Ellis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "The Nitty Gritty" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Gladys Knight & the Pips | ||||
| from the album Nitty Gritty | ||||
| B-side | "Got Myself a Man" | |||
| Released | June 26, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Studio | Motown | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic soul | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Soul Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lincoln Chase | |||
| Producer(s) | Norman Whitfield | |||
| Gladys Knight & the Pips singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Nitty Gritty" is a 1963 song written by Lincoln Chase and recorded by Shirley Ellis. Released by Congress Records, it reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1964.[1]
Cover versions
- Motown released a version of "The Nitty Gritty" by Gladys Knight & The Pips in mid-1969 on its Soul imprint. It went to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Soul chart.[2]
- A version by Diana Ross & The Supremes can be found on the 2001 edition of their album, Anthology
- Southern Culture on the Skids covered it on the Dirt Track Date album.
Popular culture
- A 1963 televised performance of the dance associated with the song by Robert Banas, recorded for an episode of The Judy Garland Show, has more than 10 million views on YouTube.[3]
History of the phrase "nitty gritty"
There is disagreement about the origin of the phrase "nitty gritty" and its earliest meaning. In this song it meant the heart of a matter, the basic truth.[4]
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 205.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 330.
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Best 60s Dancer Boy Ever - The Nitty Gritty. YouTube.
- ↑ Higginbotham, W. R. "The Real Nitty Gritty." American Speech 49, no. 1/2 (1974): 90-101.
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