Archie Bell wrote the song and recorded it. After they finished the recording, Archie got drafted into the Army. He was sent to the Vietnam War. While he was serving there his song went up the charts to Number 1.

@TheOriginalRick

7 ай бұрын

He was in an Army hospital when it hit #1. He tried to tell everyone he was ~the~ Archie Bell and everyone was like, "Sure, no you aint".

@nozzledrich

6 ай бұрын

@@TheOriginalRick Archie was injured in an auto accident while stationed in Germany.

@TheOriginalRick

6 ай бұрын

@@nozzledrich Thought it was vietnam, but very well could be mistaken.

The origins of "Tighten Up" came from a conversation Bell had with his friend and bandmate Billy Butler. Bell was despondent after receiving his draft notice, and Butler, in an attempt to cheer him up, demonstrated the "Tighten Up" dance to Bell.

@kentclark6420

7 ай бұрын

According to Wikipedia, Billy Butler was a soul singer, but wasn't in this band. And he passed in 2015, so it looks like he made it through the war ok.

Half a million subscribers? With those numbers you could be hawking a lot of stuff, but I really respect the fact that you don't and stay true to your people. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year y'all, you are definitely one of the best things to ever come out of Oklahoma.

@Jabali619

7 ай бұрын

There are only two things that come out of Oklahoma. . .

This tune ruled the airwaves back in the late 60's. Perfect dance song! Try Sly and the Family Stone's Dance to the Music.

@richardlaswell463

7 ай бұрын

I was going to suggest that too.

@denisjones6616

7 ай бұрын

Ooohhh hell yeah!

@TREMERE1

7 ай бұрын

Make it the studio version. MUCH better than the live one.

Archie's brother Ricky was an outstanding NFL running back. He died in the mid 80s. I Just Can't Stop Dancing was another hit by the band.

@nozzledrich

6 ай бұрын

HOLY SHIT I didnt know he was related to Rickey!! UCal right?

This band had loads of hits including: "Tighten Up, Part 2", "Don't Let Love Get You Down", "Soul City Walk", "Here I Go Again", "Everybody Have a Good Time", "Right Here Is Where I Want to Be", "Wrap It Up", "I Can't Stop Dancing", "There's Gonna Be a Showdown", "Girl You're Too Young", "Love Will Rain On You", there are others but these are some of my favourites by them.

The Master of the SAXOPHONE,, Junior Walker & The All Stars "What Does It Take"..A MUST HEAR Classic.🔥

@541walker

7 ай бұрын

I second that. What a great song!

@lreed1040

6 ай бұрын

Then after that song "Shotgun" would be a great follow up.

@happymethehappyone8300

6 ай бұрын

@lreed1040 100% Agreed,, I just figured I'd get them started with this classic first.

@patriciadefibaugh973

6 ай бұрын

Oh yes!!!

The song hit #1 Pop and #1r&b in the u.s while Archie Bell was serving in Vietnam 1968

This one used to be one of my Dad's favorites back in the day. I can just imagine him dancing the Tighten Up again!

Man oh man this song was the bomb when it first come out, I still am amazed by this song all these years later….. u couldn’t help but get up and start dancing !!!!!!!!! Come on ….. EVERYBODY TIGHTEN UP !!!

I remember back in the day. I was 9 or 10 years old. I lived in Los Angeles, California and we went to Texas in the summer to visit my grandmother. She lived in El Paso, Texas. My grandmother on my mom's side. The first time I heard this song was at a Church Bizarre. When it came on everybody was line dancing to this song. I will never forget. It must have been popular in Texas and that's when I was told it was Archie Bell & The Drells from Houston, Texas. I have been a fan ever since and now I am 67 years old. Still one of the best dance songs ever in my book. Thanks! it brings back great memories.

Me dancing to this 45 rpm spinning on my record player

"Far Out" was a big saying in the '70s. Keep groving. ❤

OMG This song so much reminds me of my brother and I jumping around and dancing as kids 🤗 Lost my dear brother to a drug overdose 10 years ago 💔💔💔

@jackiecarson859

7 ай бұрын

I'm so sorry! 🥀

@pattyduke3079

7 ай бұрын

🙏🙏🙏

@lepoetress

7 ай бұрын

❤❤❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Another great dance song at the same time was Cliff Nobles-The Horse-there's an instrumental version which became a number two hit and the flip side had the vocals. All high school bands in the late 60s and early 70s played the Horse. Archie Bell's I Just Can't stop Dancing is another banger.

@user-ph1th4ir8h

7 ай бұрын

I hear HORSE played by the band at some colleges today..usually the 3rd quarter.

@seanswinton6242

7 ай бұрын

It was also the theme for a 70's PBS show called "The Jobman Caravan."

@amelias.2509

7 ай бұрын

Oh my gosh! I remember that! I'm going to find it right now. Thanks!!!

@DPRyan-vd5pp

7 ай бұрын

My high school in La Porte Texas still plays the Horse during the football games! Been a tradition since the 1970’s! I remember being 7 years old at the stadium hearing the horse! Great memories!!

Great song. The year this came out (1968) was a heavy year, with the Vietnam War, Chicago riots, assassinations, civil rights movement, Middle East crisis, etc. This song was a fun 3-minute break of relief from the difficulties of that era; no wonder it went to #1. Note: The band backing up Archie Bell & the Drells was a group of students from Texas Southern University, the TSU Toronadoes. They were mighty funky. A good next tune would be "I Just Can't Stop Dancing."

I've been waiting for you guys to listen to this song. No matter how many times you listen to it, it will always make you smile and dance

Oh yeah. This made you get up.!

Jay you should play this for the team you coach It shows individual greatness coming together as a team to make great music and dance together

@snowbirdlady7221

7 ай бұрын

Wouldn't that be fun?!

Make it mellow. Da da da da duh du duh! I love it when you guys do 60s and 70s R&B.

Wow. Talk about a blast from the past. We were all doing the 'tighten up' on the dance floor.

@seanswinton6242

7 ай бұрын

Visit South Carolina, and that song is a staple of Beach Music and the state dance called "Shaggin'"

Fun fact: Archie Bell's younger brother was former legendary USC Trojan/College Football Hall-of-Famer and NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Ricky Bell. Their other brother Jerry was the lead singer of The Dazz Band ("Let It Whip")

@bretthaddy9697

6 ай бұрын

What talented family

Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness! I’ve been wanting someone to react to this for about a year by now. I remember hearing this when I was about 5 Years Old Way Way way back in the 60s.

You should do “The Horse” by Cliff Nobles, instrumental version. You’ll love it!

@richardkint6531

7 ай бұрын

I was just thinking about that.🤯

@seanswinton6242

7 ай бұрын

​​@@richardkint6531Also "Soulful Strut" is another popular instrumental. It has a vocal version called "Am I The Same Girl?"

@dianejohnson2644

7 ай бұрын

When people played real instruments and sang.

@dianejohnson2644

7 ай бұрын

Please react to Just got paid by Johnny Kemp.

@michaelenosmusic

7 ай бұрын

Another favorite AM radio hit.

This is such a great song, always played at our family functions ❤❤❤❤❤

Loved Archie Bell and the Drells. Haven't heard this song in years. The song is so fun, it's hard not to get up and move to it. It was part of the sound track of my first year in the army. I can remember dancing to this with a Black friend, JJ, from Alabama in the EM Club. He made me laugh dancing to this song. Good memories.

I beyond love this song!

You guys should have shown the live version of this song so that you can see how the tighten up dance looks like.

Just fun. Light and bright. Nothin heavy. Everybody needs that in their life! Love those horns!

One of my all time favorite songs. . . thank you, thank you.

Their music is and will always be Fun and a Groove. Try "I Can't Stop Dancing", "There's Gonna Be a Showdown", "Let's Groove" (not a remake of Earth, Wind & Fire), "The Soul City Walk" and "Dancing To Your Music". There are other songs not mentioned. There is another funky dance jam from the 70's that is more of an instrumental with some vocals you would enjoy "Do It Anyway You Wanna" by People's Choice. Jay you would totally enjoy their "You Ought To Be Dancing" and the so funky "Jam Jam Jam (All Night Long)", "Party Is A Groovy Thing". A band with The Sound of Philadelphia. As others have suggested below and I suggested many times before "The Horse" (instrumental version) by Cliff Nobles & Co. you both would enjoy and it may be kind of familiar sounding to you attending your High School sporting events. I will also suggest again "Green Onions" by Booker T. & The MG's, "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited and "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" by Jr. Walker & The All Stars. Also you both would love B.T. Express and their songs "Express" and " Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)". Glad you enjoyed Archie Bell & The Drells 👍😊

Hi kids, really enjoy your channel. If you still do "female Friday " try Maria Muldar and "Midnight at the Oasis ". It's great, you'll love it. Merry Christmas to you and your family. ❤😂

@williammckay9229

7 ай бұрын

Listened to this song 2 times this week. Saw MM once.

This is a song from my way past. to this day whenever I hear this song, I drop what I’m doing and start dancing. How can you not?!

OMG! These guys are awesome! Saw them in Memphis when I was much younger! Archie was all over the stage! Thanks for making my young life worth it, Archie!?

Thanks, I remember this being played on the jukebox at the local swimming pool in the 60’s.

Always fun here on the channel. Just want to wish you both a Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 and Happy New Year! 🎊🎆 Keep putting out the love 💕

Another classic pop group

Jay will be playing that bass line by tomorrow. It's a fun one.

Jay, Archie Bell's younger brother was Ricky Bell, running back for Tampa Bay Bucs, who passed away many years ago.

Omg - Tighten Up! So pleased you checked this out, here I am many miles from you, many years older and grooving big time on this, a fabulous tune from my youth. Love to you both so much for this! I Archie and the lads ❤❤❤❤ this is SUBLIME!

"Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" by Jay and The Tecniques is another great song from the 60's.

The way I understand the story is Archie Bell was a soldier in Vietnam, and had no idea that his song was number one in the states until somebody told him.

Oh yeah, Love this song.

This was the jam in the day! You would be on the dance floor for real!

This is a great song, fun to listen and dance too. I love the cover version of this by The Yellow Magic Orchestra, a dance band from Japan. Firecracker is my favourite song of theirs.

@amelias.2509

7 ай бұрын

Ooh! I know this song and The YMO but not about the cover. Thanks!!!

@fayesouthall6604

7 ай бұрын

@@amelias.2509 Enjoy the YMO they are fantastic

@lepoetress

7 ай бұрын

The only songs I knew by the YMCA were Computer Games and Tong Poo. Computer Games is STILL the jam!!

@Zekiran

7 ай бұрын

I was just wondering by the title before seeing it's the original, I also knew it from YMO!

1968. First record I ever thought was actually "funky." Love the drummer in this, each drum finely tuned.

Pure pleasure!! My older sister brought back this record from London(to France) in 1968, I became so addicted that I bought a bass in 1970 when I was 15 and it was the first bassline I learned to play, decoding the notes from scratch... still the first bassline I play today to warm my bass!!

Hi amber and jay here is a musical artist you have hear, he is a Phoenix Arizona native, in the sixties he had acouple oh hits, he wrote a theme song to.a movie staring Dick Clark from American bandstand titled " Becuase there young" and a big was a song writen by him his name is Duane Eddy and he had a big hit entitled Rebel Rouser, look up these video and listen to his rock and roll style plus a little Rythm and blues, I enjoy your program keep up your great work I'm a new to your show and grew up in the sixties dancing to all these song and the seventies listening to light rock , blues , soul and rock, and the eighties was a fun generation for dancing and the music, we had pop ,new wave, rock, soulful sounds and lots of jazz, and lots of crooners.maybe some day I'll send you a,list of all the artist and there songs from the fun 50s 60s 80s and 90s.

I worked in a bicycle shop called RideOn in the early 70's. Whenever the boss would bring a bike into the back room and say these handlebars need tightening one of the mechanics would say "I'm Archie Bell and I'm from Houston,tx. " He would then dance with a wrench and sing he was doing the tighten up and then dance with the bike to the customer. Those were simpler times. Thanks for the memories.

@tamcon72

7 ай бұрын

This gave me quite the chuckle!

@ericjohnson3746

7 ай бұрын

@@tamcon72 thanks. Those days and that environment were very real. The spirit of the time has stayed with me . That spirit is what keeps me going through all the things that an adult has to navigate.

Glad y’all are enjoying

Thanks for the memories! I used to dance to this at a funk night in the 2000s, by which time I was probably too old to be clubbing already. What can you do, this is a magnificently funky but mellow song. 🎶

I haven't heard this in YEARS!! Thank you! Your reaction was...OUTA SIGHT!!

Fun song. Haven't heard this in ages. Lol. Blast from the past.

Another classic from this time period is Arthur Conleys "Sweet Soul Music". It's relatively short but packs a huge punch!! #Horns

@KenRoerden

7 ай бұрын

Oh yeah. Some smooth west coast jazz from a few years earlier with a crazy 5/4 time signature.

Love this! That bass is just deadly.

One of my favorite songs of the 60s.

Archie was in Viet Nam when the song hit the charts. His brother Ricky played in the NFL.

@denpea-mm8zr

7 ай бұрын

Archie claimed none of his army buddies believed that it was him on the radio. They must have thought he was full of tall tales when he told them his brother Ricky played in the NFL, which was also true.

Amber you mention "Outta' Sight". How about "Keep On Truckin'" it is also a title of a really cool song from Eddie Kendricks from the early 70's. You would both just love it, it's fun. Keep On Truckin' was a popular phrase that alot of us wore on our T shirts. Oh the memories.

Jay, this piece of trivia which is right up your alley. Archie Bell’s younger brother was the late, great Rickey Bell. Ricky played college football for the USC Trojans through 1976, and was the No. 1 draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1977 draft. Unfortunately, Rickey passed away on Nov. 28, 1984.

My favorite song when I need a pick me up :) I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it!

Aww man I thought this was Black Keys Tighten Up for a second

Nice. I suggested this way back when you guys 1st reacted to the twist and some of those other great old dance songs, like the Boogaloo Down Broadway lol. FYI. There are vids on YT of the tighten up being performed live by these guys and also a vid from the old American Bandstand show showing kids dancing to Tighten Up. Wishing you 2 and your 3 beautiful little ones a very Merry Christmas.

Love this one!

Classic soul! Great stuff!

💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 I’m from Houston ❤❤❤ I remember this group ❤️❤️👑👑

Wow. I forgot how much I loved this song! Thanks. Love you!

This song came out in 1968 & I am a guitarist & one time a group I was with learned & played this song & them jazz guitar chords were so sweet sounding!!

When I was in Jr. High, they played at out school. I was in the school band at the time. They were friends with out teacher, who had a side hussle playing in Mexican band at night, he was great. So glad you liked this one, going way back, its great.

Love it, in LA we were doing the tighten up dance!

I like this tune !!

This is a great one. Cant sit still.

I love “Dancing to Your Music”, too!!! 😍

Oh no! You have to watch them in a live performance (they’re wearing blue suits). You need to see how the tighten up is done.

A friend of mine from Houston attended HBCU Texas Southern University in the late 60s. He recalled that the song was by a local group named the TSU Toronados. A collaboration with Archie Bell and Billy Butler became the hit song. The members of the TSU Toronados were Cal Thomas (guitar/vocals), Will Thomas (guitar/vocals), Jerry Jenkins (bass guitar/vocals). The horns were Darryll Busby (sax), Clarence "Creeper" Harper (trumpet), and Nelson Mills (horns). Just had to give them some recognition...

Reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents, aunts, and uncles would sit around chilling and playing music.

This was a school bus banger for me, hahaha! My bus had a radio on it and I always heard this song, probably freshman or sophomore year. I have no idea what the dance might be like, there wasn't video in those days and I lived in the Syracuse NY area (not exactly hip). Peace!

I saw them play in a bar in Pasadena tx in the 80's, sounded great. Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄

Impossible to not smile when listening to this classic. 😁

“Tighten Up” is a motto in our house. A fun way of saying “let’s get it together, people!” ❤️

Love this tune!

I have an original 45 RPM copy of this I bought when it was #1. It entered the Hot 100 at #81 on March 30, 1968 and became a #1 hit for two weeks on May 18, seven weeks later while Archie was recuperating in West Germany from a leg wound he got while serving in Vietnam. I was in the 8th grade then.

Since you liked this, you might enjoy "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It definitely has a similar jazz groove.

@seanswinton6242

7 ай бұрын

Also check out Dave Brubeck's "Golden Brown" a very similarly styled song. The Stranglers sang made a vocal version of "Golden Brown"

NEW ARTIST ALERT! Roger Miller “King of the Road”

Ricky Bell the famous running back from USC was Archie Bells younger brother. He played for the Tamp Bay Buccaneers. Just a little trivia.

Dance song from 1966. Don't think there was an actual dance. The song where he sings "I don't want no cheeseburger, I want to dance". We use to listen intently for that line. It kind of made our day. Back in 1966, time was slower, so anything to break the monotony was a relief.

Oh yeah! I remember my sister playing the 45 when I was i kid. This came out in the spring of 1968. My other two favorites are "I Just Can't Stop Dancing" and "I Could Dance All Night".

We had this record and played the mess out of it. Makes me think of my sister and I dancing in the living room to this. Good memories.

Part of this song was used in the Titan Car Insurance commercial

Love the first line.. " Hi everybody I'm Archie Bell & The Drells" so he is the whole band too? Lol lol lol

Brings back great memories of growing up in the projects in the Bronx. Love my childhood 💜

I love this group because they came from H-Town! They are our “family”.

Saw them in a club in Galveston. Funky!

WOW taking my back to my teenage days great old tune I loved playing Bass on this one

You guy's are really hitting my heart today. these 60s songs are hitting home

Archie Bell is still out there performing

i was 13 years old when it came out, 1968 this was a song that was big on the soul stations.

Reminds me a little of "Dance to the Music" Sly and the Family Stone. Thanks for your bringing this music and your appreciation of it!!!!

❤❤❤❤ Another " YESSSSSSS!"

This was the jam classic soul ❤❤❤ party party party 😊😊😊

Sir Jay and Lady Amber, another wonderful reaction. 👏🏾👏🏾🖖🏾👊🏾👊🏾MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄 ☃️🕊🤶🎅 AND THE BEST OF BLESSINGS FOR 2024!!🥂🎊