Rip It Up

Album

The Best of... Little Richard

Label

Specialty Records

Genre

Rock & Roll

Composer(s)

Robert Blackwell;John Marascalco

Entered Chart

Jul 7, 1956

Peak Date

Sep 8, 1956

Released

June 1956

Recorded

J&M Recording Studio

Catalog #

Specialty 579

B-Side

Heaven on Earth

In this song, it's Saturday night and Little Richard has just been paid, so he's going to "rip it up" with a night on the town with his girl. He'll likely blow the paycheck, but it will be worth it. A white songwriter named Johnny Marascalco wrote this song, which was released as Little Richard's third single. Marascalco while he was sitting in a cotton field waiting for a friend to get out of church so they could hunt rabbits. A later weekend, he heard Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" and decided that he could write similar songs. Little Richard's producer Bumps Blackwell (who has a co-writing credit on this one as well) bought both "Rip It Up" and another Marascalco song, "Ready Teddy," which was released as the B-side of the single. The two songs were recorded at J&M Studios in New Orleans on May 9, 1956, with Blackwell producing. Musicians on the track included Lee Allen on tenor saxophone, Alvin Tyler on baritone sax, Ernest McLean on guitar, Frank Fields on bass and Earl Palmer on drums. The song was a #1 hit on the R&B charts. Bill Haley and His Comets quickly covered this song, and their version peaked at #30. At least Little Richard didn't have the indignity of losing on the charts with his own song to Pat Boone, which is what happened on "Tutti Frutti." When Richard sings, "picked her up in my 88," he's talking about an Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which was one of the fastest cars on the road and the vehicle of choice for many rock pioneers; Ike Turner's song "Rocket 88," which is often considered the first rock song, is about the car. A new version of "Rip It Up" became the Monday Night Football theme song in 2020 when ESPN chose it to replace "All My Rowdy Friends" by Hank Williams, Jr. With COVID-19 pandemic shutting down gatherings and causing most games to be played in empty stadiums, Williams' song didn't seem appropriate. "Rip It Up" set on Saturday night, so ESPN commissioned a revamp by the Virginia band Butcher Brown, which created a new instrumental track and added new vocals that were mixed with Little Richard's original. The opening line went from: Well, it's Saturday night and I just got paid to: It's Monday night and I'm feeling fine Throughout the season, the lyrics were customized for the matchups, mentioning the specific teams in action.

'Cause it's Saturday night and I just got paid
Fool about my money don't try to save
My heart says go, go
Have a time 'cause it's Saturday night
And I'm feelin' fine

I'm gonna rock it up
I'm gonna rip it up
I'm gonna shake it up
I'm gonna ball it up
I'm gonna ride it out
And ball tonight

I got a date and I won't be late
Pick her up in my '88'
Shag it on down to the union hall
When the music starts jumpin'
I'll have a ball

I'm gonna rock it up
I'm gonna rip it up
I'm gonna shake it up
I'm gonna ball it up
I'm gonna ride it out
And ball tonight

Along about 10 I'll be flying high
Rocking on out into the sky
I don't care if I spend my gold
'Cause tonight I'm gonna be one happy soul

I'm gonna rock it up
I'm gonna rip it up
I'm gonna shake it up
I'm gonna ball it up
I'm gonna ride it out
And ball tonight, aw

Well it's Saturday night and I just got paid
Fool about my money don't try to save
My heart says go, go
Have a time 'cause it's Saturday night
And I'm feelin' fine

I'm gonna rock it up
I'm gonna rip it up
I'm gonna shake it up
I'm gonna ball it up
I'm gonna ride it out
And ball tonight

Along about 10 I'll be flying high
Rocking on out into the sky
I don't care if I spend my gold
'Cause tonight I'm gonna be one happy soul

I'm gonna rock it up
I'm gonna rip it up
I'm gonna shake it up
I'm gonna ball it up
I'm gonna ride it out
And ball tonight