Peak
1
Weeks
15
Score
3,829
Chart Year
1958
This song was written by group member Richard Lewis when he was in the US army. When Lewis returned to his Philadelphia home, he joined a church quartet, the Gospel Tornadoes, which evolved into a secular group, the Thunderbirds. Says Lewis: "When I was in the service in the early 1950s and didn't come home and go to work my mother said 'Get A Job' and basically that's where the song came from." The Thunderbirds recorded for a local label (Kae Records) owned by DJ Kae Williams, whose first act as manager of the group was to suggest that they change their name. Group member Earl Beal offered The Silhouettes, (after the hit by the Rays, and also the Diamonds), which all concerned liked. When the single started to sell, the master recording was sold to Ember Records, which reissued the record for national distribution. It hit #1 - the only single by the Silhouettes to make the national charts. >> The '50s revivalists Sha-Na-Na took their name from the "Sha na na na, sha na na na na" refrain in this song. Sha-Na-Na covered the song and performed it at Woodstock in 1969. Kae Williams issued this as B-side of the ballad "I Am Lonely," but Philadelphia record stations chose to spin the upbeat "Get A Job," instead. The record was an immediate hit locally but gained national prominence when the group performed it on Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show and American Bandstand. This was featured in the movies American Graffiti (1973), Trading Places (1983), Stand By Me (1986), and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). The group also appeared in the 1986 movie Joey, centered around a former doo-wop singer and his rock 'n roller son, and sang the tune. The Miracles released the answer song "Got A Job" in 1958 as their debut single.
Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip Mum mum mum mum mum mum Get a job, sha na na na, sha na na na na Ev'ry morning about this time She get me out of my bed A-crying, get a job After breakfast ev'ry nay She throws the want ads right my way And never fails to say Get a job, sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip Mum mum mum mum mum mum Get a job, sha na na na, sha na na na na And when I get the paper I read it through and through And my girl never fails to say If there is any work for me And when I go back to the house I hear the woman's mouth Preaching and a-crying Tell me that I'm lying 'Bout a job that I never could find Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip Mum mum mum mum mum mum Get a job, sha na na na And when I get the paper I read it through and through And my girl never fails to say If there is any work for me And when I go back to the house I hear the woman's mouth Preaching and a-crying Tell me that I'm lying 'Bout a job that I never could find Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip Mum mum mum mum mum mum Get a job, sha na na na, sha na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na Sha na na na, sha na na na na
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 20, 1958 | 32 | 94 |
| 2 | Jan 27, 1958 | 6 | 120 |
| 3 | Feb 3, 1958 | 2 | 124 |
| 4 | Feb 10, 1958 | 2 | 124 |
| 5 | Feb 17, 1958 | 2 | 124 |
| 6 | Feb 24, 1958 | 1 | 125 |
| 7 | Mar 3, 1958 | 1 | 125 |
| 8 | Mar 10, 1958 | 2 | 124 |
| 9 | Mar 17, 1958 | 7 | 119 |
| 10 | Mar 24, 1958 | 17 | 109 |
| 11 | Mar 31, 1958 | 22 | 104 |
| 12 | Apr 7, 1958 | 27 | 99 |
| 13 | Apr 14, 1958 | 33 | 93 |
| 14 | Apr 21, 1958 | 41 | 85 |
| 15 | Apr 28, 1958 | 62 | 64 |