Peak
13
Weeks
12
Score
1,752
Chart Year
1965
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It sounds like hip lingo, but "she's about a mover" is a meaningless phrase. The song was written as "She's A Body Mover." The band was playing a bar gig in San Antonio, Texas when a lovely lady began dancing in front of the stage. Group leader Doug Sahm said to his bandmates, "She's a body mover, isn't she?," inspiring the song. That title was deemed too risqué for airplay, so they changed it to the nonsensical "She's About A Mover." The song was written by Doug Sahm, who kept the lyric simple, repeating the same lines over and over. The storyline is rather vague, but the guy in the song connects with the girl for "love and conversation." Sahm didn't go for complex narrative in his lyrics, focused instead on repetition that would make the lines memorable. This was the breakout hit for the Sir Douglas Quintet, which tried to pass themselves off as British when they released it. The group was from Texas, but British bands were all the rage in 1965 - not just The Beatles, but also The Animals, Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five. So Doug Sahm became the knightly "Sir Douglas," and the band did their best to ape the look and stage moves of these British bands. The band was ordered to stay silent (Sahm couldn't pull off a British accent), but it quickly became clear they were playing a part. (A year earlier, the British group The Nashville Teens posed as American and had a hit with "Tobacco Road.") Their sound was more Tex Mex than British Invasion. The group had a few more hits - notably "Mendocino" and "The Rains Came" - but never matched the success of "She's About A Mover." A distinguishing sound on this song is the Vox Continental organ played by Augie Meyer. He based the part on polka music, modifying it with a rock sensibility. The "Oh yeah, what'd I say" line is a nod to the Ray Charles hit "What'd I Say." Ringo Starr covered this on his 1983 album Old Wave. Other acts to cover it include Trini Lopez, Roy Head and Doug Clifford. Among the fans of Doug Sahm, who died in 1999, are Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss. "I remember Gene saying they used to play 'She's About a Mover,' and seeing dad try on the Axe Bass," Doug's son Shandon told Songfacts. "It was funny as hell. That's how in 1979 I got to meet them. I freaked out."
She was walking down the street Looking fine as she could be, hey, hey She was walking down the street She's looking fine as she could be, hey, hey You know I love you, baby Oh hear what I say, hey, hey She walked right up to me Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?" She walked right up to me Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?" Hey, hey We had love and conversation Oh yeah, what'd I say, hey hey She's about a mover She's about a mover She's about a mover She's about a mover Hey, hey She's about a mover She's about a mover You know I love you, baby Oh yeah, what'd I say, yeah, hey Now, she walked right up to me, talkin' about me She said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?" Well, she walked right up to me Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?" We had love and conversation Oh yeah, what'd I say, hey hey She's about a mover She's about a mover She's about a mover She's about a mover, hey
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 3, 1965 | 69 | 57 |
| 2 | Apr 10, 1965 | 50 | 76 |
| 3 | Apr 17, 1965 | 39 | 87 |
| 4 | Apr 24, 1965 | 35 | 91 |
| 5 | May 1, 1965 | 32 | 94 |
| 6 | May 8, 1965 | 27 | 99 |
| 7 | May 15, 1965 | 21 | 105 |
| 8 | May 22, 1965 | 18 | 108 |
| 9 | May 29, 1965 | 13 | 113 |
| 10 | Jun 5, 1965 | 13 | 113 |
| 11 | Jun 12, 1965 | 15 | 111 |
| 12 | Jun 19, 1965 | 56 | 70 |