Major Lance - The Monkey Time

First performance: 20/06/1999

Coverinfo

Bruce used the song 146 times as a snippet:
 
The snippet is an important part of "Mary's Place" in "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". The horn riff on "The E Street Shuffle" is inspired almost directly from this song.
 
2009-03-23 Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
2008-08-30 Roadhouse At The Lakefront (The), Milwaukee, WI
2008-08-24 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
2008-08-23 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO
2008-08-21 Sommet Center, Nashville, TN
2008-08-19 Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
2008-08-18 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
2008-08-15 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL
2008-08-02 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
2008-07-31 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2008-07-28 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2008-07-27 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2008-07-20 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
2008-07-19 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
2008-07-17 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
2008-07-15 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
2008-07-11 Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland
2008-07-08 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2008-07-07 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2008-07-05 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2008-07-04 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2008-06-29 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
2008-06-27 Parc Des Princes, Paris, France
2008-06-25 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
2008-06-23 Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
2008-06-21 HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg, Germany
2008-06-18 Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2008-06-16 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
2008-06-14 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
2008-05-31 Emirates Stadium, London, England
2008-05-30 Emirates Stadium, London, England
2008-05-28 Old Trafford, Manchester, England
2008-05-25 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
2008-05-23 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
2008-05-22 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
2008-05-02 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
2008-04-30 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
2008-04-28 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
2004-10-13 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
2004-10-11 MCI Center, Washington, DC
2004-10-08 TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, FL
2004-10-05 Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
2004-10-03 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
2004-10-02 Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
2004-10-01 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
2003-12-05 Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
2003-10-04 Shea Stadium, New York City, NY
2003-10-03 Shea Stadium, New York City, NY
2003-10-01 Shea Stadium, New York City, NY
2003-09-27 Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
2003-09-25 Invesco Field At Mile High, Denver, CO
2003-09-21 Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
2003-09-20 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien, NY
2003-09-18 Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
2003-09-16 Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
2003-09-14 Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
2003-09-13 FedExField, Landover, MD
2003-09-10 SkyDome, Toronto, ON
2003-09-07 Fenway Park, Boston, MA
2003-09-06 Fenway Park, Boston, MA
2003-08-31 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-08-30 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-08-28 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-08-17 Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
2003-08-16 Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco, CA
2003-08-13 U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, IL
2003-08-11 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2003-08-09 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2003-08-08 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
2003-08-06 PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
2003-08-02 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
2003-08-01 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
2003-07-27 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-26 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-24 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-21 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-18 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-17 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-07-15 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2003-06-28 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
2003-06-22 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2003-06-21 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2003-06-19 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2003-06-17 Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland
2003-06-16 Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland
2003-06-14 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
2003-06-12 AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany
2003-06-10 Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany
2003-06-08 Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy
2003-05-31 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
2003-05-29 Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, England
2003-05-27 National Sports Stadium, London, England
2003-05-26 National Sports Stadium, London, England
2003-05-24 Stade De France, Saint-Denis, France
2003-05-22 Arena Aufschalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
2003-05-19 Estadio De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
2003-05-17 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain
2003-05-15 Estadio Municipal El Molinón, Gijón, Spain
2003-05-10 Südweststadion, Ludwigshafen, Germany
2003-05-08 Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2003-05-06 Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2003-04-19 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
2003-04-18 Corel Centre, Ottawa, ON
2003-04-13 Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB
2003-04-11 Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC
2003-04-09 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, CA
2003-03-26 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
2003-03-25 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
2003-03-22 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia
2003-03-20 Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Australia
2003-03-11 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
2003-03-10 Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI
2003-03-07 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
2003-03-06 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
2003-03-04 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL
2003-03-02 Frank Erwin Center, Austin, TX
2003-02-28 Arena At Gwinnett Center (The), Duluth, GA
2002-12-17 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
2002-12-16 Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
2002-12-13 Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
2002-12-09 Carolina Center, Columbia, SC
2002-12-05 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
2002-12-04 Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
2002-12-02 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
2002-11-24 Ice Palace, Tampa, FL
2002-11-23 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
2002-11-21 TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, FL
2002-11-19 Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena, Birmingham, AL
2002-11-16 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
2002-11-14 Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
2002-11-04 Compaq Center, Houston, TX
2002-11-03 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
2002-10-27 Wembley Arena, London, England
2002-10-24 Globen, Stockholm, Sweden
2002-10-22 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2002-10-20 Velodrom, Berlin, Germany
2002-10-18 PalaMalaguti, Bologna, Italy
2002-10-16 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
2002-10-14 Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
2002-10-07 HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
2002-08-20 Rose Garden, Portland, OR
1999-09-28 United Center, Chicago, IL
1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
1999-08-01 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-06-23 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1999-06-20 Gelredome, Arnhem, The Netherlands
 

Songinfo

The Monkey time is song by Major Lance and taken from the album 'The Monkey Time' (1963) . Major Lance (April 4, 1939 – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among followers of Northern soul. Although he stopped making records in 1982, Major Lance continued to perform at concerts and on tours until his death in 1994. In 1962 he signed with Okeh Records on Mayfield's recommendation. Lance was constantly showing up at the Okeh offices, offering to run errands for Carl Davis, telling him about the record he'd once made and how he and Curtis Mayfield were friends from their childhood. His first single, "Delilah", was not successful, but it established his partnership with the writing and arranging team of Mayfield, Carl Davis, and Johnny Pate, often with members of Mayfield's group, the Impressions, on backing vocals. Together they developed a distinctive, Latin-tinged sound which epitomised Chicago soul in contrast to music recorded elsewhere. The second Okeh single, "The Monkey Time" (also written by Curtis Mayfield), was Major Lance's first hit. In 1965 Pate left Okeh, and Mayfield began to concentrate on working with his own group. Lance and Davis continued to work together; "Too Hot To Hold" was a minor hit, but they had diminishing success before Davis in turn left the company.
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

Taken from the book : Bruce Springsteen, All the songs, the story behind every track ( Philippe Margotin & Jean- Michel Guesdon ) :
The E Street Shuffle  is the story about the New Jersey music scene of Bruce's teenage years. Bruce was hugely inspired byt the monkey time, a song written by Curtis Mayfield . 
" I wanted to describe a neighborhood, a way of life and I wanted to invent a dance with no exact steps" Bruce explains in his autobiography . 
 
 
 

Lyrics

There's a place right across town, whenever you're ready
Where people gather 'round, whenever they're ready
And then the music begins to play
You feel a groove comin' on its way

Are you ready (are you ready)
Well, you get yours, cause-a I got mine
For the Monkey Time (Monkey Time)
(Monkey Time)

Now the dance that the people do, I don't know how it started
All I know is that when the beat brings a feel
It's so hard to get parted
And then the music begins to play

Automatically you're on your way
Are you ready (are you ready)
Well, you get yours, cause-a I got mine
For the Monkey Time (Monkey Time)

(Monkey Time)
Do the Monkey, yeah (do the Monkey Time)
Do the Monkey, yeah (do the Monkey Time)
Ah-twist them hips (twist them hips)

Let your backbone slip (let your backbone slip)
Now move your feet (move your feet)
Get on the beat (get on the beat)
Are you ready (are you ready)

Well, you get yours, cause-a I got mine
For the Monkey Time (Monkey Time)
(Monkey Time)
Now the dance that the people do, I don't know how it started

All I know is that when the beat brings a feel
It's so hard to get parted
And then the music begins to play
Automatically you're on your way

Are you ready (are you ready)
Well, you get yours, cause-a I got mine
For the Monkey Time (Monkey Time)
Ah, do the Monkey, yeah

Give me a big strong line
You're lookin' real fine