THE SILHOUETTES - 'GET A JOB' (1957)

The Silhouettes were formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1956, at first using the name The Thunderbirds. Their classic hit "Get A Job" - originally the B-side to "I Am Lonely" - was issued by their manager Kae Williams on his own Junior Records label before being sold to the nationally distributed Ember label in late 1957. It reached number 1 on both the R&B and pop charts in U.S. and the group performed it on television's American Bandstand. The song sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold record.

The lyrics of "Get a Job" are notable for the depiction of a household in tension because of unemployment, despite the man's desperate attempts to find work, all delivered in a relentlessly upbeat style. A second release, "Heading for the Poorhouse", continued the economic theme. It was one of the few songs to allude to inflation, the trip to the poorhouse being because "all our money turned brown". This single and all their subsequent singles sold poorly and the group never entered the national charts again, making them a classic example of "one hit wonders".

The Silhouettes toured with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Clyde McPhatter and others but the group never reached the top of the charts again. They disbanded in 1968, but the four original members reformed the group in the 1980s and continued to work until 1993.

"Get a Job" is one of the best known doo-wop songs of the 1950s. Recorded by The Silhouettes in October 1957, the song reached the number one spot on the Billboard pop and R&B singles charts in February 1958.

"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," said tenor Richard Lewis, who wrote the lyrics. The four members shared the credit, jointly creating the "sha na na" and "dip dip dip dip" hooks later imitated by other doo-wop groups.

The song was recorded at Robinson Recording Laboratories in Philadelphia in October 1957. Rollie McGill played the saxophone break and the arranger was Howard Biggs. It was released on the Junior label and Doug Moody who later formed Punk/Thrash label Mystic Records brought it to Ember Records where it was licensed for national distribution. Moody then worked with Dick Clark to get the group on American Bandstand.

The Silhouettes performed the song several times on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in early 1958, the single sold more than a million copies.

The song was later featured in the soundtracks of the movies American Graffiti, Stand By Me, the end credits for Trading Places and Joey (in which the group also performed it). The revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's catchy doo-wop introduction. "Get a Job" inspired a number of answer songs, including "Got a Job", the debut recording by The Miracles. In 1999, this song was parodied in a Car Body Shop commercial, prior to that the UK recruitment agency, Brook Street Bureau, used the song in their two TV commercials although they replaced "get a job" with "better job". The Brook Street commercial was devised by Saatchi and Saatchi Garland Compton and cost over £1m in 1985 It was also covered by Neil Young & Crazy Horse on their 2012 album Americana.

[sonjabanyaman]

Being the niece of Richard Lewis bought me here, Just wanted to see another youthful picture of my late Uncle and think about what my Mommy said regarding The times when this song was written and after.... Grandmother Uncle Richard's mom passed before this song became BIG. Mommy said he'd tour and bring all sorts of goodies for his little sister's when he came home from the Road.. He was a teacher in later life and married Three times... The Avatar in my profile picture the lady who isn't the Bride is Richard Lewis's Mother and my maternal grandmother Alberta Lewis.

[MM-ejdu]

Got fired a week ago, thanks to my grandparents this came to mind pretty soon after. (Scored something within a week thankfully!)

[AngelNoriega]

Whenever the “yip yip yip yip yip ma ma ma ma” part hits, I always think of those aliens from Sesame Street… 🤣

[michaelmcloughlin]

Michael McLoughlin
I was only 7 when this came out-I liked it then, In 1969 I saw a group called "Sha Na Na"
open their set at Woodstock with this song. I was 17 then. It's still a good song. I'm 73 now.

[abj]

My uncles fish n’ chip store had one of those massive 50’s juke boxes that cranked non stop, six plays for a quarter. When they gave me a quarter to play some songs I played this one 6 times. As an 8 year old those juke boxes looked bigger than life.

[verstraetenandre]

When you're unemployed, having a shitty day... and you get in your car ... TO HEAR THIS, you really think to yourself like "dear universe, your humor is really pervert sometimes!" - that shit happened to me about a week ago! :D

[thomasbutler]

I an an old man, 83, now who remembers this tune as a teenager. Some times a few Black kids would harmonize and sing this in the boy's room with echoing walls. No rap back then.

[mikeflynn]

I was born in 1957 you can't argue me that it was the best music being pumped out then.

[karenshelton]

I used to sing this to my kids after they graduated from high school. They hated it! They're in their 50s now.

[MarquisLeary]

You ever have a song that, no matter what state or mood you're in, makes you smile and feel better hearing it? This is one of mine.

[grettageragi]

when my older brothers would quit jobs & think they could lay about the house, my mom would play this record or sing it! a lot!

[WorldWalker]

haven't heard this song in at least 20 years.
And now I sit here needing a new job after quitting my last one. Back in the 50s you could walk into a place in some towns and you'd get a job after a short conversation. Nowadays a dolphin can get a job easier than folks can.
Wish me luck, people. I've got enough money for now to keep my barge from sinking, but much like a tree vs termites it won't last forever.

[thepainter]

One of the greatest songs of all time! I’m an old white Southern man and if you don’t like this, your taste in music needs refining! 2023.

[mrkrojo]

This is just one of those perfect, shivers-down-your-spine rock n' roll songs. You can tell the guys are having fun singing it. Even with all the little tricks of harmony, hand-clapping, acapella parts, deep baritones and high falsettos, it's all done effortlessly and it's so natural. It still sounds a little goofy and raw making it accessible to toddlers and geezers alike. Love this one.

[Mt.Rainier-um]

Many years ago durin the late 1980s, I was involved in a middle school exchange program with schools in Russia. This was still during the Cold War, when it was rare for Russians and the USA to meet. Sh-boom was one of the songs we practiced to show the Russians what US culture was like.

[jeffharpin]

One of the greatest rock songs of all time!

[goldcoloredstar]

"LOOKING GOOD BILLY RAY!, FEELIN' GOOD LOUIS!"

[Mark_Liberty_Anderson_Acrimony]

Trading Places (1983) and Stand By Me (1986) brought me here, great rock tune. 👍 🤟

[LeonardGalit]

I like this song. How different it is today. You can get a job on-line. The men who sand this this song are gone by now. God bless their souls.

[pandjnewton]

What makes this, original, version so great is how rough it is.  Very little production value on it, the bass singer stomps all over everyone and is just a tad behind his bandmates.  Any producer worth their salt would have made them do another take--but that would have ruined it.  Perfect as it is.