The Hues Corporation- Rock The Boat (video & information)

Top Pop, Nov. 6, 2015

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest update- Feb. 15, 2023

This is Part I of a two part series on the 1974 Disco song "Rock The Boat" and children's "Rock The Boat" cheers.

This posts showcases the song "Rock The Boat" as recorded by The Hues Corporation (1974).

Part II features examples of "Rock The Boat" cheers.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/examples-of-childrens-cheer-rock-boat.html for Part II of this series.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Hues Corporation for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE HUES CORPORATION'S ROCK THE BOAT"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_the_Boat_(Hues_Corporation_song)
"Rock the Boat" is a disco song by the group Hues Corporation in 1974. "Rock the Boat" was written by Waldo Holmes, who also wrote the Blacula songs.

"Rock the Boat" was first featured on the Hues Corporation's 1973 album, Freedom For The Stallion (an edited version later appeared on certain editions of the band's follow-up album, 1974's Rockin' Soul).[1] and was released as the second single from the album in early 1974 to follow-up Stallion's title song, which had peaked at #63 on the Hot 100. Initially, "Rock the Boat" appeared as though it would flop, as months went by without any radio airplay or sales activity. Not until the song became a disco/club favorite in New York did Top 40 radio finally pick up on the song, leading the record to finally enter the Hot 100 and zip up the chart to #1 in July 1974. The record also reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom (number 6). It is a heavy airplay favorite on oldie and adult-contemporary stations today."...
-snip-
This Wikipedia page doesn't note that "rock the boat" is an American idiom that means "to do or say something that might endanger a stable situation or upset the status quo." 

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/rock+the+boat 

In this song, the singer is reminding his partner of how well their relationship was, and asking her not to do anything (or continue to do anything) to disturb that relationship. 

This Wikipedia page also doesn't mention that a large number of children's cheerleader cheers are titled "Rock The Boat" and have their source in the Hue Corporation' "Rock The Boat" song. The "Rock The Boat" cheers that I've collected online use a foot stomping cheer structure, but are probably not performed with the foot stomping activity that is the same as historically Black Greek lettered organizations' steppin foot work, (individual handclaps, and sometimes also (individual) body patting. Examples of those cheers are featured in Part II of this pancocojams series.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-movement.html for a pancocojams post on foot stomping cheers.

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Notice that one of the dance movements that the Hues Corporation does while singing "Rock The Boat" is to lean to the side and smoothly (gently) swing their hips from side to side. That "rock the boat" dance movement became part of many young African Americans' mid 1970s R&B dance repertoire. That movement is still done in the 2000s when people want to perform "old school" dances.

In contrast, here's a link to a video of the 2011 Hip-Hop dance [crank that]* "rock dat boat"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uWyB6BgISs

*"Crank that" is often used in front of the name of a Hip-Hop dance. It means "do that [dance name] dance" or "start doing that [dance name] dance".

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LYRICS- ROCK THE BOAT
(The Hues Corporation)

[Verse 1]

Ever since our voyage of love began
Your touch has thrilled me
Like the rush of the wind
And your arms have held me
Safe from a rolling sea
There's always been a quiet place
To harbor you and me

Our love is like a ship on the ocean
We've been sailing with a cargo
Full of love and devotion

[Chorus]

So I'd like to know where you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where you got the notion
To rock the boat
Don't rock the boat, baby

Rock the boat
Don't tip the boat over
Rock the boat
Don't rock the boat, baby
Rock the boat

 

[Verse 2:]

Up to now
We sailed through every storm
And I've always had your tender lips
To keep me warm

Rock the Boat

Oh, I need to have the strength
That flows from you
Don't let me drift away my dear
When love can see me through

Our love is like a ship on the ocean
We've been sailing with a cargo
Full of love and devotion

[Chorus]

So I'd like to know where you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where you got the notion
So I'd like to know where you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where you got the notion
To rock the boat
Don't rock the boat, baby

Rock the boat
Don't tip the boat over
Rock the boat
Don't rock the boat, baby
Rock the boat
Don't tip the boat over
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock on with yo bad self
Rock the boat
Rock on with yo bad self
Rock the boat
Rock on with yo bad self
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat
Rock the boat

Online Source - https://genius.com/The-hues-corporation-rock-the-boat-lyrics

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thank you to for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.