Today’s song is “Strike It Up,” the fifth single from the 1990 album Dreamland by Black Box.

The song became a success after its release in February 1991, peaking in the top 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs. 

Song Facts: 

• Songwriters Daniele Davoli, Valerio Semplici, and Mirko Limoni hired Martha Wash, a former member of the Weather Girls, for the vocals they used for the song’s chorus. 
• The rapper Lee Bennett, commonly known as Stepz, is in the song.
• The song samples the “Yeeeah” vocal, a famously sampled interjection from “Ain’t We Funkin’ Now” by The Brothers Johnson. 
• “Strike It Up” uses a little drum break sampled from Gloria Gaynor’s 1975 hit “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”
• Movies such as Senior Year, One Last Dance, and Delivery Man feature this song.
• A 2019 series known as Pose features “Strike It Up” in the “What Would Candy Do?” episode. 
• The original “Strike It Up” version features lyrics from “Acid House.”
• A model was hired to lip-sync over Wash’s part. Wash was also not given songwriting credit for her role in the hit. Wash sued the record label and received an out-of-court settlement. 

Lyrics 

Strike it up, this band is gonna play my tune

Strike it up, I wanna I wanna tell you so

Strike it up, nobody’s gonna stop my sound

Strike it up, you know how lonely one can feel

If I have the line and you have the bass

Then strike it up and you’ll find the rhythm’s on time

Line after line, going straight to your mind

‘Cause hyping the place is what we’re all about

Moving your waist to the bass is no doubt

Roll up the groove, melody is essential

Drop the knowledge on this instrumental

Dance your doubts about house music

You’ve got the body so why don’t you use it?

Naturally swinging your thing to the song

‘Cause that’s how we pump the dance floor for the strong

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Strike it up, your hand is taping on my skin

Strike it up, and keep me and keep me standing on

Strike it up, nobody’s gonna let you down

Strike it up, you know how lovely one can be

If I have the line and you have the bass

Then strike it up and you’ll find the rhythm’s on time

Line after line, going straight to your mind

‘Cause hyping the place is what we’re all about

Moving your waist to the bass is no doubt

Roll up the groove, melody is essential

Drop the knowledge on this instrumental

Dance your doubts about house music

You’ve got the body so why don’t you use it?

Naturally swinging your thing to the song

‘Cause that’s how we pump the dance floor for the strong

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Waiting on my feelings, yeah, yeah

Waiting on my feelings, feelings

Dance, dance, dance, dance

Dance, dance, dance, dance

Strike it up, strike it up

Strike it up, strike it up

Strike it up, strike it up

Strike it up, strike it up

Strike it up, strike it up

Strike it up, strike it up