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He's Gonna Step on You Again

"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
Single by John Kongos
from the album Kongos
B-side"Sometimes It's Not Enough"
ReleasedMay 1971
Length4:24
Label
Songwriters
ProducerGus Dudgeon
John Kongos singles chronology
"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
(1971) 		"Tokoloshe Man"
(1971)

"He's Gonna Step on You Again" (also known as "Step On") is a song originally performed by South African singer John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and spent 14 weeks there, peaking at No. 4.[1] Covers of the song have been chart successes several times, including for Happy Mondays in 1990.

It was cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to have used a sample,[2] utilising a tape loop of African drumming.[2]

Chart performance

[edit]
Chart (1971) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[3] 2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 77
France (IFOP)[5] 9
Germany (GfK)[6] 26
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 22
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[9] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 70

Cover versions

[edit]
"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
Single by the Party Boys
from the album The Party Boys
B-side"Small Talk"
Released18 May 1987 (1987-05-18)[12]
Length4:08
LabelCBS
Songwriters
Producers
The Party Boys singles chronology
"Kashmir"
(1984) 		"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
(1987) 		"Hold Your Head Up"
(1987)

1987 Australian versions

[edit]

In 1987 three Australian bands (the Party Boys, Chantoozies and Exploding White Mice) each released their own cover version of "He's Gonna Step on You Again". The Party Boys' single was issued in May, and peaked at No. 1, for two weeks, in late July on the Australian Music Report chart while the Chantoozies version reached No. 36.[13]

The Party Boys

[edit]

The Party Boys released a cover version in 1987 that reached No. 1 on the Australian Music Report, No. 92 in the United Kingdom and No. 10 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[14][15] The band also recorded a 12-inch single, "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (Stomp mix) with Nick Mainsbridge remixing, which was backed by "She's a Mystery".

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Australian Music Report)[14] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 10
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 92

Chantoozies

[edit]
"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
Single by Chantoozies
from the album Chantoozies
B-side"Twenty Six 02"
Released8 June 1987 (1987-06-08)[17]
StudioPlatinum (Melbourne, Australia)
LabelMushroom
ProducerDavid Courtney
Chantoozies singles chronology
"Witch Queen"
(1987) 		"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
(1987) 		"Wanna Be Up"
(1988)

The Chantoozies released a version in 1987 as the second single from their debut studio album Chantoozies. The song peaked at number 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report.[13]

Track listings
[edit]

7-inch single (K301)

  • Side A "He's Gonna Step on You Again"
  • Side B "Twenty Six 02"

12-inch single (X 14504)

  • Side A "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (12" version)
  • Side B1 "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (7" version)
  • Side B2 "Twenty Six 02"
Charts
[edit]
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Australian Music Report)[13] 36

Happy Mondays version

[edit]
"Step On"
Single by Happy Mondays
from the album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
B-side"Step On" (One Louder mix edit)
Released26 March 1990 (1990-03-26)
GenreMadchester[18]
Length
  • 4:20 (7-inch single edit)
  • 5:19 (album version)
LabelFactory
Songwriters
Producers
Happy Mondays singles chronology
"WFL (Wrote for Luck)"
(1989) 		"Step On"
(1990) 		"Kinky Afro"
(1990)
Official video
"Step On (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

British band Happy Mondays covered the song in 1990, retitling it "Step On", with two different music videos. It was originally intended as a contribution to the Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary compilation for their US label Elektra, but they decided to keep it to release as a single, and instead covered Kongos's "Tokoloshe Man" for the compilation. The Happy Mondays version incorporates a short sample of three guitar notes from the original.[19]

"Step On" became Happy Mondays' biggest-selling single, peaking at No. 5 in the UK and No. 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyric "you're twisting my melon, man" was used for singer Shaun Ryder's autobiography Twisting My Melon.[20]

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[21] 157
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 64
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[23] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 46
UK Singles (OCC)[25] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 57
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[27] 9
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[28] 13
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[29] 46

Year-end charts

Chart (1990) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[30] 50

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 26 March 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Factory [32]
Australia 30 July 1990
[33]
Japan 1 June 1991 CD (Remix '91) Factory [34]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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