The Time

Released: August 21, 1990

Songwriter: Morris Day Prince

Producer: Prince

[Intro]
Shake!

[Verse 1]
Hey, hey people what you come here for?
Come on everybody, let's get out on the floor
All the pretty girls shaking what they got
The boys swear to God that they're all too hot

[Chorus]
Everybody shake
You got to shake something, my lord
Shake!
You got to shake something

[Verse 2]
Come on pretty baby now don't be shy
New liberated girl, ask a guy
We can go dancing, baby, every night
(Shake! Shake, shake shake! Shake!)
But you got to shake your body until the early, early light

[Chorus]
Everybody shake
(Shake, shake, shake)
You got to shake something, my lord
Shake!
(Shake, shake, shake)
You got to shake something
Sing with me now
Oooh-ooh

[Verse 3]
Lucy's standing there with the false hair on
Don't shake it to hard or that hair will be gone
Marilyn's so worried about her two left feet
Pretty thing keeps worrying about keeping on the beat

[Chorus]
That don't matter y'all, come on
Shake! Oh lord. You got to shake something
Everybody shake
(Shake, shake, shake)
You got to shake something
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Shake!
Come on, y'all
You got to shake something
Shake!
(Shake, shake, shake)

[Outro]
Every-everybody
Hey, hey, people what you come here for?
(We want to shake something)
Come on everybody let's get out on the floor
(Got to shake something)
You shake it to the north, you can shake it to the south
(Got to shake something)
(Somebody help me with this)
Shake!
If you come to party now open up your mouth
(You got to shake something)
Come on, oh yeah, yeah
Shake! Shake
(You got to shake something)
Oh don't stop, oh
Shake!
(Shake, shake, shake)
Shake!
(Shake on it... for me)
Shake!
You're hired, ket's go
Shake! Shake!
Got to shake something

The Time grew from the seeds of the Minneapolis music scene in the early 1980’s, galvanized by the creative drive and commercial success of rock-soul juggernaut Prince. The band began as the fruit of a wager Prince made with band leader Morris Day over the song “Partyup” (originally by a band called Enterprise). After the song’s success, Prince agreed to help Morris put together a band.

The nucleus of The Time consisted of drummer Jellybean Johnson, keyboardists Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir, and bassist Terry Lewis, pulled from their local band Flyte Tyme. Guitar demigod Jesse Johnson endeavored to join Prince’s band, but that band didn’t need a guitarist, so he shuffled into The Time’s lineup. Jerome Benton was a promoter from the aforementioned band Enterprise, and was eventually brought on as a comic foil to Morris Day for their stage act.

The band’s debut self-titled album featured two Top 10 R&B hits with “Get It Up” and “Cool.” Their follow-up What Time Is It? delivered an even higher chart peak with “777-9311”. But the band truly hit their stride once featured in Prince’s blockbuster music film Purple Rain. Their songs “Jungle Love” and “The Bird” from the film would become huge R&B and dance hits and propel their third album Ice Cream Castle to #3 on the R&B charts.

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