Everybody
Lyrics
I know you've been waiting
Yeah, I've been watching you
Yeah, I know you wanna get up
Yeah, come on
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Let the music take control
Find a groove and let yourself go
When the room begins to sway
You know what I'm trying to say
Come on take a chance
Get up and start to dance
Let the D.J. shake you
Let the music take you
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Let your body take a ride
Feel the beat and step inside
Music makes the world go 'round
You can turn your troubles upside down
Gonna have to change your mind
Gonna leave your troubles behind
Your body gets the notion
When your feet can make the motion
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Dance and sing, get up and do your thing
Dance and sing, get up and do your thing
Dance and sing, get up and do your thing
Dance and sing, get up and do your thing
I know you've been waiting, yeah (yeah)
I saw you sitting there (I've been watching you)
I saw you sitting there by yourself, yeah (yeah)
Common (common)
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Let the music take control
Find a groove and let yourself go
When the room begins to sway
You know what I'm trying to say
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on dance and sing
(Dance and sing, get up and do your thing)
Everybody, get up and do your thing
(Dance and sing, get up and do your thing)
(repeat and fade)
Credits
Written by Madonna
Produced by Mark Kamins
Synthesizers by Dean Gant, Fred Zarr and Ed Walsh
Electric and acoustic pianos by Dean Gant and Fred Zarr
Guitars by Reggie Lucas and Ira Siegal
Drum programming by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming
Tenor saxophone by Bobby Malach
Background vocals by Gwen Guthrie, Norma Jean Wright, Madonna, Brenda White and Chrissy Faith
Album
Single
After years of trying to make it in the music business, Madonna convinced New York DJ Mark Kamins of her singing talent. Kamins took her to Sire Records, who signed her a 2-song deal. Everybody was released as her debut single on October 6, 1982. The single sold about 250,000 copies. It only reached #107 on the US Billboard chart, but it made it to #3 on the dance chart, launching Madonna as a dance act. The original demo version of the song later appeared on the unauthorized album Pre-Madonna / In The Beginning, released by Steve Bray.
Video
The video, directed by Ed Steinberg, shows Madonna and a few dancers in a rather dark New York club. Her brother Christopher did the choreography. The budget for the video was only $1,500. It's a simple and dark video, but it visualized the popular disco singer, of which many people thought she was actually black.
Tour
Madonna's first single was performed on the Virgin Tour. It was the fourth song of the show, where Madonna put on a matching hat for her colourful outfit and made everybody get up and do their thing and Madonna herself humped a boombox. Afterwards, Everybody got forgotten for a while. The Blond Ambition Tour started off with an intro using the line 'dance and sing, get up and do your thing' but then kicked into Express Yourself.
On the Girlie Show, Everybody made a grand comeback as final encore of the show. After the superb Justify My Love, Madonna got back on stage in a simple torn jeans short and a shirt from the national soccer team of the country they were touring in. Madonna started off with a beautiful rendition of the chorus from 'Everybody Is A Star' (originally by Sly & The Family Stone). Then the beat kicked in and Madonna kicked off Everybody. The dancers appeared on stage one by one, each performing their acrobatic tricks. Once complete, they got out some groovy dance steps.
Madonna introduced her band during the song, letting them each have their own solo. Then it was the dancers' turn to show off their skills. And finally, the fans got to do their sing-along part. At the end, the dancers goof aroun, trying to steal the spotlight before disappearing behind the curtain. Madonna dragged them all away, then left herself while thanking the crowd.
The pierrot re-appeared to say good-bye. The audience politely cheered but then went wild, when the mask was taken off and it turned out to be Madonna herself. One last time she sang the line 'Everybody is a star' and then left the stage. Nobody knew she wouldn't return for another 8 years.
Madonna's first single was meant to be included in the Disco segment of the Confessions Tour, but during rehearsals it got replaced by La Isla Bonita. However, while promoting the Confessions On A Dance Floor album, Madonna performed Everybody several times at her club dates. It was always the closing song of the night, performed as a revamped album version with a contemporary feel by then-current collaborator Stuart Price. Madonna grabbed a feathered boa and threw down an energetic choreography. In G-A-Y, Madonna mixed up the number by adding a snippet of Jump. Everybody was also her final song at the Coachella Festival set.
Everybody got another nod at the Sticky & Sweet Tour, where Madonna sampled its synths and sang a few lines during the Old School performance of Holiday. At the 30th anniversary of the song's release, which coincided with the San Jose show of the MDNA Tour, Madonna performed the song as a one-off tribute. Madonna told the crowd what a fantastic feeling it was when she first heard her song on the radio. "I'm the perfect example that dreams do come true" she added. Initially, the song was also included in the Dress You Up medley at the Rebel Heart Tour, but Madonna ditched the Everybody sample after only 3 shows.