"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 and featured on his second studio album Kongos. It was a hit in Kongos' native South Africa, Australia and Europe and a minor hit in North America that year, entering the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and spending 14 weeks there, peaking at No. 4. Covers of the song have been chart successes several times, including for the Happy Mondays in 1990.
It was cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to have used a sample, utilising a tape loop of African drumming.
Chart performance Chart (1971)PeakpositionAustralia (Go-Set National Top 40)2France (IFOP)9South Africa (Springbok Radio)2US Billboard Hot 10070
Cover versions
1987 Australian versions 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.
The Party Boys Australian rock supergroup 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 and was featured on their self-titled lone studio album later the same year. 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)PeakpositionAustralia (Australian Music Report)1UK Singles (Official Charts Company)92
Chantoozies
Australian pop group the Chantoozies released a version in 1987 as the second single from their self-titled debut album (1988). The song peaked at number 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
Track listings 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" Side B1 "He's Gonna Step on You Again" Side B2 "Twenty Six 02"
Charts Chart (1987)PeakpositionAustralia (Australian Music Report)36
Happy Mondays version
British band the 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 was subsequently featured on their third studio album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches), and instead covered Kongos' follow-up single "Tokoloshe Man" for the compilation. The Happy Mondays version incorporates a short sample of three guitar notes from the original.
The first music video for "Step On" was directed by the Bailey Brothers and was filmed on the roof of a hotel in Barcelona, Spain.Spence 2015, p. 201 The second, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and intended for American audiences, depicts the band performing the song on a fictional Asian television programme, intercut with footage of two fans watching the performance in a bedroom.
"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.
Charts Weekly charts Chart (1990–1991)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA)157Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)12
Year-end charts Chart (1990)PositionUK Singles (OCC)50
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United Kingdom26 March 1990FactoryAustralia30 July 1990Japan1 June 1991CD (Remix '91)Factory
See also List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
References
External links