"Watch Your Step" is a song by American musician Bobby Parker, released in 1961. The song spent several weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 51 during the week of July 15, 1961.Billboard.com Hot 100 archive The song is Parker's signature.
Original release The song was written by Parker, inspired by Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" and Ray Charles' "What'd I Say". Parker said "I started playing [Gillespie's] riff on my guitar and decided to make a blues out of it." Shaheen J. Dibai, "Bobby Parker: The Real Fifth Beatle?", One Note Ahead, March 29, 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2013 It was recorded at the Edgewood Recording Studio in Washington DC in 1961, with Thomas "TNT" Tribble on drums. Richard Williams, "Stepping out with Bobby Parker", The Blue Moment, 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020 The record was released on the V-Tone record label, a small enterprise that had been started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Venton "Buddy" Caldwell. Mike Callahan, Dave Edwards, and Patrice Eyries, V-Tone/Len/Palm/Salvador International Album Discography Retrieved November 3, 2013
Influence The single was released in the UK, and had influence far beyond its modest commercial success. It was covered by various artists including Adam Faith, Manfred Mann, the Spencer Davis Group and Carlos Santana. In particular, its main riff served as the inspiration for several songs by the Beatles, most notably "I Feel Fine" and "Day Tripper".Allmusic.com: Day Tripper In The Beatles Anthology, John Lennon says, "'Watch Your Step' is one of my favourite records. The Beatles have used the lick in various forms. The Allman Brothers used the lick straight as it was." The Allman Brothers song he refers to is "One Way Out", originally written and recorded by Elmore James.
Led Zeppelin also used the riff as the basis for their instrumental, "Moby Dick".Bream, Jon, 2008: Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time. Voyageur Press, 288 pp. Others, including the Yardbirds ("I’m Not Talking", 1965), Deep Purple ("Rat Bat Blue", 1973), Gamma Ray ("New World Order", 2001), and Mahjongg ("Tell the Police the Truth", 2008) were inspired by the riff.
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