| He's Gonna Step on You Again | |
| Cover: | John Kongos - He's Gonna Step on You Again.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | John Kongos |
| Album: | Kongos |
| B-Side: | Sometimes It's Not Enough |
| Released: | May 1971 |
| Length: | 4:24 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Gus Dudgeon |
| Next Title: | Tokoloshe Man |
| Next Year: | 1971 |
"He's Gonna Step on You Again" (also known as "Step On") is a song originally performed by 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 (1971) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[3] | 2 | |
| France (IFOP)[4] | 9 | |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[5] | 2 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 70 |
| He's Gonna Step on You Again | |
| Cover: | The Party Boys - He's Gonna Step on You Again.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Party Boys |
| Album: | The Party Boys |
| B-Side: | Small Talk |
| Released: | [7] |
| Length: | 4:08 |
| Label: | CBS |
| Producer: | |
| Prev Title: | Kashmir |
| Prev Year: | 1984 |
| Next Title: | Hold Your Head Up |
| Next Year: | 1987 |
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.[8]
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. 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)[9] | 1 | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] | 92 |
| He's Gonna Step on You Again | |
| Cover: | He's Gonna Step On You Again by Chantoozies.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Chantoozies |
| Album: | Chantoozies |
| B-Side: | Twenty Six 02 |
| Released: | [11] |
| Studio: | Platinum (Melbourne, Australia) |
| Label: | Mushroom |
| Producer: | David Courtney |
| Prev Title: | Witch Queen |
| Prev Year: | 1987 |
| Next Title: | Wanna Be Up |
| Next Year: | 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.[8]
7-inch single (K301)
12-inch single (X 14504)
| Step On | |
| Cover: | Happy Mondays - Step On.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Happy Mondays |
| Album: | Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches |
| A-Side: | "Step On" (Stuff It In mix edit) |
| B-Side: | "Step On" (One Louder mix edit) |
| Released: | [12] |
| Genre: | Madchester[13] |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | Factory (FAC 272/7) |
| Producer: | |
| Prev Title: | WFL (Wrote for Luck) |
| Prev Year: | 1989 |
| Next Title: | Kinky Afro |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
English 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 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.[14]
"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.[15]
Weekly charts
| Chart (1990–1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[16] | 157 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] | 12 |
Year-end charts
