Stupid song lyrics – The Call to Boogie

Is it the second Wednesday of the month already? Time flies! Well, time for another episode of “stupid song lyrics.”

Recently, while driving home from work, I heard the 70s disco hit “Boogie Oogie Oogie” by A Taste of Honey. You remember it, don’t you? It was a #1 hit back in 1978. Usually when I hear a disco tune while surfing the radio stations, I continue moving right along. But on this occasion I thought for a moment about the song title, realized it sounded silly, and decided to hear it out. Below are my observations. But first, here are the initial lyrics of the song:

If you're thinkin' you're too cool to boogie,
Boy oh boy have I got news for you.
Everybody here tonight must boogie.
Let me tell ya', you are no exception to the rule.

Get on up, on the floor,
Cuz we're gonna boogie oogie oogie
‘Til you just can't boogie no more.

Let me start by saying, I love these lyrics. I think they are a riot. Let’s examine a few key points, shall we?

First of all, if any of you out there think that you are too cool to boogie, I’d say, well, just who do you think you are? Because, as the song suggests, nobody is too cool to boogie. Nobody. There are no exceptions to the rule. So you might as well drop that smug, holier-than-thou attitude about boogieing. I’m not kidding. It doesn’t matter if you are the richest man alive or the poorest pauper in the city gutter, nobody is exempt. Nobody is above boogieing. If you think you are, you’d better think again.

Second, there is an urgent imperative here. “Everybody here tonight must boogie.” A lot of people miss this point. If a person is present (“here tonight”), and hears the invitation (to boogie), then he or she is responsible to respond. They must boogie. And I’m going to make the bold claim that, by extension, this song invites all of us to obedience in the area of boogieing. We might think that we can hear this song, and then ignore the clarion call to boogie. But if you’ve heard these lyrics, you are accountable to respond appropriately. You can’t really continue to trudge through life thinking that you have a choice in the matter. You must boogie!

And third, once you have humbled yourself and understood you are not too cool to boogie, and after you’ve made the commitment to follow the mandate to boogie, you can’t just do it in a half-hearted fashion. You have to “boogie oogie oogie ‘til you just can’t boogie no more.” It’s as if the mere term “boogie” is not enough to express the strength, endurance, and intensity involved. You can’t just “boogie,” you’ve got to “boogie oogie oogie”—that is, boogie to the point where your physical, mental, and emotional capacities are absolutely spent. You can’t boogie on your own terms. You’ve got to go all out.

I know, I know. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “But Dave, have you considered the sheer exhaustion and anguish you would feel if you boogie oogie oogied ‘til you literally could not boogie no more? Certainly they ask too much!” Well, allow me to offer some advice, and this is from personal boogie experience. Don’t be overwhelmed. Don’t think you have to “boogie oogie oogie ‘til you just can’t boogie no more” the very first time out of the gate. Ease into it. Build your stamina. Like many things in life, it takes time. It may seem daunting, I admit. But with perseverance you can do it. You may not believe it now, but before long, I think you’ll surprise yourself. You really will be boogie oogie oogieing until you just can’t boogie no more.