Get Up Offa That Thing (3:24)

“Get Up Offa That Thing”, sometimes subtitled “(Release the Pressure)”, is a song performed by James Brown, released as a two-part single in 1976 (the B-side, titled “Release the Pressure”, is actually a continuation of the same song, and also appears on the album of the same name). It was one of Brown’s biggest hits in the second half of the 1970s, reaching #4 on the R&B chart, and became a staple of his later live performances.

The song’s lyrics urge the listener to “Get up offa that thing / and dance ‘til you feel better.” Brown’s declamatory vocals include a dismissive passing reference to Barry White (“Barry who?” responds one of the band members). Brown’s vocal also makes reference to the Ohio Players, possibly because the song sounds similar to recordings made in the mid-1970s by that band.