The name alone makes me want to listen to the song. The bass line is one of the coolest bass parts I’ve heard in a number 1 song. Usually on high-charting songs you just don’t hear basslines like this. I also like the out-of-left-field sax solo by saxophonist Davey Payne.
This song was supposedly inspired by Dury’s disability. He contracted polio when he was 7 years old. Luckily, he was not confined to a wheelchair but he did have to use a walking cane.
The song was recorded live with all the Blockheads placed in different positions in the studio’s live area, with Jankel playing a Bechstein grand piano, Mickey Gallagher playing the Hammond organ, and Dury sitting on a stool in the center singing into a hand-held microphone.
He wrote this song with Chaz Jankel in 1978. Chaz was in a band with Dury called The Kilburns and when they disbanded…he got together with Ian Dury as a co-songwriter. It is the group’s most successful single, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in January 1979 as well as reaching the top three in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and it was also a top 20 hit in several European countries.
The song was a non-album single. He didn’t like to include singles on his albums if possible. It peaked at #1 in the UK, #2 in Australia, #3 in New Zealand, and #79 on the Billboard 100 in 1979. I found no charting in Canada.
“Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” was named the 12th best single of 1978 by the writers of British music magazine NME, and best single of 1979 in the annual ‘Pazz & Jop’ poll organized by music critic Robert Christgau in The Village Voice.
Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick
In the deserts of Sudan
And the gardens of Japan
From Milan to Yucatan
Every woman, every man
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Je t’adore, ich liebe dich,
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me slowly, hit me quick.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the wilds of Borneo
And the vineyards of Bordeaux
Eskimo, Arapaho
Move their body to and fro.
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Das ist gut! C’est fantastique!
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
It’s nice to be a lunatic.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the dock of Tiger Bay
On the road to Mandalay
From Bombay to Santa Fe
Over hills and far away
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
C’est si bon, mm? Ist es nicht?
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Two fat persons, click, click, click.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me! Ow!
Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me! hit me!
Hit me [Repeat: x 5]
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
…
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I remember buying this single when it came out, but my dad forbade me from listening to the b-side because of the rude words! Still a great song, though. And Davey Payne is playing two saxophones at the same time!
I’m a bass player…more than a guitar player…and this bass hooked me right away. It wasn’t played over here when it came out much but I heard it in the 80s at some point…I still like the song.
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and Fire Away ..oh wait wrong tune! Man by your story some of these guys have had it hard it life. Polio at a young age….but he kept going…
Yea he fought through it. I’m glad that is not a thing anymore…it took a lot of kids lives.
This is a really cool song. I don’t remember ever hearing it, until the last 15 years maybe, listening to UK radio.
classic New Wave/Funk disco mash-up hit. The follow up Reasons To Be Cheerful was pretty decent too!
Here we go again. I just love Ian Dury. I hughly recomend Will Burch’s great bio on Ian.
Cool! We are on a roll.
Great song that I had completely forgotten about.
I saw Dury live several times between 78 and 79. He was great, lurching around the stage like a dodgy character from Oliver Twist (or any other Dickens novel for that matter).
The Rhythm Stick single was huge at the time.
My favourite of his was Sweet Gene Vincent.
The way you described him is the way I thought he would be based on what I’ve seen and heard.
I like that one also and Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll.
He wore Dickensian inspired garb, used his stick on stage and kept messing around with handkerchiefs, for some reason. That image can be seen on the picture sleeve for Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll.
I was right up close to the stage on a couple of occasions, his performance was strangely captivating.
I’m jealous…it sounds great and his music…from what I’ve heard is meant to be heard live.
The Blockheads could play – Davey Payne, Chaz Jankel, Charley Charles. All fine musicians.
The first time I saw Dury was in the Stiff Records tour, with Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe among the support.
Here is a link to the gig
aylesburyfriars.co.uk/stiffs77.html
That is really cool….thanks for sharing that. I read in Wiki that they reopened in 2010.
I saw Elvis one time. I went to see Bob Dylan with an unknowned opening act…the unknowned…I can’t think of his name… didn’t come out but a guy came out with just an acoustic and played a set…it was Elvis. Best surprise at a concert ever…it was at the Ryman in Nashville.
Aylesbury was my home town. I saw so many bands/artists there. We had a gig every couple of weeks – The Clash, The Jam, The Ramones etc.
I only saw Dylan the once, in London about ten years ago. He was bloody awful. A shame as I love him.
I’ve seen Dylan 8 times….one time when Steve Earle opened up for him (thank goodness) and he was bad that one time. He only played for 45 minutes.
I like The Jam a lot also.
Here’s something to make you jealous – I saw The Jam ten times. Born at the right time.
Mind you, I’m envious of your eight Dylans.
I’ll raise you eighteen Springsteens and five Clash.
Wooo! Springsteen 18 times! I saw him twice, The Who twice, and I wish I could have seen the Jam and Clash!
LOL the Dickens reference.
I’m sure Dury would have made a great Bill Sykes or Uriah Heep from David Copperfield.
Fun little song I heard a fair bit on the alt rock station but got overlooked by mainstream radio here, but not in Britain evidently.
No it was huge over there and I see why. I can’t get over the bass in this one
In Britain he was big in that Rhythm Stick got to number one (surprisingly), but he still managed to retain a cult appeal as opposed to becoming mainstream.
I was surprised that it went to number 1…and that is a compliment on the song. Usually something out of the ordinary doesn’t do it…more true to America than the UK though.
It’s certainly an eye-catching title. The tune is what I would call a weirdly catchy song! 🙂
Yes and Christian….listen to the bass! You play guitar so you know what I’m talking about.
I like how it starts kind of slow and by the end it’s a full-fledged frenzy. I like his voice, his style, and how he mesmerizes with them. The band is damfine also. They jam well together.
It’s different sounding…thanks for giving it a try.
I’ve heard/seen Dury before on videos and find him a compelling entertainer.
I love it!
A bit of fun just at the when punk was spitting and sneering in its angry musically Brutalist way. What’s not to like with Ian?
I do wish he would have spread the joy over here…this is really cool.
Dammit0 in the above comment I didn’t put in ‘time.’
I said in the Star Trek post I was short on time but this is ridiculous!
It got the message across…anyway!
Remember this well Max me and my buddies were loving this stuff from the UK.
You probably got a chance to hear it more than we did…I never heard anything by them on the radio here…Dave heard it on alt channels but that could have been in Canada as well. I like them and The Buzzcocks.
There’s the odd Canadian charts again as well
I like this one and a bunch of his other music also.
You shouldn’t have recommended Max’s blog to me, Babyhead, I’m getting addicted to it, even interrupting my watching of Elton John’s set at Glastonbury (on the TV, not actually there) to post comments 🙂
You know somethings up when you are taking a break from Elton. Max has lots of good content and is a nice guy to boot.
Thanks Guys…
I forgot to edit that “Nice guy” comment. Didnt realize Max would see it.
I thought something was up!
Ian Dury’s music was so unique. Another great artist who died too young.
I totally agree.