George McCrae vs. KC & The Sunshine Band | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 17^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), George McCrae and KC & The Sunshine Band contend for the best rendition of “I Get Lifted.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 17^th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 George McCrae and 🎙 KC & The Sunshine Band contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “I Get Lifted”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. George McCrae, “I Get Lifted”

💿 Rock Your Baby • 🏷 Rhino Entertainment Company • 🗓 1974

“I get lifted / Up high, high / High, high.” Woo! Disco/funk/soul musician 🎙 George McCrae is best known for his sole no. 1 hit, the iconic 🎵 “Rock Your Baby”. However, on the same 1974 album, 💿 Rock Your Baby, McCrae delivers one of the funkiest records you’ll ever hear in your life, 🎵 “I Get Lifted”. “I Get Lifted” is a surefire vibe, period.  While “I Get Lifted” didn’t give McCraw another top-10 hit, it did crack the top-40 of the pop charts, peaking at no. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Notably, this gem was written by 🎼 ✍ Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, members of the iconic disco collective, 🎙 KC & The Sunshine Band.

Vocally, George McCrae sounds incredibly commanding on “I Get Lifted.” He is cool, expressive, and captivating.  The lyrics are simple but flirty as McCrae praises this lady for being the bomb! “Bring out the loving / Loving desire, baby,” he urges in the second verse, adding, “You got the match / Oh, that lights the fire.” Clearly, you can see why he gets lifted! Another reason for the listeners to get lifted is the supporting instrumental.  The piano part is distinct, truly a pleasant surprise.  The bass line is incredibly robust – who doesn’t ❤️ a fat bass line? Furthermore, that drum groove is simply nasty, in the best way possible! Nearly fifty years after its arrival, 🎵 “I Get Lifted” remains potent to the n^th degree 💪. “Mama, mama!”

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• George McCrae, “I Get Lifted”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 66 (2023)

2. KC & The Sunshine Band, “I Get Lifted”

💿 KC & The Sunshine Band • 🏷 Rhino Entertainment • 🗓 1975

It’s kind of strange when you cover a song you’ve written, right? Right. In the case of 🎵 “I Get Lifted”, 🎙 KC & The Sunshine Band covered a song they wrote.  That’s right, the 🎙 George McCrae gem, 🎵 “I Get Lifted”, was written by 🎼 ✍ Henry Wayne Casey (aka KC) and Richard Finch, both members of the legendary, Florida disco/funk/ R&B band.  On their 1975 self-titled album, KC & The Sunshine band recorded their own version of “I Get Lifted,” which is incredibly funky in its own right.

Despite not being one of the juggernauts that graces 💿 KC & The Sunshine Band, “I Get Lifted” is a surefire vibe.  The tempo is quicker than the 1974 original – a distinguishing characteristic. The production is electrifying – sleek, sleek, SLEEK! The rhythmic section is fully locked in and loaded – in the pocket! There is a sea of rhythms dispersed across an active, red hot bass line 🎸, guitar 🎸, funked-up clavinet 🎹, and of course, a groove 🥁 readymade for the discos 🪩… or just the dance floor these days 🕺! The vocals are cool but yield plenty of personality as KC sings of being lifted by her love (“I get lifted / Up high, high / High, high”), hehe.  Also, notable is the vamping as KC and company keep a feel-good vibe going and yet the song just crosses the three-minute mark, sigh. 🎵 “I Get Lifted” in the hands of KC & The Sunshine Band is sure to lift your spirits and make you dance! Again, I say, “Mama, mama!”

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• KC & The Sunshine Band, “I Get Lifted”: Covers No. 18 (2023)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

So, it comes down to this!  🎙 George McCrae or 🎙 KC & The Sunshine Band?  Initially, I went in absolutely certain I would give Mr. McCrae the edge.  The original is so laid back, incredibly funky, with a bit of grit about the arrangement and production.  Then, as I repeatedly listen to the cover by KC & The Sunshine Band, who wrote it (😂), their more refined, yet still ultra-funky rendition is terrific too. Ugh. McCrae made a hit of this while the KC & The Sunshine Band catalog has more important songs, so if it’s not a tie, give George the slightest edge – that voice is so incredibly smooth, especially on those “mama, mama(s)!”

via GIPHY

George McCrae vs. KC & The Sunshine Band: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 17 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Rhino Entertainment; Antoni Shkraba via Pexels, andresilva5, talha khalil, Valentin Tikhonov via Pixabay; Nick Wang on Unsplash]