He's Gonna Step on You Again
1971 single by John Kongos
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"He's Gonna Step on You Again" (also known as "Step On") is a song originally performed by South African singer John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records and featued on his second studio album Kongos. It was a hit in Kongos' native South Africa, Australia and Europe and a minor hit in North America that year, entering the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and spending 14 weeks there, peaking at No. 4.[1] Covers of the song have been chart successes several times, including for the Happy Mondays in 1990.
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by John Kongos | ||||
| from the album Kongos | ||||
| B-side | "Sometimes It's Not Enough" | |||
| Released | 30 April 1971 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:24 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| John Kongos singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (French TV, 1971) on YouTube | ||||
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 performance
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[3] | 2 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] | 77 |
| France (IFOP)[5] | 9 |
| Germany (GfK)[6] | 26 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 27 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] | 22 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[9] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 70 |
Cover versions
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Party Boys | ||||
| from the album The Party Boys | ||||
| B-side | "Small Talk" | |||
| Released | 18 May 1987[12] | |||
| Genre | Rock[13] | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| The Party Boys singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" on YouTube | ||||
1987 Australian versions
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.[14]
The Party Boys
Australian rock supergroup 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 and was featured on their self-titled lone studio album later the same year.[15][16][17] 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)[15] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 10 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] | 92 |
Chantoozies
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Chantoozies | ||||
| from the album Chantoozies | ||||
| B-side | "Twenty Six 02" | |||
| Released | 8 June 1987[19] | |||
| Studio | Platinum (Melbourne, Australia) | |||
| Genre | Pop[20] | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Mushroom | |||
| Producer | David Courtney | |||
| Chantoozies singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "He's Gonna Step on You Again" on YouTube | ||||
Australian pop group the Chantoozies released a version in 1987 as the second single from their self-titled debut album (1988). The song peaked at number 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report.[14]
Track listings
7-inch single (K301)
- Side A "He's Gonna Step on You Again"
- Side B "Twenty Six 02"
12-inch single (X 14504)
- Side A "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (12" version)
- Side B1 "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (7" version)
- Side B2 "Twenty Six 02"
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Australian Music Report)[14] | 36 |
Happy Mondays version
| "Step On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Happy Mondays | ||||
| from the album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches | ||||
| B-side | "Step On" (One Louder mix edit) | |||
| Released | 26 March 1990 | |||
| Recorded | February 1990[21] | |||
| Studio | Eden (London, UK)[22] | |||
| Genre | Madchester[23] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Factory | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Happy Mondays singles chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
British band the 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 Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary compilation for their US label Elektra, but they decided to keep it to release as a single (and was subsequently featured on their third studio album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches), and instead covered Kongos' follow-up single "Tokoloshe Man" for the compilation. The Happy Mondays version incorporates a short sample of three guitar notes from the original.[24]
The first music video for "Step On" was directed by the Bailey Brothers and was filmed on the roof of a hotel in Barcelona, Spain.[25] The second, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino[26] and intended for American audiences, depicts the band performing the song on a fictional Asian television programme, intercut with footage of two fans watching the performance in a bedroom.
"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.[27]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1990–1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[28] | 157 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[29] | 64 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[30] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] | 46 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[32] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[33] | 57 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[34] | 9 |
| US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[35] | 13 |
| US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[36] | 46 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[37] | 50 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[38] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||