âDaâ Buttâ by E.U. (1988)
Go-go is one of my musical blind spots. Aside from a handful of Chuck Brown songs, the only other go-go Iâm familiar with comes from E.U., the band that made (and had a #1 hit with) âDaâ Buttâ. Iâd like to think I am an authority when it comes to music that makes my ass (and potentially the asses of others, since I have occasionally been called into service as a DJ) move. âDaâ Buttâ causes tons of involuntary rear wiggling, and not just because of the title.
Here are some awesome things about âDaâ Buttâ and E.U.; âDaâ Buttâ is a song about a dance that literally involves just shaking your ass, it was from the excellent Spike Lee film âSchool Dazeâ, it kicked off a lengthy streak of Spikeâs movies attaching themselves to awesome music, E.U.âs Larry Blackmon-esque lead singer is named Sugar Bear, and the video for âDaâ Buttâ was shot in the cafeteria of the high school that I would enroll in less than 18 months after the song became popular. Brooklyn Tech has spawned some pretty awesome celeb alumni; Lou Ferrigno, Vernon Reid, Kim Coles, Talib Kweli (who I was in classes with as a freshman before he split after a year to go to a different high school), itâs the school that formed the basis for the TV show Head Of The Class. Itâs one of NYCâs original elite high school. But to me, aside from being my alma mater, the first fact Iâll always think of when my school comes up in conversation is this video.
Four star songs between âD.M.S.R.â and âDaâ Buttâ: âD.O.A. (Death Of Auto Tune)â (Jay-Z, 2009) | âThe D.O.C. & The Doctorâ (The D.O.C., 1989...god damn this song bangs hard) | âDâevilsâ (Jay-Z, 1996) | âDâyer Makerâ (Led Zeppelin, 1973)...which, incidentally, is quoted in the intro of E.U.âs ââDa Butt â89âł! | âDa Art of Storytellinâ (Part One)â (OutKast, 1998) | âDa Art of Storytellinâ (Part Two)â (OutKast, 1998) | âDa B-Sideâ (Da Brat featuring The Notorious B.I.G., 1995) | âDa Bangâ (Prince, 1998...this doesnât appear to be on any video streaming services)
















