That Wasn't A Hit?!?: The Isley Brothers, 'Shout!'

Every so often, we turn our series That Was A Hit?!? on its head with frequent Soundcheck guest Chris Molanphy, calling it instead, “That Wasn't A Hit?!?” We look back at songs that -- although we may now think of them as hits -- actually weren't hits (at least in their original form) at all.

If you've ever been to a wedding, you've almost certainly gotten down -- way down, down to the floor -- to the song "Shout!" The song is indeed a dance-floor classic, but it took a circuitous route to that honored status. The call-and-response tune is largely known because of its role in the 1978 comedy Animal House, as performed by a fictional group known as "Otis Day & The Knights." But the song's actual creators were The Isley Brothers, who are one of the most successful vocal groups of all time. So...is it really possible that the 1959 version of "Shout!" wasn't a hit?

Pop chart writer Chris Molanphy joins John Schaefer to pull back the curtain on this ubiquitous tune.