Shut Up and Dance modified Marc Cohen’sWalking in Memphis” by adding “rave” or “raving” at every opportunity, rendering the lyrics senseless (i.e. “I put on my raving shoes and boarded a plane”). Cohen sued SUAD and the work (titled "Raving, I'm Raving") was withdrawn (a pity) though Scooter, a German hardcore techno group had no shame and covered SUAD’s corruption as "I'm Raving" in 1996. The SUAD version was released in 1992 on Rough Trade while the more broadly distributed Scooter cover did not appear until 1996 on the Club Tools (Edel) label. (credit to sakke for the SUAD release info). Scooter's lyrics are slightly different than those of the SUAD original.

Undoubtedly the nadir of mid-90’s techno, Scooter’s “I’m Raving” (more commonly known as “that raving shoes song”) was a hit in Europe (peaking at #33 on the charts in 1996). The most offensive feature of Scooter’s version is the backing bagpipe track playing “Scotland the Brave”. I’m not kidding.

The lyrics are:

Put on my raving shoes and I boarded a plane
Touched down in the land where the skies were blue
In the middle of the pouring rain
Everybody was happy
Energy shining down on me
Yeah, I've got a first class ticket,
Feel as good as a boy can be

I'm raving, I'm raving
I'm raving 'til the sweat has fallen down off me
I'm raving, I'm raving
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Yes!
Come on!
Yeah!

Put on my raving shoes,
And I boarded a plane
Touched down in the land
Where the skies were blue
In the middle of the pouring rain.
Everybody was happy,
Energy shining down on me
Yeah, I've got a first class ticket,
Feel as good as a boy can be.

I'm raving, I'm raving
I'm raving 'til the sweat drops have fallen down off me
I'm raving, I'm raving
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Yes!
Wicked! (x3)
Give it up now! (x3)
Yeah!

I'm raving, I'm raving
I'm raving ‘til the sweat drops fall down off me
I'm raving, I'm raving
But do I really feel the way I feel? (x2)

I hear this track in the wild more often than I would like: twice at Raindance, and some lesser-known rave events in London (one DJ was creative enough to flip between the Scooter and SUAD versions without the audience noticing). I've also heard it grace the decks in Mannheim, Germany, and though I have not personally heard it in the US I understand it made its way across the pond. Scooter’s work is the sort of thing that pigeonholes the rave scene (their cover of Billy Idol'sRebel Yell” similarly must be heard to be believed), but then one doesn't mind it at all when rolling through a mad night.

I heared the first version of this in 1992 on an underground UK radio station. Walking in Memphis was popular at the time. It was clear that it would never be commercially released as it was so derivative of Walking in Memphis. Even the voice sounded the same. And because of the lyrical content.

The chorus, if I recall it right, was

I'm raving, I'm raving
Sun pouring down like Ecstasy

Read that in the context of the first verse and it's not exactly a subtle reference.

This was a fine moment for rave. This was the sound of the underground. This was culture jaming, this was one in your face to rock's cult of celebrity that rave was diametrically opposed to. This was exuberant and unrepentant, and - dare we say it, almost spiritual

I guess you had to be there and then, young and drugged-up, but we liked it a lot.


sakke says: That track was officially released on Rough Trade records, with Peter Bouncer singing the lyrics instead of using samples. The title of the song is actually raving I'm raving.

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