Was (Not Was)

  • Detroit, MI
    hometown
  • Alternative
    genre
  • 1979
    started
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About Was (Not Was)


Was (Not Was) play contemporary R&B dance music, with lyrics that range from the satiric to the bizarre. The group is led by Detroit natives David Weiss (David Was), who plays flute and writes those lyrics, and Don Fagenson (Don Was), who plays bass and writes music, but the group is fronted by singers Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson. Was (Not Was) first gained notice for a dance single called "Wheel Me Out" in 1980. Their first album, Was (Not Was) (1981), did not reach the charts, but its follow-up, Born to Laugh at Tornados (1983), did. Then little was heard from the group for five years. They returned in 1988 with What Up, Dog?, which featured the number 16 hit "Spy in the House of Love" and the number seven hit "Walk the Dinosaur." (During this period, Don Was had become a prominent record producer, handling the board for Bonnie Raitt's Grammy-winning Nick of Time, among many other mainstream pop records.) The fourth Was (Not Was) album, Are You Okay?, appeared in 1990. Are You Okay? wasn't as commercially successful as the previous What Up, Dog? After the album's release, Don Was continued to pursue his production career, which began to increase tensions between Don and David. In 1993, they parted ways but returned 15 years later with Boo!, an album featuring several Was (Not Was) vets, including Bowens, Atkinson, Wayne Kramer, David McMurray, and Luis Resto. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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Music

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  • Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)
    was-not-was
    Video
    Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)
  • Walk The Dinosaur
    was-not-was
    Video
    Walk The Dinosaur
  • 907
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    • Walk The Dinosaur
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/9/9/5/2/106925998.mp3
    • Out Come the Freaks
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/8/2/9/9/843699280.mp3
    • Spy In The House Of Love
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/3/6/6/1/106916634.mp3
    • I Feel Better Than James Brown
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/8/7/6/3/107036789.mp3
    • Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/2/6/3/8/106683627.mp3
    • Maria Novarro
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/2/4/3/8/106683427.mp3

News

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  • Was (Not Was)
    Thirty Seconds To Mars Have A Frank And Open Discussion About Sex. Because Someone Has To (VIDEO)
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 22, 2013
    Thirty Seconds To Mars discuss sex versus power in their Love Lust Faith + Dreams lyrics. By now you've had a little over 24 hours to sit with T...
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  • Was (Not Was)
    Darius Rucker Talks About True Believers
    CMT News
    May 22, 2013
    With Hit Single "Wagon Wheel," New Album Continues Steady Career Rise
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Katy Goodman Talks New La Sera Album and the Future of Vivian Girls
    MTV Hive
    May 22, 2013
    Katy Goodman is best known for her work with hyper-punk rock band Vivian Girls and her more atmospheric solo project La Sera . Recently, she branc...
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Hangout Festival: Eight Lessons Learned On Instagram
    MTV News
    May 20, 2013
    MTV News rounds up the best of the beachy festival from the cyber world.
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Hangout Festival: Eight Lessons Learned On Instagram
    MTV News
    May 20, 2013
    MTV News rounds up the best of the beachy festival from the cyber world.
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Is Beyonce Denying Her Pregnancy?
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 20, 2013
    Pregnant or not? We still don't know. So, last we heard, E! News had "confirmed" via "sources" that Beyoncé MIGHT be pregnant with Blue Ivy No. 2 ...
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Kings Of Leon, Public Enemy, Macklemore Riding An Inflatable Whale, Chrissy Teigen On A Water Slide & More Reasons You Should REALLY Be At Hangout Fest
    MTV Buzzworthy
    May 19, 2013
    I've been at Hangout Fest for two days so far, and my biggest complaint is that the three-day music festival on the Gulf Shores of Alabama (Google i...
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Kleefeld's Fanthropology #10: An Interview America's Greatest Otaku, Pt. 2
    MTV Geek
    May 17, 2013
    By Sean Kleefeld In the summer of 2010, Tokyopop founder Stu Levy took a cast of six American otaku and a film crew in order to explore otaku cultur...
    Read More
  • Was (Not Was)
    Was (Not Was) turns 30 with retrospective set
    music.yahoo.com
    for the Rolling Stones' upcoming "Exile on Main Street" reissue as well as albums by singers Sharon Little and Elizabeth Cool. "I anticipate doing thi...
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  • Was (Not Was)
    Was (Not Was) Turns 30 With Hits Collection | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    Rolls Royce") and Mel Torme ("Zaz Turned Blue"). Don Was (ne Fagenson ... and producing tracks for the Rolling Stones' upcoming "Exile on Main Street"...
    Read More

Discography

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  • Boo! (2008)
    Was (Not Was)
    Boo! (2008)
    Rykodisc
  • Hello Dad...I'm in Jail (1992)
    Was (Not Was)
    Hello Dad...I'm in Jail (1992)
    Polygram
  • Are You Okay? (1990)
    Was (Not Was)
    Are You Okay? (1990)
    Chrysalis Records
  • What Up Dog (1988)
    Was (Not Was)
    What Up Dog (1988)
    Chrysalis Records
  • Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)
    Was (Not Was)
    Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)
    Geffen Records
  • Was (Not Was) (1981)
    Was (Not Was)
    Was (Not Was) (1981)
    ZE Records
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