Don’t Disturb This Groove – The System | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & R&B (#1); 1987
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
David Frank and Mic Murphy recorded their first track as a team – It’s Passion – in one all-night recording session. The next day they took it over to Atlantic Records subsidiary Mirage, and were signed on the spot.
The duo’s second single, You Are In My System, also included their performing name, taken from a line Mic overheard on a TV show: “You just can’t get him out of your system.”
The System and System, with their unique blend of funk and synths, became instant favs of the dance club crowd. David and Mic also became in-demand writers/ performers/ producers, contributing to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack and performing on Miami Vice.
Frank and Mic’s 1987 monster, Don’t Disturb This Groove, did indeed start out as a groove; one Frank couldn’t get out of his system. Mic helped reconfigure the track’s elements and added the melody.
A couple of months later, they recorded it, mixed it and remixed it, and – finally – released it. Groove grooved all the way to #1 R&B; the System’s biggest hit.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- The System
Lyrics Written by:
- David Frank (musician) / Mic Murphy
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).