"Shake Tramp" is a song by Canadian pop punk group Marianas Trench. It was released in September 2007, as the third single from their debut album Fix Me.[2] The song reached number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100[3] and the #1 spot on the MuchMusic Countdown of Friday, August 10, 2007.[2] The song was also featured on an episode of Video on Trial.[4]

"Shake Tramp"
Single by Marianas Trench
from the album Fix Me
ReleasedSeptember 2007
GenrePunk rock[1]
Length3:35
Label604 Records
Songwriter(s)Josh Ramsay
Producer(s)Dave Genn
Marianas Trench singles chronology
"Decided to Break It"
(2006)
"Shake Tramp"
(2007)
"Cross My Heart"
(2008)
Music video
"Shake Tramp" on YouTube

Composition

edit

The song was written by lead singer Josh Ramsay with Dave Genn producing the track.[5] The song runs at 162 BPM and is in the key of B major.[6] The song is described as their "breakthrough single" however, some criticize the lyric, "they slap you like a bitch and you take it like a whore," as uncomfortable.[7]

Accolades

edit
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007 "Shake Tramp" SOCAN No.1 song award Won[8]
2008 "Shake Tramp" Juno Video of the Year Nominated[9]

Music video

edit

The music video for "Shake Tramp" begins with a montage of all the members of the band singing the beginning harmonies. The camera focus is then directed to lead singer Josh Ramsay walking down a street (filmed in Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby, B.C.) set in the early 20th century. He interacts and socializes with the people, all of whom appear to love him. This section ends with Ramsay accidentally getting hit in the face by a man (Biji) carrying a ladder. He collapses and blacks out. When he wakes up Ramsay is on the same street, but in current time. He is still dancing and trying to interact with the same people, however this time they treat him harshly. A woman he danced with in the last segment, sprays him in the eyes with pepper spray. As he walks around the town, more people begin to insult him until he finally arrives in an outdoor mosh. The rest of the band (Matt, Mike and Ian) are playing here, and as he joins them for the last chorus. Their music is received well and the townspeople are dancing along. It appears to go back to the time period used in the beginning of the video, with the exception of the members of the band who are dressed in modern apparel.

The video was shot in one day, where the group spent 20 hours filiming it.[10] There are many choreographed dance sequences performed by Ramsay throughout the video which he stated he had to take 2 months of dance instruction to prepare for. The music video was nominated at the 2008 Juno Awards for "Video of the Year".[9]

Charts

edit
Chart performance for "Shake Tramp"
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[3] 65
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[11] 25

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Platinum 80,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ Natalie Roberto (August 4, 2018). "Our Top 10 Marianas Trench Songs". All Punked Up. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Jenna Melanson (May 30, 2013). "Throwback Thursday – Shake Tramp by Marianas Trench". Canadian Beats. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Marianas Trench - Shake Tramp (Video On Trial)". YouTube. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  5. ^ "Marianas Trench - Shake Tramp". Genius. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Key and BPM of Shake Tramp by Marianas Trench". Musicstax.com. October 3, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Ryan McNutt (September 15, 2014). "Ironic pop can still make for great music". On the Aside. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Nigel Hanks (October 15, 2012). "Trench to heat up Kamloops". Kamloops This Week. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Grace Stanisci (June 11, 2012). "MuchMusic Video Awards 2012: Marianas Trench, a nominee leader's profile". Yahoo!. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Marianas Trench: Taking A Hit To Achieve One". Chart Attack. September 5, 2007. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Marianas Trench – Shaketramp". Music Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2023.