Vernon Burch – Sammy Jo Anne - One Half Woman One Half Man / Get Up

The 7-inch release of One Half Woman One Half Man / Get Up by Vernon Burch is a perfect example of how a deep funk record can quietly shape the future long after its original release. While “One Half Woman One Half Man” carries the swagger and theatricality of mid-70s soul-funk, it’s the B-side, “Get Up,” that secured Vernon Burch a permanent place in sampling history.

“Get Up” is pure momentum. From the opening bars, the track locks into a lean, rubbery groove powered by clipped guitar stabs, punchy bass, and an irresistible sense of forward motion. There’s almost no wasted space in the arrangement. Every element feels designed to keep bodies moving, which is exactly why producers and DJs kept circling back to it decades later.

The song’s immortality arrived when Deee-Lite built their 1990 anthem Groove Is in the Heart around its unmistakable bassline and groove. What makes the sample so effective is how naturally Vernon Burch’s funk translates into Deee-Lite’s psychedelic club universe. The original recording already had bounce, elasticity, and joy embedded in it; Deee-Lite simply turned those qualities into neon.

That bassline is the engine of “Groove Is in the Heart.” It slinks rather than pounds, giving the track its playful strut and effortless cool. Without “Get Up,” the song would still be quirky and infectious, but the sample gives it physicality — something earthy underneath all the bright colors and surreal energy. It grounds the song in real funk musicianship while still allowing it to feel futuristic.

What’s fascinating is how “Get Up” contains the DNA of multiple eras at once. In its original form, it belongs to the golden age of 70s funk, sitting somewhere between dancefloor groove and street-corner cool. But when filtered through Deee-Lite’s sensibility, the same groove suddenly became a cornerstone of early-90s alternative dance culture. The sample bridged disco, funk, Hip-Hop, and club music without sounding forced or nostalgic.

Listening back now, “Get Up” feels remarkably modern. The stripped-back groove philosophy — tight rhythm section, hypnotic repetition, sharp instrumental interplay — mirrors techniques that producers still rely on in dance and Hip-Hop records today. There’s a rawness to the recording that keeps it alive; it breathes instead of looping mechanically.

The 7-inch itself feels like a small but crucial artifact in the lineage of Black dance music. “One Half Woman One Half Man” showcases Vernon Burch’s flair for dramatic soul-funk songwriting, while “Get Up” accidentally became one of the foundational grooves of pop-dance history. Deee-Lite recognized exactly what made it timeless: movement, looseness, and joy.

Few samples have been repurposed as perfectly as this one. Vernon Burch created the groove; Deee-Lite turned it into a global invitation to dance.