Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Remembering Sir Douglas Quintet’s Greatest Hit, “She’s About a Mover”

She's About a Mover by Sir Douglas Quintet
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Sir Douglas Quintet had several hit songs, but none of them can top the success that “She’s About a Mover” made. Released in 1965, “She’s About a Mover” was the group’s first single and, ultimately, their greatest hit. When the song was released, the iconic British Invasion was still a huge thing, and this influenced how the band and their hit song were promoted.

During that time, British rock and pop music, such as those of The Beatles, became so popular in the United States that several American musicians and bands had to pretend to be British to increase their chances of entering the charts. One of those bands was the Sir Douglas Quintet, which has an evident English-sounding name and was considered as one of the most successful faux-English bands at the time.

Although “She’s About a Mover” has a distinct Tex-Mex sound, the band pretended to be British when they released it and even mimicked the appearance and moves of British bands in their live performance. One can say that their attempt to market themselves as English was a success as “She’s About a Mover” had an incredible performance on the charts, reaching no. 13 on the US charts, no. 15 on the UK charts, and a no. 1 Texas song on Texas Monthly. Not only that, but their song has also been used in the soundtrack of several films: Echo Park (1986), American Boyfriends (1989), The Doors (1991), and more, and it was covered by several artists, including Ringo Starr.

About The Song

“She’s About a Mover” was written by Doug Sahm, the group’s lead, and it featured repetitive lyrics so as to make the song easy to remember and sing. The repeating lyrics also caused the song to have a simple and vague storyline, but it’s pretty clear that it centers on a man admiring a woman who later struck up a conversation with him. The song had a recognizable Tex-Mex sound, with Augie Meyers playing a Vox Continental organ and Sahm on the vocals.

Shockingly, the phrase “She’s About a Mover” appears to be just a meaningless phrase as the song was originally written as “She’s a Body Mover.” The story behind it is that when the band was playing at a bar in San Antonio, Texas, a beautiful woman started dancing in front of the stage, prompting Sahm to say to his bandmates, “She’s a body mover, isn’t she?“. However, they believed that the phrase “She’s a Body Mover” was suggestive of a different meaning; thus, they changed it to a similar-sounding but meaningless phrase, “She’s About a Mover.” Additionally, the line from the song “Oh yeah, what I say” was said to be in reference to Ray Charles‘ famous song, “What’d I say.”

Watch Sir Douglas Quintet’s iconic performance of their hit song “She’s About a Mover” in the video below.

Latest Stories

Blake Shelton smiles on stage with guitar and mic during Vegas show, putting his own spin on George Strait’s classic.

Blake Shelton Nails George Strait Classic With His Own Spin on “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Sometimes you don’t mess with a George Strait classic, unless you’re Blake Shelton standing under the Vegas lights with a grin that says you’re about to pay tribute and stir ...

Dolly Parton smiles during Khloé podcast interview, sitting by mic and lamp as she shares why she won't stop sharing faith.

Dolly Parton Says People Tell Her To Stop Talking About Her Faith But She Won’t Listen

If there’s one thing you can count on Dolly Parton for, it’s that she’ll say exactly what’s on her heart and not give a single rhinestone what anyone thinks. In ...

Little Mississippi boy in plaid shirt smiles at mic during preschool graduation where he recited New Testament books and sang a George Strait classic.

4-Year-Old Boy Recites New Testament Books Then Belts Out ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’

If there’s ever been a preschool graduation that screams “God bless the South,” this is it. Somewhere in Mississippi, a four-year-old kid just made the entire congregation beam with pride ...

Young George Strait smiling on stage playing guitar in 1987 when “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” hit No. 1 and proved he ran country.

On This Day in 1987, George Strait Hit No. 1 with ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ and Proved He Ran Country

Sometimes a song just cements your throne forever, and for George Strait, it was a little tongue-in-cheek love letter that made every Texan proud to claim him as their king. ...

Scotty McCreery with his wife and both grandmothers, who he revealed passed away hours apart in a heartbreaking double loss.

Scotty McCreery Reveals Both His Grandmothers Died Hours Apart in Heartbreaking Double Loss

You just don’t see some country heartbreaks coming, and this one hit Scotty McCreery straight in the soul. This week, the North Carolina native and Opry favorite shared the gut-wrenching ...

Brooks & Dunn performing on stage together, fitting their story about admitting they struggled to get along for years.

Brooks and Dunn Admit They Struggled to Get Along for Years and Tried to Blow It Real Hard

Country music’s greatest duo was basically a bar fight waiting to happen. When Brooks & Dunn stormed out of the gate with “Brand New Man” in 1991, it looked like ...

LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian smiling outdoors, not taken when she spoke about feeling hated after their affair scandal.

LeAnn Rimes Says So Many Women Hated Her After Affair With Eddie Cibrian and She Felt Like a Target

Ain’t every country ballad pretty, and LeAnn Rimes knows her verse is messy as hell. View this post on Instagram A post shared by leann rimes cibrian (@leannrimes) Back in ...

Jana Kramer with husband Allan Russell and her kids outdoors, not taken when she admitted she sometimes skips sunscreen.

Jana Kramer Admits She Skips Sunscreen Sometimes on Her Kids and Feels Fine About It

“Come at me.” That’s Jana Kramer’s whole vibe right now, and boy, they sure are. Turns out you don’t have to drop a scandalous album or torch an ex on ...

Kenny Rogers’ twin sons Justin and Jordan just turned 21 and fans say they look just like the late country music legend now.

Kenny Rogers’ Twin Sons Just Turned 21 and Fans Say They Look Just Like Him Now

A couple of chocolate cakes, two wide grins, and a whole lot of “They look just like their daddy”. That’s how Kenny Rogers’ twin sons rang in their milestone 21st ...

Waylon Jennings once called Garth Brooks the most insincere person he ever saw

Waylon Jennings Once Said Garth Brooks Was the Most Insincere Person He Ever Saw

Sometimes you need an old outlaw to call out what everyone else is too polite to say out loud. Back when Nashville was shape-shifting in the ’80s and ’90s, country ...