There was a lot of unintentional irony attached to 1989’s “Get On Your Feet” — from the album “Cuts Both Ways” by Gloria Estefan… a rousing, percussive, up-tempo, and uplifting, dance song, that encouraged those who had fallen on hard times, to dust themselves off, get on their feet and make things happen!

Everyone from music critics to disco dancers and Latin music fans LOVED the song, and before long, it was a four-chart hit in the US: #5 on the Adult Contemporary: Chart, #9 on the Dance Singles Chart, #11 on the Hot 100…and *#20) on the Dance Club Chart.

It quickly became Gloria’s signature song, and the name of her solo tour. And then came the irony.

The tour was cut short when Gloria was badly injured in a tour bus accident. Vertebrae in her spine were fractured, requiring surgery to install two metal rods in her back.

The song took on new meaning during Gloria’s long struggle to literally get back on her feet. But luckily, after a lengthy stint in rehab, she was able return to performing in 1991.

Fun Fact: The song was used to great comedic effect during an ice rink scene in a 2012 episode of the TV series “Parks & Rec.”

“Get On Your Feet” by Gloria Estefan: a Great Song of 1989, with a large dose of back-breaking irony—-literally!

For the stories behind more than 1,200 Great Songs of the ’70s and ’80s, visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MichaelCuuuk/