The Clapping Song  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Related e

Wikipedia Wiktionary Shop Featured: Rhombicuboctahedron by Leonardo da Vinci

"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Shirley had hit it big with a similar song, "The Name Game". The lyrics of "The Clapping Song" were borrowed from the song "Little Rubber Dolly", a 1930s song recorded by the Light Crust Doughboys and is reminiscent of a nursery rhyme or jump-rope rhyme, and also feature instructions for a clapping game. The song made it to #8 on the charts, the last of three hits Shirley performed to reach the top 10.

The song returned to the charts in 1982, when the Belle Stars' version charted at #11.

Remakes

The song has been remade several times:

• Red De San Luis had a big hit in Spain with a cover (in Spanish) in 1980. The Spanish translated title was "Bailad". Spanish lyrics preserved the absurd spirit of the original.
• The Belle Stars covered the song in 1982.
• Pia Zadora had a minor top 40 hit with a cover in 1983.
• Aaron Carter released a cover of the song on his 2000 album Aaron's Party (Come Get It)
• Lil' Kim performed the song (as Shirley Ellis) on the NBC drama American Dreams October 12, 2003 and danced to the song on the ABC show Dancing With The Stars April 20 and 21, 2009.
• Gary Glitter covered this song on 3 albums "Glitter" in 1972, "Glam Years" 1991 and "Gary Glitter" in 1995.
• The Rotters Club recorded a cover which was featured on Skins Secret Party Special
• Jack Clayton-Wright then released a cover in 2004 and also performed it live at Aylesford school.
• The Hip-hop gospel Congolese group Makoma has covered the song recently.
• Timbaland protege Izza Kizza samples the chorus in his song "Walk The Dawg" featuring Missy Elliott.
• R&B Singer Cupid did a cover of the song with B.O.B on the Step Up 2 OST which samples Ellis' version
• Hot 2 Go covered the song in 2008 featuring Jennie Matthias from The Belle Stars
• The Young Punx covered the song for the Buffet Libre 'Rewind 2' project in late 2008, featuring Laura Kidd on vocals and Guthrie Govan on guitar.
• Mother and The Addicts released a cover of this song as the B-side to 2004 single 'Who Art You Girls?'
• The Maltese singer Sophie Debattista a.k.a. Totally Sophie made a cover of this song in 2009 which was a hit in Malta.

Legacy and in the media

• An Old Navy commercial featured an original song called "The Sky is Blue," which was to the tune and beat of "The Clapping Song"
• The song, with lyrics advertising backpacks and back to school gear, was played in a 2005 Zellers commercial.
• The song's verse structure is much like that of Tom Waits' song Clap Hands on Rain Dogs (1985), including the line "they all went to have in a little row boat." . In fact, Waits begins this song with the original chorus from "The Clapping Song" on the 1985 live album titled "Big Time".
• Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" quotes the line "And we all went to Heaven in a little row boat."
• Buck 65's "1957" quotes the line "we all go to Heaven in a little row boat."
• In "Loco Mosquito"(Soldier,1980) Iggy Pop quotes some lines from "The Clapping Song".
• The song 'Red Red Wine' by UB40 also quotes some of the lyrics ("The line broke, the monkey get choke")
• Spank Rock's mix tape Couche-Tard samples "The Clapping Song" on track "Five".
• MTN South Africa used the song in a TV advert in 2007. The Advert was created by the Jupitor Drawing Room.
• James May attempted to parallel park a Lamborghini Countach to the song on an episode of Top Gear
• The song was used in an advertising campaign for Matalan in the UK.
• The song was featured in the hip hop documentary Scratch as part of a story where DJ Jazzy Jay recalls Afrika Bambaata passing him a 45 single with a drum break he later discovered was from "The Clapping Song".