DOES YOUR BABY DO THE HANKY PANKY? The question asked on Quora was “Are Pop lyrics getting more and more repetitive?” Instead of a well-reasoned, thoughtful answer, I posted this instead (and my complete answer is between the two lines):
This is the Roulette Records version of Hanky Panky that was the #1 hit on Billboard and Cash Box and sold millions of copies in 1966. The label correctly identifies Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich as the songwriters.
Do you mean more repetitive than that?
Song: “Hanky Panky”
Writers: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (1963)
Artist: Tommy James & the Shondells
Released: The Shondells’ record was released on ittybitty Snap Records in 1964 and ignored by everybody outside of the band’s family and friends. In 1966, it caught on in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was picked up by Roulette Records and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.
This is the original Snap Records version of Hanky Panky that sold thousands of copies before being picked up by Roulette in 1966. The label incorrectly identifies Tommy Jackson as the songwriter.
Tommy James’s Hanky Panky repeats ‘My baby does the hanky panky’ twenty-three times. Click To Tweet
FEATURED IMAGE: Tommy James and the Shondells are presented with a gold record for Hanky Panky by Roulette Records owner Morris Levy. This is not an official RIAA Gold Record Award but an in-house award. Note the formal surroundings in which Levy and Roulette had this affair conducted.
Leave a comment