OOO EEE OOO AH AH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG
If you know where this post is heading, you've just dated yourself. Back to 1958. The song was Witch Doctor, and it was written and performed by a man named Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.
Of course, you know him as David Seville, his entertainer alter ego. And the version you probably remember was recorded by his posse, The Chipmunks - Alvin, Theodore, and Simon. (I liked Simon. He wore glasses, and to my young mind, that meant he read books.)
The song is about a man in love with a woman who doesn't love him back. His longing for her leads him to a witch doctor. The witch doctor tells him, "Oo ee, oo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang." This is a love song, sure to win the woman's heart. No one has ever sang it to me, so I can neither confirm or deny its efficacy. Unless you count The Chipmunks. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of Simon.
Bagdasarian was born in 1919, in Fresno, California. My father was born in Fresno, and I can tell you from my several visits a year there growing up, not much was going on. But Bagdasarian was the cousin of writer William Saroyan, so creativity was in his genes. Bagdasarian was an actor, and even appeared in Saroyan's play The Time of Your Life. While on a road trip the two of them wrote a song called Come On-A My House. In 1951, Rosemary Clooney recorded it and scored a huge hit with it.
In the meantime, Bagdasarian had a read a book called Duel With The Witch Doctor. Inspired, he wrote the song, then played with recording it at half speed in his bathroom, then playing it back full speed. (His uncle had just moved to Walla Walla, Washington.) The public loved it. It was number one on the charts for three weeks.
Now this is weird to me. It was a number one R&B hit. R&B as in Rhythm and Blues, a term that was the politically correct one that replaced race music (i.e. the good stuff). But in the late 50s and early 60s, anything that was a novelty was labelled R&B. Think Yakety Yak by the Coasters, Splish Splash by Bobby Darin, Get a Job by the Silhouettes, and even Volare by Domenico Modugno.
Regardless, it was a hit. Bagdasarian wrote several songs, including Sittin' in the Balcony that was Eddie Cochran's first recording, and the forgettable So Young, recorded by young Robert Wagner. He re-recorded Witch Doctor in 1960 with The Chipmunks (see video below). It's been recorded by quite a few artists since then, including hip hop versions, notably by Devo and Sha Na Na.
Are you the victim of unrequited love? Try singing this to your heartthrob. Let me know how it works for you.
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| Ross Bagdarian, Sr. |
Bagdasarian was born in 1919, in Fresno, California. My father was born in Fresno, and I can tell you from my several visits a year there growing up, not much was going on. But Bagdasarian was the cousin of writer William Saroyan, so creativity was in his genes. Bagdasarian was an actor, and even appeared in Saroyan's play The Time of Your Life. While on a road trip the two of them wrote a song called Come On-A My House. In 1951, Rosemary Clooney recorded it and scored a huge hit with it.
In the meantime, Bagdasarian had a read a book called Duel With The Witch Doctor. Inspired, he wrote the song, then played with recording it at half speed in his bathroom, then playing it back full speed. (His uncle had just moved to Walla Walla, Washington.) The public loved it. It was number one on the charts for three weeks.
Now this is weird to me. It was a number one R&B hit. R&B as in Rhythm and Blues, a term that was the politically correct one that replaced race music (i.e. the good stuff). But in the late 50s and early 60s, anything that was a novelty was labelled R&B. Think Yakety Yak by the Coasters, Splish Splash by Bobby Darin, Get a Job by the Silhouettes, and even Volare by Domenico Modugno.
Regardless, it was a hit. Bagdasarian wrote several songs, including Sittin' in the Balcony that was Eddie Cochran's first recording, and the forgettable So Young, recorded by young Robert Wagner. He re-recorded Witch Doctor in 1960 with The Chipmunks (see video below). It's been recorded by quite a few artists since then, including hip hop versions, notably by Devo and Sha Na Na.
Are you the victim of unrequited love? Try singing this to your heartthrob. Let me know how it works for you.
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