Pink Shoe Laces

Last updated
"Pink Shoe Laces"
Single by Dodie Stevens
from the album Pink Shoe Laces
B-side "Coming of Age"
ReleasedFebruary 1959
Genre Pop
Label Crystalette
Songwriter(s) Mickie Grant [1]

"Pink Shoe Laces" (or "Pink Shoelaces") is a song composed by Mickie Grant that was recorded by Dodie Stevens, accompanied by Bobby Hammack and his Orchestra, and released as a single in 1959 on Crystalette Records, a record label distributed by Dot Records. [2] Although the verses are delivered with a musical quality, they are not sung in the style of the chorus. Some commentators have observed that the verses are spoken rather than sung. [3]

Contents

Recording

Dodie Stevens was born on February 17, 1946. The song was recorded when the singer was, according to different sources, 11 [4] or 12 years old.

Content

The song is about a fellow named Dooley, with whom the singer is in love, who has a rather unconventional lifestyle and a decidedly off-the-beaten-pathway fashion sense; his favorite articles of dress being "tan shoes with pink shoelaces, a polka-dot vest, and a big Panama with a purple hatband."

He takes the young lady "deep sea fishing in a submarine", to "drive-in movies in a limousine" and owns a "whirly-birdy and a 12 foot yacht."

When he feels that war is afoot, he enlists in the armed forces, but gets put into the brig for "raising such a storm" when they "tried to put him in a uniform", preferring to wear his unconventional signature garb.

One day, he feels poorly and decides to write out his will, stating: "Just before the angels come to carry me, I want it down in writin' how to bury me", requesting to be buried in his preferred attire. The voice heard speaking the line was Randy Van Horne, the founder of the Randy Van Horne Singers who sang the themes from The Flintstones , The Jetsons and many others.[ citation needed ]

Chart performance

The single reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1959. [2] [5] "Pink Shoe Laces" also reached number 5 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. [6] It sold more than a million copies. [4]

Track listing

Side A. "Pink Shoe Laces"
Side B. "Coming of Age" [7]

Cover versions

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References

  1. Bruce Pollock (2014-03-18). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. pp. 282–. ISBN   978-1-135-46296-3.
  2. 1 2 "Dodie Stevens — Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  3. Laurie Stras (2017). She's So Fine: Reflections on Whiteness, Femininity, Adolescence and Class in 1960s Music. Routledge. p. 40. ISBN   9781409400516.
  4. 1 2 Joseph Murrells (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie and Jenkins. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-214-20480-7.
  5. Jay Warner (2004). On this Day in Music History. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 48–. ISBN   978-0-634-06693-1.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 551.
  7. Martin Popoff (2010-08-05). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991. Krause Publications. pp. 1126–. ISBN   978-1-4402-1621-3.
  8. What’s behind the (stealthily counterculture) 'Pink Shoelaces' TikTok dance trend going viral?, Euronews
  9. Galvan, Hugo (2013). Rock Impop: El rock mexicano en la radio top 40.