Charlie Brown (The Coasters song)

Last updated
"Charlie Brown"
Single by The Coasters
B-side "Three Cool Cats"
ReleasedJanuary 1959
RecordedDecember 11, 1958
Genre Doo-wop, pop, R&B
Length2:19
Label Atco 6132
Songwriter(s) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Producer(s) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
The Coasters singles chronology
"The Shadow Knows"
(1958)		"Charlie Brown"
(1959)		"Along Came Jones"
(1959)

"Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for the Coasters [1] in the spring of 1959 (released in January, coupled with "Three Cool Cats", Atco 6132). [2] It went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while "Venus" by Frankie Avalon was at No. 1. [3] It was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year. It is best known for the phrase, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?"

Contents

According to Jerry Leiber, "After 'Yakety Yak', I thought we could write every Coasters song in ten minutes. Man, was I wrong! When we tried to write a follow-up, Mike had lots of musical ideas, but I was stuck. … After nearly a week of agonizing, a simple name came to mind. 'Charlie Brown.' Then, 'He's a clown, that Charlie Brown.' Mike already had a skip-along melodic template in place. He helped me with the story and suddenly a character, played by Dub Jones, stepped out on stage." [4]

Towards the end of the bridge of the song, the words "Yeah, You!" were recorded at half speed, so the voices would play back at a higher pitch. King Curtis plays the tenor saxophone during the instrumental and the fade out of the record. The best-known version is in mono. However, a stereo rendering (with slightly different vocals) was released on the LP Atlantic History of Rhythm & Blues, Vol. 4, along with several other rare stereo versions of late 1950s Atlantic hits.

Lyrics

The lyric "Who calls the English teacher 'Daddy-o'?" [1] is most likely a reference to the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle , in which high school students mock the surname of a new teacher, Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford), changing "Dadier" to "Daddy-o," a then-current slang term (usually genial) for a male friend or a father. The term 'seven come eleven' is a reference to the dice game craps, and therefore that lyric likely refers to an (in school, at least) illegal gambling session.

The song is not a reference to the Peanuts character of the same name. [5] The strip had debuted less than a decade prior and had not yet reached its peak of popularity. However, it was being published in numerous newspapers on a daily basis, [6] and had had several strip reprint collections published by that time. Adding to the confusion is the line "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?", reflecting the comic strip Charlie Brown's generally pessimistic attitude.

Personnel

The Kim Sisters version

"Charlie Brown"
Charlie Brown-Korean Spring Song cover.jpg
Single by The Kim Sisters
from the album Their First Album
A-side "Korean Spring Song"
Released1962
Genre Doo-wop, pop, R&B
Length2:35
Label Monument Records
Songwriter(s) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Producer(s) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
The Kim Sisters singles chronology
"Mister Magic Moon" / Roses in the Snow""
(1964)		"Charlie Brown"
(1962)		"Bittersweet" / "Tic-A-Tic-A-Toc-Toc"
(1965)

The Kim Sisters had a successful cover of the song in 1964, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Charts. [8] [9]

Charts

Chart (1962)Peak
position
US Singles Chart ( Billboard )7

Other versions

There have been over 80 cover versions of the song recorded, including one by British comedy actor Bernard Bresslaw and a German language version (as "Charly Brown") by Hans Blum, both in 1959. Deep River Boys with Mikkel Flagstad's orchestra recorded their spin in Oslo on August 25, 1960; it was released on the extended play En aften på "Casino Non Stop" 1960 (HMV 7EGN 36). Dr. Lonnie Smith does an extended instrumental on his live 1969 album Move Your Hand . Guy Mitchell put out a cover, [10] and in 1995 Voodoo Glow Skulls did a ska-punk version on their album Firme . [11]

In a 1979 episode of The White Shadow , the Carver basketball team performs this song at a school dance. In the 1996 film Jack , the title character (played by Robin Williams) and his friends, including his teacher (played by Bill Cosby), sing it in their tree house. The weight in the tree house is so great with the kids and the two adult-sized people that it begins to creak. While they are singing, a butterfly lands on the tree house and it collapses. Once they are on the ground, Jack uses the tag line of the song and says, "Why is everybody always fallin' on me?" The song was included in the musical revue Smokey Joe's Cafe . The song was used in Jim Reardon's short Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown (1986) which incorrectly credited the Platters.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Records</span> American record label

Atlantic Recording Corporation is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of two decades, starting from the release of its first recordings in January 1948, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most important American labels, specializing in jazz, R&B, and soul by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Ruth Brown and Otis Redding. Its position was greatly improved by its distribution deal with Stax. In 1967, Atlantic became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, now the Warner Music Group, and expanded into rock and pop music with releases by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Led Zeppelin, and Yes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Coasters</span> American vocal group

The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood", "Poison Ivy", and "Yakety Yak", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller. Although the Coasters originated outside of mainstream doo-wop, their records were so frequently imitated that they became an important part of the doo-wop legacy through the 1960s. In 1987, they were the first group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller</span> American songwriting and record producing duo

Leiber and Stoller were an American Grammy award-winning songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller. As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wrote numerous standards for Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hound Dog (song)</span> 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", ranked at 318 in the 2021 iteration of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jailhouse Rock (song)</span> 1957 single by Elvis Presley

"Jailhouse Rock" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the film of the same name. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. RCA Victor released the song on a 45 rpm single on September 24, 1957, as the first single from the film's soundtrack EP. It reached the top of the charts in the U.S. and the top 10 in several other countries. The song has been recognized by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the American Film Institute, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Harlem (song)</span> 1960 song by Ben E. King

"Spanish Harlem" is a song recorded by Ben E. King in 1960 for Atco Records. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from The Drifters, peaking at number 15 on Billboard's rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On Broadway (song)</span> 1963 single by The Drifters

"On Broadway" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

"Young Blood" is a song written by Doc Pomus along with the songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit by The Coasters in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)</span> Song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Searchin'</span> 1957 single by the Coasters

"Searchin'" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller specifically for the Coasters. Atco Records released it as a single in March 1957, which topped the R&B Chart for twelve weeks. It also reached number three on the Billboard singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakety Yak</span> 1958 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters and released on Atco Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as #1 on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Top 100 pop list. This song was one of a string of singles released by the Coasters between 1957 and 1959 that dominated the charts, making them one of the biggest performing acts of the rock and roll era.

"Along Came Jones" is a comedic song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by the Coasters, in 1959 peaking at number 9 in the Billboard Hot 100 but recorded by many other groups and individuals in the years that followed.

"Three Cool Cats" is a 1958 song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Coasters and released as the B-side of their hit single, "Charlie Brown".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison Ivy (song)</span> 1959 single by the Coasters

"Poison Ivy" is a popular song by American songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Coasters in 1959. It went to No.1 on the R&B chart, No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No.15 in the UK. This was their third top-ten hit of that year following "Charlie Brown" and "Along Came Jones".

<i>Jailhouse Rock</i> (EP) 1957 EP (soundtrack) by Elvis Presley

Jailhouse Rock is an EP by American singer Elvis Presley, featuring songs from the movie of the same name. It was released by RCA Victor, with catalogue EPA 4114, on October 30, 1957. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on April 30 and May 3, 1957, with an additional session at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Soundstage in Hollywood on May 9 for "Don't Leave Me Now". It peaked at #1 on the newly inaugurated Billboard EP chart where it remained at #1 for 28 weeks. The EP album was the best selling EP album of 1958 according to Billboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. W. Washburn</span> 1968 single by The Monkees

"D.W. Washburn" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, recorded by both the Coasters and the Monkees. It was also included in the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe (revue).

"Down in Mexico" is the debut single by the Coasters, released in 1956. The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and appears on the 1957 album, The Coasters. It reached No. 8 on the R&B chart in 1956.

"One Kiss Led to Another" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and performed by The Coasters. The song reached #11 on the R&B chart and #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1956. The song appeared on their 1957 album, The Coasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoppin' for Clothes</span> 1960 single by the Coasters

"Shoppin' for Clothes" is a novelty R&B song in the talking blues style, recorded by American vocal group the Coasters in 1960. Originally credited to Elmo Glick, a songwriting pseudonym of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also produced the track, it was partly based on the 1956 song "Clothes Line ", written by Kent Harris and recorded by him as Boogaloo and his Gallant Crew. Harris later received a co-writing credit on "Shoppin' for Clothes."

"Girls Girls Girls", or "Girls! Girls! Girls!", is a song written and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

References

  1. 1 2 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 13 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 3]" (audio). Pop Chronicles . University of North Texas Libraries.
  2. ↑ Billboard Hits of 1959 Retrieved February 7, 2012
  3. ↑ "Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  4. ↑ Leiber and Mike Stoller with David Ritz, Jerry (2009). Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography . Simon & Schuster. pp.  136–137. ISBN   978-1-4165-5938-2.
  5. ↑ "You're a Misinterpreted Song, Charlie Brown!". Lyric Interpretations. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  6. ↑ Arnone, Chris M. (October 11, 2021). "The History Of The Peanuts Comic". Book Riot. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ The Coasters: The Complete Singles As & Bs 1954-62, Acrobat Licensing LTD., ADDCCD3180, 2016, UK
  8. ↑ "Girl Groups in Korean Pop Music History". KBS World. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  9. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  10. ↑ The Ultimate History of Rock & Roll Collection, Vol. 1: Rock's Pioneers Retrieved February 7, 2012
  11. ↑ Voodoo Glow Skulls, Firme Retrieved February 7, 2012
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.