Cool Jerk

"Cool Jerk"
A-side label of US vinyl release
Single by The Capitols
from the album Dance the Cool Jerk
B-side	"Hello Stranger"
Released	1966
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:45
Label	Karen Records
Songwriter	Donald Storball
Producer	Ollie McLaughlin
The Capitols singles chronology
"Dog and Cat" (1963) "Cool Jerk" (1966) "Zig Zaggin" (1966)

"Cool Jerk" is a 1966 rhythm and blues ^[1] song written by Donald Storball and originally performed by the Capitols. It became a hit song in the United States and Canada.

Original version

Released in 1966, it reached No. 2 on the American Rhythm & Blues Singles chart, No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 ^[2] and No. 9 on the Canadian Singles Chart. ^[3] The session was arranged by Funk Brother Mike Terry, as the Funk Brothers, Motown's house band, played behind the Capitols on the track. ^[4]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1966) Peak position Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [3] 9 US Billboard Hot 100 [2] 7 US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles (Billboard) [2] 2 US Cash Box Top 100 [5] 5 US Record World Singles [6] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1966) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 36 US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles (Billboard) [8] 2 US Cash Box Top 100 [9] 23

The Go-Go's version

The Go-Go's covered the song for their 1982 album Vacation and later re-recorded it for their 1990 album Greatest . A demo that pre-dates their Vacation recording was released on their 1994 compilation Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's .

"Cool Jerk"
Single by The Go-Go's
from the album Vacation
Released	1991
Length	2:53 3:07(Version from Greatest)
Label	I.R.S. 75021 7439 2
Songwriter	Donald Storball
Producer	David Z
The Go-Go's singles chronology
"Yes or No" (1984) "Cool Jerk" (1991) "The Whole World Lost Its Head" (1994)

Chart (1991)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC) [10]	60
UK Airplay ( Music Week ) [11]	29

See also

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. Milward, John (March 25, 1991). "The Rhythm of the Sweats". New York . Vol. 24, no. 12. p. 27. ISSN   0028-7369.
2. "The Capitols – Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved July 14, 2014.
3. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5705." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
4. Williams, Richard (December 1, 2008). "Mike Terry". The Guardian . Retrieved July 24, 2019.
5. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JUNE 25, 1966". Cash Box . Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
6. "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World . July 2, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
7. "Top 100 Hits for 1966". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
8. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 1966". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
9. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1966". Cash Box . Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
11. "Playlist Chart" (PDF). Music Week . February 9, 1991. p. iii. Retrieved October 22, 2025.