Do Wah Diddy Diddy

Last updated
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
Manfred mann do wah diddy diddy.jpg
Single by Manfred Mann
from the album The Manfred Mann Album
B-side "What You Gonna Do?"
Released10 July 1964
RecordedJune, 1964 [1]
Genre Rock [2] [3]
Length2:23
Label His Master's Voice POP 1320 (UK) [4]
Ascot (US)
Capitol (Canada)
Songwriter(s) Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich [4]
Producer(s) John Burgess [4]
Manfred Mann singles chronology
"Hubble Bubble (Toil and Trouble)"
(1964)
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
(1964)
"Sha La La"
(1964)

"Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group the Exciters. Cash Box described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubbles over with coin-catching enthusiasm" and said that the "great lead job is backed by a fabulous instrumental arrangement." [5] It was made internationally famous by the British band Manfred Mann.

Contents

Manfred Mann version

It was soon covered by British R&B, beat and pop band Manfred Mann. [6] Manfred Mann's version was released on 10 July 1964. [7] It spent two weeks at No. 1 of the UK Singles Chart in August [8] and two weeks at No. 1 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in October. [9] Billboard said it "features powerful beat with Mann's solo echoed by male chorus." [10] Cash Box described it as "a thumpin' novelty rocker that's right up the teeners' alley." [2]

Chart history

Fun Factory version

"Doh Wah Diddy"
Fun Factory-Do Wah Diddy Diddy.jpg
Single by Fun Factory
from the album Fun-Tastic
ReleasedNovember 30, 1995
Recorded1995
Genre Eurodance
Length3:31
Label Curb
Songwriter(s)
  • Jeff Barry
  • Ellie Greenwich
Producer(s)
Fun Factory singles chronology
"Celebration"
(1995)
"Doh Wah Diddy"
(1995)
"Don't Go Away"
(1996)
Music video
"Do Wah Diddy" on YouTube

In 1995, Fun Factory released a new version of the song. Only a few lines of lyrics were retained, and supplemented by rap passages. It reached the top 10 in Germany and Spain and No.11 in Austria.

Track listings

CD-Maxi

  1. Doh Wah Diddy (Dee Dee Radio) – 3:31
  2. Doh Wah Diddy (Dee Dee Fun-Tastic Extended) – 4:43
  3. Doh Wah Diddy (Fly Bass Remix) – 4:31
  4. Doh Wah Diddy (Medium Houze) – 4:43
  5. Fun Factory's Theme II – 3:24

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [20] 152
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [21] 11
Canada Dance (RPM)24
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [22] 33
France (SNEP) [23] 49
Germany (GfK) [24] 6
Spain (AFYVE)4

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)Position
Germany (Official German Charts) [25] 64

Other cover versions

The song was featured in the 1981 film Stripes , used as a marching cadence by characters played by Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in boot camp. This usage inspired real-life Army units to use it as a marching song. [27]

The song was performed on the Muppet Show by "Geri and the Atrics", a group of elderly female musicians. (Episode 413, air date 1980)

The novelty item Travis the Singing Trout, a successor to Big Mouth Billy Bass sings a parody version of the song, about how the fish ended up mounted on a plaque.

The song was featured in the Full House episode "A Fish Called Martin", sung by Michelle.

The song was the theme song of the Filipino children's television programme, Ang TV . The song was performed by Jett Pangan and the cast of Ang TV with the candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 1995 during its coronation night.

See also

References

  1. "Manfred Mann - Down the Road Apiece: Their EMI Recordings 1963-1966". 5 June 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  3. Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 44.
  4. 1 2 3 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1 ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 82. ISBN   0-85112-250-7.
  5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 16, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 166. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  7. "Discography". Themanfreds.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  8. "All the Number One Singles: 1964". The Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  9. Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (3rd ed.). New York: Billboard Publications, Inc. p.  158. ISBN   0-8230-8298-9.
  10. "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. August 22, 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Manfred Mann : Do Wah Diddy Diddy". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1964-10-12. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  13. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 201. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
  14. "Infinity Charts - German Top 20 for 1964". Archived from the original on 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Do Wah Diddy Diddy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  16. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  17. "Australian Chart Book". archive.is. 5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  18. List of Top 25 singles for 1964 in Australia
  19. "Top 100 Hits of 1964/Top 100 Songs of 1964". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  20. "Fun Factory chart history, received from ARIA on 5 April 2022". Imgur.com. Retrieved 18 June 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  21. "Fun Factory – Doh Wah Diddy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  22. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 3 February 1996. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  23. "Fun Factory – Doh Wah Diddy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  24. "Fun Factory – Doh Wah Diddy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  25. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  26. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (2012). Tio i Topp - med de utslagna "på försök" 1961–74 (in Swedish). Premium. p. 117. ISBN   978-91-89136-89-2.
  27. "How 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' became a marching song". MPRNews. October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2022.