Do Wah Diddy Diddy

Not to be confused with Diddy Wah Diddy.

"Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
Single by Manfred Mann
from the album The Manfred Mann Album
B-side	"What You Gonna Do?"
Released	10 July 1964
Recorded	June, 1964 [1]
Genre	Rock [2] [3]
Length	2:23
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.

Manfred Mann version

It was soon covered by British R&B, beat and pop band Manfred Mann. ^[6] Their 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 US Billboard Hot 100 in October. ^[9]

Critical reception

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]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1964) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 2 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [11] 8 Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia) [11] 13 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] 1 Finland (Suomen Virallinen) [13] 4 Ireland (IRMA) [14] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] 6 Norway (VG-lista) [11] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 1 UK Singles (OCC) 1 US Billboard Hot 100 [15] 1 West Germany (GfK) [16] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1964) Rank Australia [17] [18] 19 US Billboard Hot 100 [19] 15

Fun Factory version

"Doh Wah Diddy"
Single by Fun Factory
from the album Fun-Tastic
Released	November 30, 1995
Recorded	1995
Genre	Eurodance
Length	3:31
Label	Curb
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich
Producer(s)	Bülent Aris Toni Cottura
Fun Factory singles chronology
"Celebration" (1995) "Doh Wah Diddy" (1995) "Don't Go Away" (1996)
Music video
"Do Wah Diddy" on YouTube

In 1995, German Eurodance band Fun Factory released a new version of "Doh Wah Diddy". It was released in November 1995 by Curb Records as the third single from their second album, Fun-Tastic (1995). Bülent Aris and Toni Cottura produced it and only a few lines of lyrics were retained, and supplemented by rap passages. The single was a top-10 hit in Germany and Spain, a top-20 hit in Austria and a top-30 hit on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart.

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

Weekly charts Chart (1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [20] 152 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [21] 11 Canada Dance/Urban (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 (GfK) [25] 64

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [26]	Gold	250,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other cover versions

The song has been covered many times, notably by DJ Ötzi whose version titled "Do Wah Diddy" peaked at No. 9 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, as well as charting in Germany, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland. Swedish singer Claes Dieden reached number 14 on Tio i Topp with his rendition in 1969. ^[27]

A French cover version, "Vous les copains, je ne vous oublierai jamais", by Sheila (singer) became a big hit in France in 1964.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1964

References

1. "Manfred Mann - Down the Road Apiece: Their EMI Recordings 1963-1966". 5 June 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
2. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.^{[ dead link ]}
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. 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. "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. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Do Wah Diddy Diddy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
15. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
16. "Infinity Charts - German Top 20 for 1964". Archived from the original on 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
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 . Vol. 13, no. 5. 3 February 1996. p. 11. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
23. "Fun Factory – Doh Wah Diddy" (in French). Le classement de singles. 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. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Fun Factory; 'Doh Wah Diddy')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 20 March 2025.
27. 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.