The Curly Shuffle

Last updated
"The Curly Shuffle"
The Curly Shuffle.jpg
Single by Jump 'n the Saddle Band
from the album Jump 'n the Saddle Band
B-side "Jump for Joy"
Released1983
Recorded1983
Genre Western swing, novelty, comedy [1]
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) Peter Quinn
(also includes music from
"Listen to the Mocking Bird,"
author and/or composer unknown,
believed to be public domain)
Producer(s) T.C. Furlong, Barney Schwartz and Mike Rasfeld
Jump 'n the Saddle Band singles chronology
"The Curly Shuffle"
(1983)
"It Should've Been Me"
(1984)

"The Curly Shuffle" is a novelty song written by Chicago based singer and musician Peter Quinn as an homage to The Three Stooges film comedy team. It was initially recorded by Quinn's group Jump 'n the Saddle Band, and first released in late 1983. The timing of the recording nearly coincided with The Three Stooges receiving their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 30, 1983. [2] This recording made #15 on the US Billboard charts in early 1984.

Contents

In Canada, the song was simultaneously released by The Knuckleheads on Attic Records, while Jump 'n the Saddle's version was also available. The Knuckleheads' version was the hit in Canada, reaching #29 on the Canadian RPM charts.

In Australia, both versions were issued, and both were minor chart hits.

Jump 'N the Saddle version

The song had the band's lead vocalist Peter Quinn mimicking many of Curly Howard's catch phrases. Issued independently in mid-1983, "The Curly Shuffle" was picked up by Atlantic Records in November, and was popular enough to climb to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984. The group never managed to produce another hit, issuing only one further single ("It Should've Been Me") before splitting up.

Music video

A promotional video was made using clips from various Three Stooges short films. [3] The video was regularly shown on the Diamond Vision screen of the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in the mid-1980s, and became part of the fan experience. Additionally, it was included as a bonus feature on one of the 1984 Stooges compilation videos released by RCA Columbia Pictures Home Video.

Clips from the following Stooges shorts were used:

An Ache in Every Stake , A Bird in the Head , Calling All Curs , Cash and Carry , Disorder in the Court , Dizzy Detectives , Dizzy Pilots , Dopey Dicks , Dutiful But Dumb , The Ghost Talks , Healthy, Wealthy, and Dumb , Micro-Phonies , No Census, No Feeling , Pardon My Scotch , A Plumbing We Will Go , Pop Goes the Easel , Punch Drunks , Some More of Samoa , Studio Stoops , Tassels in the Air , Three Little Beers , Three Missing Links , Three Sappy People , Uncivil Warriors , Violent is the Word for Curly , and Woman Haters . Instead of showing clips with Joe Besser, brief glimpses of Curly Joe DeRita and Shemp Howard were used.

Chart performance

Chart (1983–84)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [4] 29
US Cashbox [5] 9
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] 15

Related Research Articles

The Belle Stars were an all female British pop/rock band. Formed in 1980, they are best known for their 1983 hit single "Sign of the Times" as well as their cover of "Iko Iko" originally released in 1982 and featured on the soundtrack to the film Rain Man in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curly Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1903–1952)

Jerome Lester Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of the comedy team The Three Stooges, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and Shemp Howard, as well as actor Larry Fine. In early shorts, he was billed as Curley. Curly Howard was generally considered the most popular and recognizable of the Stooges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Promised Land (Chuck Berry song)</span> Song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball"

"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December 1964, it was Berry's fourth single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jump (Van Halen song)</span> 1983 single by Van Halen

"Jump" is a song by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in December 1983 as the lead single of their sixth studio album, 1984. It is Van Halen's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song differs from earlier Van Halen songs in that it is driven by a keyboard riff, although the song does contain a guitar solo. David Lee Roth dedicated the song to martial artist Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, of whom he was a student. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Jump" at number 177 on its updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Red Wine</span> 1967 single by Neil Diamond

"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967 that appears on his second studio album, Just for You. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person who finds that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his woes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinball Wizard</span> Song by the Who from the album Tommy

"Pinball Wizard" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lips Are Sealed</span> 1981 single by the Go-Gos

"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beast of Burden (song)</span> 1978 song by The Rolling Stones

"Beast of Burden" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 435 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Don't Have You</span> 1958 song by the Skyliners

"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the Billboard Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)</span> 1973 song composed by Stevie Wonder, performed by Aretha Franklin

"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Give It Up (KC and the Sunshine Band song)</span> 1982 single by KC and the Sunshine Band

"Give It Up" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band, although it was simply credited as KC in many markets, including the United States. Following the backlash against many disco artists on the charts at the beginning of the 1980s, "Give It Up" was a comeback hit for the band in the US. Epic Records refused to release it; however, the independent Meca Records label showed its support and "Give It Up" peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1984. "Give It Up" had been an even bigger hit in the United Kingdom several months earlier, where it had hit number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in August 1983. It went on to become the 18th best-selling single of the year in the UK. It was the last of the band's hit singles in the US and UK, and the most successful of its ten UK hits. "Give It Up" also peaked at number two in Belgium, number three in Australia, and reached the Top 10 in several other markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1963 single by The Four Seasons

"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by the Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Born to Be My Baby</span> 1988 single by Bon Jovi

"Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on November 24, 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album New Jersey. It peaked the following year at number 2 on the Cash BoxTop 100, 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 22 in the UK, and number 30 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stray Cat Strut</span> 1981 single by Stray Cats

"Stray Cat Strut" is the third single by American rockabilly band Stray Cats, released April 17, 1981 by Arista Records in the UK, where it peaked at No. 11 on the Singles Chart. It was taken from the band's 1981 debut album, Stray Cats. That same year, as an import, it peaked at No. 78 on the US Disco Top 80 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jump 'n the Saddle Band</span> American Western swing band

Jump 'n the Saddle Band was an American Western swing band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. They scored a regional hit on the Acme label with the swing-style novelty song "The Curly Shuffle" in 1983, a tribute to Curly Howard of The Three Stooges. As the song gained popularity on radio, the group signed to Atlantic Records and released a self-titled album, composed mostly of covers, in 1984. "The Curly Shuffle" eventually became a major American hit, peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. The song also peaked at #30 in Australia. Much of its success can be attributed to the music video, which contained many Three Stooges clips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got Lucky</span> 1982 single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"You Got Lucky" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Long After Dark. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks at the end of 1982. Somewhat unusually for a Petty song, guitars give up the spotlight to allow synths to carry the song's main structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal Tender (song)</span> 1983 single by the B-52s

"Legal Tender" is the first single released by American new wave band the B-52's from their third studio album Whammy! (1983).

"Daddy's Home" is a famous song by American doo-wop group Shep and the Limelites. The song was written by the three members of the band, James "Shep" Sheppard (1935–1970), Clarence Bassett (1936–2005) and Charles Baskerville. The group recorded the original version of "Daddy's Home" on February 1, 1961, and it was released on Hull Records in March 1961 with the B-side being "This I Know".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whirly Girl</span> 1983 song by American dance-rock band OXO

"Whirly Girl" is a US top 40 pop song performed by American dance-rock band OXO. The new wave style song was written and co-produced by singer/guitarist Ish "Angel" Ledesma and included on OXO's 1983 self-titled debut album. The song was about Ish's wife Lori and was originally titled "Worldly Girl", "but adding that 'd' to the mix made the chorus too chunky and difficult to sing. So they abbreviated it to 'Whirly Girl' and pop music history was made with the only song to ever use the phrase 'Whirly Girl'." It was the band's sole hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. The song has since been re-released on a number of 1980s music compilations. It also reached #24 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dream (Hold On to Your Dream)</span> 1983 single by Irene Cara

"The Dream (Hold On to Your Dream)" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, and the song's performer, Irene Cara, for the 1983 film D.C. Cab. Although not included on initial pressings of Cara's What a Feelin' LP, the decision to release the film four months earlier than originally slated prompted an arrangement for her album to be reissued with the song. A slightly different version (more noticeable in the intro) was also included on the film's soundtrack album; an edited version was released on the 7-inch single, and the 12-inch single included a much longer dance remix.

References

  1. "Jump 'n the Saddle Band - Jump 'N the Saddle Band - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  2. "Celebrating The 33rd Anniversary of The Three Stooges Hollywood Walk of Fame Star". 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  3. "Curly shuffle - Video Dailymotion". 12 May 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 132.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996 . Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-209-0.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 449.