The Name Game

Last updated
"The Name Game"
Single by Shirley Ellis
from the album The Name Game
B-side "Whisper to Me Wind"
ReleasedNovember 1964 (1964-11) [1]
Genre
Length2:39
Label Congress
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Charles Calello

"The Name Game" is a song co-written and performed by Shirley Ellis [2] as a rhyming game that creates variations on a person's name. [3] She explains through speaking and singing how to play the game. The first verse is done using Ellis's first name; the other names used in the original version of the song are Lincoln, Arnold, Tony, Billy, Marsha, and Nick.

Contents

History

Written by American singer Shirley Ellis (who based the song on a game she played as a child [3] ) and Lincoln Chase. Ellis's recording, produced by Charles Calello, was released in late 1964 as "The Name Game". The record scored third on the Billboard Hot 100, and fourth on the magazine's R&B charts during 1965. The record was re-released in 1966 and again in 1973. An R&B singer for 10 years before that success, Ellis was also successful with "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)" (No.8 pop and No.16 R&B), and "The Nitty Gritty" (No.8 on the Hot 100 and No.4 on the Cash Box R&B chart). Ellis performed on then-major television programs, including Hullabaloo , American Bandstand and The Merv Griffin Show . It later became a popular children's singalong. [3]

Rules

Using the name Katie as an example, the song follows this pattern:

Katie, Katie, bo-batie,
Bonana-fanna fo-fatie
Fee fi mo-matie
Katie!

A verse can be created for any name, with X as the name and Y as the name without the first consonant sound (if it begins with a consonant), as follows:

(X), (X), bo-b (Y)
Bonana-fanna fo-f (Y)
Fee fi mo-m (Y)
(X)!

If the name starts with a b, f, or m, that sound simply is not repeated. For example: Billy becomes "Billy Billy bo-illy"; Fred becomes "bonana fanna fo-red"; Martha becomes "fee fi mo-artha" [3]

The song as originally performed gives no indication of what to do with names where the stress falls on a syllable after the first, like Anita or Antoinette, but during the live rendition of the song on The Merv Griffin Show , Ellis uses the same rules as explained above ("Tallulah, Tallulah, bo-ballulah") [4] . However, the cover version on the workout video Sweatin' to the Oldies 3 (vocals by Donna Miller) suggests that the first syllable should be dropped after the name is first said; the name Madonna is sung as "Madonna-donna-bo-bonna," etc.

Laura Branigan version

"Name Game"
NAMEGAME.jpg
Single by Laura Branigan
from the album Touch
B-side "Cry Wolf"
Released1988
Genre
Length4:10
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s)
  • Shirley Ellis
  • Lincoln Chase
Producer(s) David Kesherbaun
Laura Branigansingles chronology
"Cry Wolf"
(1988)
"Name Game"
(1988)
"Come into My Life"
(1988)

Laura Branigan covered the song for her 1987 studio album Touch . It was released as the last single from the album in the Philippines.

Track listings

  1. "Name Game" (Edited version) – 3:44
  2. "Cry Wolf" (LP version) – 4:48
  1. "Name Game" (Extended version) – 6:32
  2. "Name Game" (Edited version) – 3:44
  3. "Cry Wolf" (LP version) – 4:48

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is Strange</span> 1956 single by Mickey & Sylvia

"Love Is Strange" is a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.

Shirley Marie O'Garra was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage. She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty", "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song". "The Clapping Song" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Branigan</span> American singer (1952–2004)

Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. Branigan's "Gloria" was a cover of a song written by Italian singer-songwriters Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany and No. 4 in the U.S. with "Self Control" a cover of Italian singer and songwriter Raf from the same year. Both "Gloria" and "Self Control" were successful in the United Kingdom, making the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Branigan 2</i> 1983 studio album by Laura Branigan

Branigan 2 is the second studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1983 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number 29 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 18, 1985, denoting shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Bryan Buss wrote that Branigan's "full, expressive voice shows serious growth" on "a much more cohesive collection" than her debut album, Branigan, adding that "this album doesn't waste a single track".

<i>Branigan</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Laura Branigan

Branigan is the debut studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1982 by Atlantic Records. The album's lead single, "All Night with Me", reached number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the second single, an English version of Italian singer Umberto Tozzi's song "Gloria", was a commercial success, propelling Branigan to international prominence.

<i>Hold Me</i> (Laura Branigan album) 1985 studio album by Laura Branigan

Hold Me is the fourth studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released on July 15, 1985, by Atlantic Records. The album peaked at number 71 on the US Billboard 200, though it fared better internationally, reaching the top 10 in Sweden and Switzerland, and the top 15 in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trash (Suede song)</span> 1996 single by Suede

"Trash" is the first single from English rock band Suede's third studio album, Coming Up (1996). Released on 29 July 1996 via Nude Records, "Trash" was the first single on which all the songs were written without guitarist Bernard Butler, since Richard Oakes had taken his place. The single is tied with "Stay Together" as the band's highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number three; however, it outsold the earlier single, thus making it their biggest-selling single. Outside the UK, the song topped the Finnish Singles Chart and reached the top five in Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Melody Maker ranked "Trash" number four in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country Grammar (Hot Shit)</span> 2000 single by Nelly

"Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" (also known as "Country Grammar (Hot...)") is the debut single of American rapper Nelly. The song was written by Nelly and Jason "Jay E" Epperson, who also produced the track. Released on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from Nelly's 2000 debut album, Country Grammar, the single peaked at number seven in both the United States and the United Kingdom and reached the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me Home (Cher song)</span> 1979 single by Cher

"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.

"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Calello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)</span> 1984 single by Jennifer Rush

"The Power of Love" is a song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released in December 1984 by CBS Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.

<i>Frets on Fire</i> 2006 video game

Frets on Fire (FoF) is a free, open-source music video game created by Finnish independent video game developer Unreal Voodoo. Players use the keyboard to play along with markers which appear on screen, with the aim to score points, achieve a high point multiplier, and complete a song. Frets on Fire was the winner of the Assembly 2006 game development competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco 2000 (song)</span> 1995 single by Pulp

"Disco 2000" is a song by British band Pulp, included on the band's fifth album, Different Class (1995). Featuring a disco-inspired musical performance, the song was based on Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker's childhood memories of his friend Deborah Bone, who he had "fancied" in his youth but could never impress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitaire (Martine Clémenceau song)</span>

"Solitaire" is a 1981 song sung and written by Martine Clémenceau. The English version was later released in March 1983 as the lead single of American singer Laura Branigan's second studio album, Branigan 2 (1983). It was lyricized in English by Diane Warren and produced by Jack White and Robbie Buchanan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shattered Glass (song)</span> 1987 single by Laura Branigan

"Shattered Glass" is a song written by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe which was originally recorded in 1980 by Scottish singer Ellie Warren. The song was recorded in 1987 by American singer Laura Branigan with the Stock Aitken Waterman production team to serve as the lead single from Branigan's fifth studio album, Touch (1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Chase</span> American composer of hit songs

Lincoln R. Chase was an American songwriter and occasional recording artist. As a writer, his most notable songs were "Such a Night", "Jim Dandy", and several of Shirley Ellis' hits in the early 1960s including "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song".

"The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette, written by Per Gessle and recorded in the spring of 1990 for their third studio album Joyride. However, the song was excluded from the album, and was instead recorded by former Modern Talking vocalist Thomas Anders, who in April 1991 issued his version as the lead single from his solo album Whispers. Six months later, Roxette released their original recording as a limited edition promotional single exclusively in Sweden. In 1993, a version produced by Phil Ramone was recorded by American singer Laura Branigan for her seventh studio album, Over My Heart. The same year, Phil Thornalley produced a version for Jason Donovan, which was included as a b-side to his single "All Around the World".

References

  1. "45cat - Shirley Ellis - The Name Game / Whisper To Me Wind - Congress - USA - CG-230".
  2. "The Name Game". Billboard .
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Three Six Nine! Shirley Ellis Name Game / Soul Time Home Page". keepkey.yochanan.net.
  4. Shirley Ellis • "The Name Game" • 1965 [Reelin' In The Years Archive] . Retrieved 2024-06-04 via YouTube.
  5. Name Game (Media notes). Laura Branigan. Atlantic. 1988. ATR-0351.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. Name Game (Media notes). Laura Branigan. Atlantic. 1988. DS-151.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)