...about "This Empty Place"
(Between Shady's Ears!)
I'm Abigail Ambrosia.
Classical mythology defines ambrosia as the food of the gods,
and I am here to satisfy your craving for good music and trivial
tidbits. Ambrosia also refers to something especially delicious.
Well boys... delish-is what this vintage dish-is. As Shady's Place advice
columnist and music trivia expert, I publish a weekly newspaper column
that features music related questions submitted by readers along with
my answers. My feature is so popular, it inspired a radio show that
is coming your way soon exclusively here at Shady's Place.
My friendly, all-female office staff fields
questions that come in on our toll free hotline.
Operators are on duty 24-hours a day and
standing by to take your call... so why hesitate?
I am more than happy to answer your trivia questions
and solve your musical mysteries, so let me hear from you!
The women on my staff enjoy getting all gussied up.
That's because, truth be told, most of the calls and letters we receive
turn out to be marriage proposals from men. That said... every
once in a while, someone asks a legitimate music question.
Without further delay, I now bring you this
sneak preview of my new Shady's Place series
Ask Abigail...
...a radio show that picks up where my
newspaper column leaves off.
Sally G. writes:
Dear Abigail, I'm a big
fan of your column and
curious about your last
name "Ambrosia." Isn't
there a band by that
name and, if so, did
they record any hits?
Hi, Sally! Thanks for writing.
Yes indeed there is a pop rock
band named Ambrosia. Formed
in LA in 1970, the band had 5
top 40 hits from 1975 to 1980.
They broke up in '82, reunited
in '89 and are still together in
2023. Ambrosia's first big hit
came in the fall of '78 when
they reached the top 3 with
"How Much I Feel."
"How Much I Feel" - Ambrosia
(Oct./Nov. 1978, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100)
Manuel G. writes:
Dear Abigail. Ritchie Valens
died decades before I was born.
My grandfather introduced me
to his music. Can you tell me
which Ritchie Valens record
was the last to be released
before his death and which
record was the first to be
released after his death?
No problem, Manuel! On February 3,
1959, now known as "The Day the
Music Died," a plane crash in Iowa
claimed the lives of three rock and
roll pioneers - Buddy Holly, J. P.
Richardson aka "The Big Bopper"
and Ritchie Valens, forefather
of the Chicano rock movement.
The last single released before
Valens' death was the rockabilly
instrumental "Fast Freight"
which hit the street in January,
1959. The record is credited to
Arvee Allens. (Valens' name did
not appear on original pressings.)
"Fast Freight" - Arvee Allens
(Jan. 1959 single)
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S AN
Abigail Ambrosia...
(ECHO CHAMBER)
TWO-FER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER!
Right you are, Don Pardo.
A "two-fer" is an occasion
when I answer a question
with not one, but two songs,
usually by the same artist.
Released a month after
his death, Ritchie Valens'
single "That's My Little
Suzie," a song inspired
by Little Richard's hit
"Tutti Frutti," made it
roughly halfway up
the Billboard chart
and came close to
the top 40 on the
Cash Box survey.
"That's My Little Susie" - Ritchie Valens
(Apr./May 1959, highest chart pos. #43 Cash Box, #55 Hot 100)
If you're just tuning in, this is a sneak peek at
Ask Abigail...
...an advice column, information hotline and radio show rolled into one.
Make a note to check your listings because it starts soon
right here at Shady's Place on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.
I'm your hostess with the mostest...
Abigail Ambrosia
answering questions from you, the listener, about popular songs
of the past. There are two ways for you to submit a question.
One way is to mail your question to our offices here in
Shady Towers West. I'll give you the snail mail
address at the end of the show.
As you can see, we get a ton of male mail every day, and we love our work.
The other way to get your question to me is simply
pick-up the phone and call our toll free question-line.
It is also very much a "party line"... because, as you can tell
by now, I always play a song or songs that correspond to
your question and my answer. Dancing is encouraged!
What are you waiting for? Go to the phone and dial
1-800-555-2-ASK. CALL NOW!
Virginia B. is on the line with the following question:
Hello, Abigail! I hope you can settle a friendly argument I've been
having with my husband. He says Dusty Springfield is the
only diva that recorded "Wishin' And Hopin'"...
...but I seem to recall years ago hearing Dionne Warwick sing
a version of the song. Hubby thinks I'm crazy. Who's right?
Hi, Virginia! Thanks for calling.
Tell your husband that you are
correct and Abigail Ambrosia
says so. While it's true that
Dusty Springfield sang the
best known version of
"Wishin' And Hopin'"...
the English blue-eyed
soul singer was not the
only one to wax the
girl pop gem, nor
was she the first.
In February, 1963, Dionne Warwick
released her original version of the
Bacharach-David composition
"This Empty Place." A great
recording, Dionne's single
nevertheless stalled at #84
on the pop chart. The record
is noteworthy for its B side,
the original waxing of another
released her original version of the
Bacharach-David composition
"This Empty Place." A great
recording, Dionne's single
nevertheless stalled at #84
on the pop chart. The record
is noteworthy for its B side,
the original waxing of another
Bacharach-David song, "Wishin'
and Hopin'," which was covered
by Dusty Springfield and became
a top 10 U.S. hit for the English
songstress in the summer of '64.
Here now is sultry soul sister
Dionne singing "This Empty
and Hopin'," which was covered
by Dusty Springfield and became
a top 10 U.S. hit for the English
songstress in the summer of '64.
Here now is sultry soul sister
Dionne singing "This Empty
Place (between Shady's ears)."
"This Empty Place" - Dionne Warwick
(Feb. 1963, highest chart pos. #84 Hot 100/#26 R&B)
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S ANOTHER
Abigail Ambrosia...
(ECHO CHAMBER)
TWO-FER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER!
Now, here's the version of
"Wishin' And Hopin'" that
you remember, Virginia,
Dionne Warwick's great
but overlooked original
recording of the song.
It went to waste on
the B side of that
low-charting 45.
Let's Listen!
"Wishin' And Hopin'"
- Dionne Warwick
(Feb. 1963, B side of
"This Empty Place")
Larry K. called
with this question:
Dear Abigail, I know Chubby Checker
for "The Twist" and other dance craze
songs, and I also vaguely recall him
singing a folk type song that asks
the question: "Does your mama
chaw tobacca?" What's the
name of that song?
Hi, Larry! Thanks for calling. The ditty you have in mind is "Hooka Tooka,"
a folk song associated with Chubby Checker and with folk/pop singer
Judy Henske. "Hooka Tooka (My Soda Cracker)" is based on a
children's jump rope rhyme. As the story goes, children in
days of old sang the song outside brothels where
their mothers were working to warn them
that police were on the way.
Released by Chubby Checker
on the B side of "Loddy Lo,"
another folk song cover,
"Hooka Tooka" made a
run at the top 15 on the
pop charts at Christmas,
1963, and the early
weeks of 1964.
"Hooka Tooka" -
Chubby Checker
(Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964,
highest chart pos.
#16 Cash Box, #17
Hot 100/#20 R&B)
That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek at my new Q & A
style series coming soon to Shady's Place. Stick around. Coming up
on the flip side of Gary Owens' news, it's the next exciting
edition of Shady's epic 36-part series
SAVED BY THE BELL DELL
Now this is advice columnist Abigail Ambrosia saying
so long and inviting you to join me next time for more
Q's & A's and more great sounds of the past on
Ask Abigail.
And remember, there's nothing trivial
about your love of music. See you soon!
If you have a musical question for Abigail Ambrosia...
call our 24-hour toll free question-line at
1-800-555-2-ASK...
...or mail your question to:
Ask Abigail
Shady Towers West, 24221 Hollywood Blvd,
Suite 5, Dept. 3-C, Los Angeles, CA 90901.
Who knows, Abigail might answer your question on her show!
Oh my gosh...me first on this lovely Sunday afternoon? Hello Shady! I wish I had some cool questions for Miss Abigail but I'm clueless here at the Pines! (Or Pickettywitch Acres!) Although I do wonder if they had flipped the record over to side B, Dionne Warwick's "Wishn' and Hopin'" woud have shined for her. Chubby Checker's "Hooka Tooka" made me laugh and Jack was walking by when it was playing and said, "You must be on Shady's blog". Even he got a kick out of it! Richie Valens story is so sad. A real bright light that went out too soon. I enjoyed watching the movie about him and also the Buddy Holly Story which featured Gary Busey as Buddy. He should have gotten an academy award for his performance. Since I have no real burning questions I'll say bye for now and I hope you have a fabulous day. Annabelle and I are heading out for a nice walk because the sun is actually shining here in Ohio and temps are 50de!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteYessum, you will be wearing the Early Bird crown all week, dear friend! Thanks for coming and welcome to this sneak preview of the new Shady's Place series Ask Abigail.
I'm happy to know that my previous post inspired you to add an "aka" onto Whispering Pines and sometimes refer to it as "Pickettywitch Acres." That's kinda cute, if you think about it. It's a better name than Belly Acres or Toothy Acres. :).
You know, dear friend, I was thinking the exact same thing. While "This Empty Place (Between Shady's Ears)" is a perfectly good Bacharach-David song, it seems so obvious to boomers that have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight that the "killer bee" side, "Wishin' And Hopin,'" is the better song, a hit waiting to happen. Unfortunately for Dionne, the hit waited to happen until UK singer Dusty Springfield recorded it. So, I often find myself wondering what the decision makers were thinking. How could they not have recognized the hit potential of that B side? This has happened time and time again in rock & roll history.
Ha! Jack always seems to be walking past when you have my tuneage playing. Chubby Checker's novelty folk single "Hooka Tooka" was big in my neck of the woods.
Yessum, I think I know which movie you are talking about. A week or so ago, I watched for the third time the 1987 biopic La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips in the lead role of Ritchie Valens. The plane crash that claimed the lives of those three stars was indeed a huge tragedy and a tremendous loss to music. Just think,a coin toss determined which members of the touring company were "lucky" enough to take a short flight to their next gig on a warm plane and which "unlucky" guys were forced to endure a long ride on a cold bus that frigid winter night. As it turned out, the plane flight was a lot shorter than expected. The Buddy Holly Story starring Gary Busey is another great movie that I've seen a couple of times now. I agree that Gary BECOMES Buddy in that film - very convincing!
It sounds like a delightful day up there in Ohio. I hope you enjoy your walk with my sweetheart Annabelle. Maybe she'll flush out the Yeti in Creepy Woods. Please reward her with a good-girl treat when you get back to the house.
Thanks again for your kind visit and great comment, dear friend YaYa. Have a safe and happy week ahead!
I've always loved that Ambrosia song.... and couldn't have told you that was who performed it! (sometimes I'm terrible about putting artists and titles together). -Kelly (and Pat)
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly & Pat!
DeleteThanks for joining the big fun on day one, dear friend(s)!
That song by Ambrosia is a soft rock classic, isn't it? I never get tired of listening to it. I was pleased to find this nicely restored performance video to use in my sneak preview of the new music and trivia series Ask Abigail.... coming soon to Shady's Place. A.A. will offer a chance for you to listen and learn. Best of all, you will never be required to wear the dunce cap. :)
Thanks again for coming by on your weekend, dear friend Kelly. I wish you and your canine clan a safe and happy week ahead!
Is it just me or the women in the 50s cartoon or not are stunning and as classy as can be? Love this.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lux!
DeleteI'm delighted to have you back over, my dear old friend! Thanks for remembering Shady's Place and for dropping in for a closer look at these vintage women and their clothing and hair styles. Having been alive and old enough to notice such things in the 1950s, I agree with you that most women and girls spent more time and put more effort into looking smart, elegant, classy and "put together" than what you see today.
I'm very pleased that you love looking at the vintage women who work with Abigail Ambrosia on her newspaper column and radio series Ask Abigail. Stick around. On March 1 you will see another fashion parade, this time with live models of the 1950s, in Vol. 6 of my series Saved By The Bell. I hope you can take a look and a listen.
Thanks again for your kind visit and comment and happy 2023 to you, dear friend Lux!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, around the 64th anniversary of "The Day The Music Died," Amazon played "American Pie" by Don McLean a few times on my playlist. That has to be one of my childhood favourites and I still like that song.
The Richie Valens songs you chose are some of my favourites. Dad often played these hits and I always loved grooving to them. I'm also familiar with Ambrosia and Dionne Warwick. I love how SNL pokes fun at Dionne from time to time. She seems like such the diva. :)
I love this advice column. I also loved the snail mail photo. That made me smile. I can't wait to see more in these series.
Happy President's Day, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place, dear friend, and happy Presidents Day to you as well! I see you're back from your trip to "the Burg," and I am eager to read all about your adventure with David in my neck of the woods.
Yessum, this post is hitting too late for the actual 64th anniversary of that tragic plane crash, but it's still the month of February, close enough to the infamous "Day the Music Died" referenced in that famous Don McLean song you mentioned. I'm delighted that you know and like Chicano rocker Ritchie Valens, having been exposed to his recordings through your dad, and that you realize what a tremendous loss it was to music when he and Buddy and Bopper perished.
Yessum, over the years I have seen several SNL sketches poking fun at Dionne Warwick. In 1971, on the advice of an astrologer friend, Dionne changed the spelling of her last name to "Warwicke" in hopes of giving her sagging career a boost. The gimmick backfired and she changed it back to "Warwick."
I'm thrilled that you dig Abigail Ambrosia's musical advice column Ask Abigail. Stick around for the first official edition of the show coming soon.
I'm happy to make you smile, dear friend JM. Thanks again for coming and enjoy the rest of your week!
Hi Shady,
DeleteThat overnight is what the soul needed. David and I travel well together and we look forward to more trips together. Part II is up and running at my blog. :)
Yes, yes indeed. That was so sad too, all were very, very young. I also remember listening to Buddy Holly and the Bopper too. My dad was 3 when the crash happened, so he doesn't remember it at all. He just remembers reading about it.
Oh, Dionne. We might have to write Lorne Michaels and see if he can write something into the script for the next Dionne Warwick talk show - changing the spelling of her name! Ego Nwodum plays an awesome Warwick.
Enjoy the rest of your week as well, dear friend.
Hi, again, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI just got back from the mosh pit on your site, dear friend. :) I have bumps, bruises and a black eye, but I'm smiling just the same. :) Being able to travel well together is huge for a couple. I'm glad you and David can check that box. In the car the other day, Mrs. Shady and I got into a loud argument over where we were and which direction to take. She insisted we were lost. We were still in our driveway, for crying out loud! :) Anyway, all kidding aside, I hope you guys can plan a trip to York someday and ride past The Shady Dell, a national landmark that's just as important to us Dell rats as Graceland or any other.
I'll have to look up those SNL sketches featuring Ego Nwodim as Dionne Warwick. I see that Dionne is being a good sport about it and has even appeared on SNL along with Nwodim. I suppose Dionne figures the SNL bits are free publicity and will help preserve her brand and sell her merch.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
Hi Shady,
DeleteHopefully it doesn't take you a few days to recover from the bumps and bruises like it did for us! We felt like we came from a warzone, but wouldn't change it at all. Ah, memories. That's so true. I'm going to talk with David about York. I told him about your blog and he thinks it's awesome that you blog about music. Next time you do a metal post, I told him I'd send him the link. You're going to have a new fan. :)
That is true! It probably helps Dionne gain some younger fans as well. I'll have to look up the clips of Dionne alongside Nwodim. She's one of my favourite cast members.
Enjoy the rest of your week as well, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for telling David about my music themed blog. When I run my next metal post, I'll know that it will be appreciated by at least two readers... probably ONLY two. :)
Yessum, there's no such thing as bad publicity these days, because it's all good. Dionne Warwick seems eager to keep her name fresh in the public's mind and, as you say, attract new fans who will buy her music.
I see you have a report on your V-Day celebration with David. I'm coming right over. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
Hello Tom,
ReplyDeleteYesterday DH was off from work because of the Federal holiday and I totally forgot about it going into the weekend or else I would've said something in my post. I'm glad you found time to enjoy my 4M song picks.
This is a really fun new series. "How Much I Feel" by Ambrosia is the only song I recognized in this set. It's funny how often I forget about this 70s band. They had a few good releases I remember, "How Long (Has This Been Going On)", "Biggest Part of Me", and "You're the Only Woman" to name a few.
I think the newbie songs (to my ears) that captured my attention most is "Fast Freight" - Arvee Allens. It was nice to listen to Ritchie Valens "That's My Little Susie" and I thought from the title I knew the tune but I didn't. I will correct myself, I do know the oldie Dusty Springfield "Wishin' and Hopin'" that Dionne Warwick covered in the early 60s but I haven't heard that version until now, though. I like Dusty's best. "Hooka Tooka" I've recognize the song title but I can't swear to ever listening to it before now. I'm more familiar with Chubby Checker's "The Twist".
I believe this is going to be a smash hit series. I love the idea and honestly the first thing I thought of was Dear Abby with your format. Instead of Abigail giving love and other relationship advice, she's clarifying great mysteries of music.
Have a boogietastic week, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for coming, dear friend! I'm happy you could make it over for a sneak peek at my new series Ask Abigail. Yessum, this musical advice column was inspired by Dear Abby and by Ask Ann Landers, the latter being the column I was exposed to as a child, the one that ran in our local York, PA, newspaper. Wiki explains: << Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943. The Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Owing to this popularity, "Ann Landers", though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon. >> This series will feature music trivia, and it also gives me an excuse to display more vintage photos and art illustrations of 1950s family life, women, clothing and hair styles.
Given the ages of my readers, most of them younger than Shady, I am not surprised that this 1970s hit by Ambrosia is the best known song in the bunch. Thanks for turning me on to the cover of "How Long (has This Been Going On)" waxed by Ambrosia. I never heard it before. The only version I knew until now is the 1974 original by the English band Ace. I see that the Ambrosia version was released on the 2017 various artists CD Dancing In The Moonlight: Reflections of '70s Hits, a compilation that includes cover versions of songs and a re-recorded version, but not the originals. If I may correct you, the version of "Wishin' And Hopin'" by Dionne Warwick is the original, the first released recording, and Dusty Springfield's hit version is a cover.
I'm thrilled that you get the gist of my series, appreciate the concept and look forward to the next installment. Thanks again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend Cathy. Have a tunetastic Tuesday and I'll see you tomorrow when you reveal the result of your latest band battle. Take care!
Hey Tom,
DeleteOh, I didn't know that Dionne did the original. How interesting! Thanks for sitting me straight on that score. :) Thanks for stopping by earlier this morning to read the BOTB report from last week's showdown. I hope you have a good day, my friend!
One more thing, I totally forgot to mention but corrected it in today's post that I will have new art displayed tomorrow. :) TTFN!
DeleteHi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for coming back over today, dear friend!
Yessum, Dionne Warwick's original version was released in early 1963. Dusty's hit cover was not released until the spring of 1964.
I see that you left another comment. In order to keep my comment numbers even (and to boost my total), I will need to open a new comment box. :)
Hi again, Cathy!
DeleteAOK, I will be over to see you tamale for Thursday Art Date With Rain. I look forward to seeing your latest artwork!
Thanks for visiting today! I forgot to mention in my response to you on the vintage pinup model. Honestly, I don't know where I got it or who the artist is now. You're certainly welcome to lift it off my blog since I borrowed it. Should I ever figure out the unknowns behind the image then I'll certainly let you know. Have a good weekend, my friend!
DeleteHi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm relieved that you saw my comment at CAAC today. I just read your reply and enjoyed it.
Regarding the pinup, I performed a reverse image search and found it on one other site, but the source was not identified there either. I don't need to borrow the pinup, because I have plenty, but I am curious as a Cathy to know which artist is responsible for it.
Today we are experiencing record heat for this date - 90 degrees in our city!
Thanks again for brightening my day as you always do. Enjoy your weekend with DH, dear friend Cathy!
I remember Ambrosia. That's a good song.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching the Richie Valens movie, La Bamba back when it came out. So sad that he and the other died in that plane crash.
Dionne Warwick has such a distinctive voice. When she was on The Masked Singer I knew who she was right away. She has some great songs.
My grandma used to listen to Chubby Checker so I knew who he was. He had some really good songs too.
Have a great week, Shady.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteIt's great to see you, dear friend. Thanks for coming over to experience this sneak preview of Abigail Ambrosia's Q&A platter party!
First, I need to tell you that the doggone blog gremlins are at it again, and this time their tricks are more clever than before. A couple of days ago, I found several of your comments in my spam folder along with the comments of two other friends. These were comments that had already been published, dating back to the beginning of the month! Luckily I noticed them and restored them to the respective posts from which they were removed. From now on, I will keep an eagle eye on that dern spam folder!
I'm glad you know the Ambrosia band and one of their biggest hits "How Much I Feel." I am also excited to learn that you watched Lou Diamond Phillips in La Bamba, the Ritchie Valens story. I have seen it a few times, most recently just a couple of weeks ago.
I'm also delighted that you appreciate the vocal style of Dionne Warwick who has now appeared and performed in back-to-back Shady's Place posts this month. I'm pleased that you told me about your grandma introducing you to Twist king Chubby Checker when you were young.
Thanks again for coming by, dear friend Mary. Please give my buddy Falcor and hug and a treat for me and enjoy the rest of your week!
Of course, you do know that the original Abigail Van Buren (before her daughter took over) and Ann Landers were twin sisters. Here in Cleveland Van Buren was in the Plain Dealer and Landers in the now-defunct Press. Saturday Night Live once did a funny sketch that had Jane Curtin as Landers. Her answer to every question was, "You need to get professional help!"
ReplyDeleteI well remember "How Much I Feel", though if you had asked me who the artist was, I probably would have answered, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Boston?"
As you said elsewhere in this thread, it is indeed odd that "Wishin' and Hopin'" was a B-side for Dionne Warwick. I wonder if Burt Bacharach and Hal David maybe just put a lot of work into "This Empty Place", less work in "W and H", and that clouded their decision, assuming it was their decision.
That Chubby Checker song. When he sang the word "hooka", followed a couple lines later by the word "tobacco", I was reminded of a Near Easternish Cleveland neighborhood I once drove through where I passed a couple of "hookah bars". Those are the long pipes people from India and elsewhere smoke. Is that what Checker is referring to? Or is it just nonsense nouns?
I see the song "American Pie" mentioned a couple of times in the comment section. My mother heard it somewhere, liked it, and went out and got the record. But neither she nor my father (or for that matter me at middle-school age) knew anything about Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. My father was convinced the song was about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and that the "widowed bride" was Jackie! Except the reference to February stumped him. "Don McLean must have goofed," he told my mother. "Kennedy was shot in November."
And that's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks a lot for making a midweek visit, good buddy! Abigail Ambrosia welcomes you to this sneak peek at her new series Ask Abigail - an advice column that THINKS its a radio show.
Yes sir, I learned many moons ago about the sibling connection between Abby and Ann (twin sisters Pauline and Eppie). As I mentioned in another reply, growing up in York, PA, the only such column I was exposed to, the one in our local newspaper, was Ask Ann Landers. I don't think I learned about Dear Abby until my teens. I vaguely recall that Jane Curtain sketch.
I wish I knew who made the decision to push "This Empty Place" and hide "Wishin' And Hopin;" on the B side of Dionne Warwick's single. Wiki might have shed some light on the subject with this: << Warwick was signed to Bacharach's and David's production company, according to Warwick, which in turn was signed to Scepter Records in 1962 by (label founder Florence) Greenberg. The partnership would provide Bacharach with the freedom to produce Warwick without the control of recording company executives and company A&R men. >> Maybe I can further explain the decision. As I listen to the rhythm and arrangement on "This Empty Place," I can tell you that the resulting sound was very popular in 1963. Soul artists on Scepter and other labels, I'm thinking groups like The Drifters and solo singers like Chuck Jackson and Garnet Mimms, were releasing records that had the same type of sound. It was more of an "in" sound at that point in music history than the fab flip side 'Wishin' And Hopin." That all changed the following year with Dusty's hit version, The Beatles and the British Invasion.
Good question about Chubby Checker's novelty folk song, and thanks for sharing that anecdote. To this day, a great deal of mystery surrounds the origin and meaning of the "Hooka Tooka" song. The rhyming words are cracka and tobacca. As the story goes, (and it might simply be an urban myth), children of prostitutes were stationed in front of brothels to stand guard and alert their mom's if and when the cops were coming to raid the joint. If the mothers were arrested, the kids would pass soda crackers and tobacco to them knowing those items were not available to them behind bars. The word "hooka" might refer to "hooker." in this case.
Chubby Checker released his single version of "Hooka Tooka" in October, 1963. It is believed that Wisconsin blues - pop - folk singer Judy Henske was the first to record the song and release it on an eponymous album a few months before Chubby's version hit the street. Henske, who died less than a year ago, is said to have introduced the song at live concert appearances by telling the audience the story of its origin, that it is a children's jump-rope song. As I said, the part about the mothers working in brothels and using their children as spies might simply be made up, or Judy might actually have gotten the info first hand from a reliable source, possibly even a group of children who were skipping rope outside a brothel. However, any group of children heard singing the song might simply have learned it from previous generations who passed it down. "Hooka Tooka" is only one of approx. 600 different children's rope skipping songs. One person who commented on the article I was reading said that he remembers hearing kids sing the song in the early 1950s, ten or more years before the first known recorded version by Judy Henske. That's all I got on the subject.
You relayed another interesting story about your family's confusion over the epic song "American Pie." If you haven't seen it, check out the movie La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips that has also been discussed in other comments and replies.
Thanks again for dropping in and for this great comment, good buddy Kirk. Enjoy the rest of your week and look for my next post this Saturday when I pay tribute to a Shady Dell VIP. Take care!
I wrote a nice long post here about each one on my new iPad only for it to say it xant publish. I was hoping it dud anyway...but it didn't! I enjoyed listening to all these tunes and got a kick out of the real meaning behind the Chubby Checker song. Love all the gals with the phones including Barbie.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteWelcome to the sneak preview of Ask Abigail, the advice column series that answers your musical questions (drum roll) ON THE AIR!
Well, it grieves me to think that my blog is going to routinely reject comments you try to submit from your iPad. I am so sorry. I will double check the spam folder just in case. As I told friend Mary, the dang gremlins have actually been plucking comments that were already published weeks ago and tossing them in the junk bin! It's unnerving and forces me to be hypervigilant to make sure every friend's comment gets published and STAYS published.
The real meaning and origin of the "Hooka Tooka" song is still a matter of debate. Check out my discussion of it with friend Kirk (above).
Yessum, this series gives me an excuse to use pictures of vintage women that I have found in recent months. I was elated to come across so many clear, sharp images available for this series and for the Saved By The Dell series. Vol. 6 of that series is coming right up on March 1.
Thanks again for your effort to leave a comment. Better luck next time. Please take care of my stinky buddy Harley and I'll be back over to see you first thing in the morning. Have a nice evening, dear friend BB!