Doin' The Do

Album: Boomania (1990)
Charted: 7 90
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Songfacts®:

  • This samples the Reparta and the Delrons 1968 song "Captain Of Your Ship."
  • "Doin the Do" means being in control of your career. In this song Betty Boo was thinking of how she was criticized at school for her ambitions by her teacher.
  • This reached #1 in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
  • Alison Clarkson (b 6/3/1970, Kensington, London) started off with rap trio She-Rockers. She then named herself Betty Boo after the 1930s cartoon Betty Boop, after being forced to drop the 'p' by lawyers representing the character. Boo signed with Rhythm King Records and first entered the UK charts when guesting with label mates The Beatmasters on their Top 10 hit "Hey DJ I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing." She went solo in 1990 and recorded the hit album Boomania. In addition to "Doin' The Do," Boomania also featured "Where Are You Baby?" (#3 in UK) and "24 Hours" (#25 in the UK). Boo was named Best UK Newcomer at the 1991 BRIT Awards but later in the year she was forced to cancel an Australian tour after it was discovered she was miming to backing vocals. She returned to the UK singles charts in 1992 with "Let Me Take You There" (#12), her last Top 40 entry. As her solo career floundered, Boo successfully turned to songwriting, including co-writing Hear'Say's record breaking hit "Pure And Simple."
  • Boo wrote the Boomania album in one week in her bedroom. She recalled to the Metro newspaper: "I'd done a sound engineering course and got some money from The Beatmasters single. Instead of buying loads of shoes, I bought equipment. I wrote Doin' The Do and Where Are You Baby? and then the rest of it. It took a few weeks to write all the songs but I can write quickly. It's like doing your homework on Sunday night. I like to enjoy myself the rest of the time."

Comments: 1

  • George from Vancouver, CanadaIt's amazing that the Betty Boop owners had the audacity to sue fir infringement when Boop herself was an infringement on Helen Kane!
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