Peter Piper

Album: Raising Hell (1986)
Charted: 62
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lyrics are based on various nursery rhymes and fables, including Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep, and Rip Van Winkle. Peter Piper is a popular tongue-twister - "Peter Piper picked pickled peppers, a peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked." It gave Run-D.M.C. the chance to show off their vocal talents.
  • The beat is sampled from a song called "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" by Bob James, a Jazz composer who combined elements of dance, funk and pop in his music. "Mardi Gras" came out in 1975, and about 10 years later it was sampled mercilessly by DJs to create the popular "Hell's Bells" sound. Mantronix used it with some added bass synth on their 1988 track "King Of The Beats," which was in turn sampled by Snap! on "The Power."
  • This was the showcase song for Run-D.M.C.'s DJ, Jam Master Jay. The group's 2 rappers sing his praises as he manipulates the beat and keeps it going throughout the song. This type of sampling and turntable manipulation was big part of Hip-Hop in the '80s.
  • Run-D.M.C. referred to the bells in the beat as the "Hell's Bells." It went with the album title.
  • In 2003, Jam Master Jay was shot and killed at his recording studio. Many radio stations played this in tribute after his death.

Comments: 1

  • Melissa from Green Bay, WiMissy Elliot sampled a part of this near the end of her song "Work It" ("Hey ladies...")
see more comments

Editor's Picks

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.