Album: Alley Oop (1960)

Charted: 24 1

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• (Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop)
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  
  There's a man in the funny papers we all know
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  He lives way back a long time ago
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  He don't eat nothin' but a bear cat stew
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Well, this cat's name is Alley-Oop
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  
  He got a chauffeur that's a genuine dinosaur
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  And he can knuckle your head before you count to four
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  
  He got a big ugly club and a head full of hair
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Like great big lions and grizzly bears
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  (Alley-Oop) He's the toughest man there is alive
  (Alley-Oop) Wearin' clothes from a wildcat's hide
  (Alley-Oop) He's the king of the jungle jive
  (Look at that cave man go!) (Scream!)
  
  He rides through the jungle, tearin' limbs off of trees
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Knockin' great big monsters dead on their knees
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  The cats don't bug him 'cause they know better
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  'Cause he's a mean motor scooter and a bad go-getter
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  (Alley-Oop) He's the toughest man there is alive
  (Alley-Oop) Wears clothes from a wildcat's hide
  (Alley-Oop) He's the king of the jungle jive
  (Look at that cave man go!) (Scream!)
  
  There he goes
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Look at that cave man go
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  He sure is hip, ain't he?
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Like what's happening
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  He's too much
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Ride, daddy, ride
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Hi-yo, dinosaur
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Ride, daddy, ride
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Get 'em, man
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop)
  Like hips ville
  (Alley-Oop, oop, oop, oop-oop) Writer/s: Dalla Frazier
  Publisher: Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

• Mikekees from Media, PaMy recording engineer friend Jack Andrews told me this was the first record he was involved in.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaI was too young to remember the comic strip(my oldest brother did) but am wondering if they had to pay the writers of the script any money for using their character.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 1st 1960, the 'Jocko's Rocket Ship Revue' show played at the Apollo Theater in the Harlem section of New York City...
  One of the five acts* on the bill were Dante and the Evergreens; at the time their "Alley-Oop'" was at #16 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; three days later on July 4th it peaked at #15 {See next post below}...
  And at the same time they were at #16 with the song, the Hollywood Argyles version was at #3 on the Top 100...
  R.I.P. radio personality Douglas ‘Jocko’ Henderson {1918 – 2000}…
  * The other four acts were Ruth Brown, the Olympics, Ben E. King, and Jimmy Jones.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 14th 1960, Dante and the Evergreens performed "Alley Oop" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  At the time their version of the song was at #28 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; twenty days later on July 4th, 1960 it would peak at #15 {for 2 weeks} and it stayed on the chart for 13 weeks...
  The day it peaked at #15, the Hollywood Argyles' version of the song moved into the #2 spot on the Top 100, and the following week it peaked at #1 {for 1 week}...
  Dante and the Evergreens had one other Top 100 record, "Time Machine”, it reached #73 and spent 6 weeks on the chart.
• Steve from Hopkinsville, KyThe song was also covered by Ray Stevens, ShaNaNa, George Thorogood and The Royal Guardsmen. Those are the Recordings in my collection.
• Christopher from Charlotte, NcThe song was first recorded by a black vocal group called The Pre -Historics. They were a Coasters sound a like group. I think their's is better than the Argyles' hit version
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyA third group also released this song in 1960; The Dyna-Sores version peaked at #59!!!
• Ray from Laughlin, NvTo Eugene, who asked what happened to Gary Paxton. Like many former recording stars he now lives in Branson, MO. His ex partner, Skip, of Skip and Flip passed away about 5 years ago from Alzheimer's Disease. They originally got connected in Tucson, AZ.
• Reed from New Ulm, Mn"I mean like..what's happening"
• Rick from Graysville, Mo"He sure is Hip aint he"
• Frank from Valley Stream, NyThis song was also recorded by Dante & The
  Evergreens in 1960. Argyles had a # 1 hit.
  Evergreens had a # 15 hit. I bought the
  Dante & The Evergreens version. I liked it
  Better.
• Trudy from Lynchburg, VaMany years ago, I read the comic strip, "Alley Oop" in the newspaper, everyday. I also used to have the comic book by the same name. Love it.
• Alex from Calgary, CanadaIn response to Darrell, Paxton as of 2007 is based in Branson, Mo. and recently wrote and produced a new single recorded by Bill Haley's Original Comets.
• Walter from Antwerp, BelgiumThis song was US-copyrighted May 1960, and became a hit shortly afterwards. There was no earlier version recorded by Dallas Frazier, who wrote it only the year before. Reportedly, he was also present banging pots and pans on the Hollywood Argyles session. Novelty song yes, but not very original, this came very close to what The Coasters and Leiber & Stoller were producing at the time.
• Darrell from Eugene, United StatesWhatever happened to Gary Paxton? I know that he founded Garpax Records and that he produced "Monster Mash", but what happened to Gary Paxton and Garpax Records after "Monster Mash"? All information would be appreciated.
• John from Levittown, NyDavid Bowie borrows the line "look at that caveman go" in his song Life on Mars.
• Steve from Salt Lake City, UtThe group were al LA area session players.
  The were on "Image Of A Girl" by the SAFARIS the same year as "Alley Oop"
  
  Both records are on fly by nite labels with 4 letter names. The Hollywood Argyles on LUTE. The Safaris on ELDO.
  Who knows how many sessions these boozers played on!

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