Peppermint Twist
"Peppermint Twist" | ||||
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Single by Joey Dee and the Starliters | ||||
from the album Doin' the Twist at the Peppermint Lounge | ||||
B-side | "Peppermint Twist (Part 2)" | |||
Released | 1961 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll | |||
Length | 4:05 (Parts 1 and 2 combined) | |||
Label | Roulette | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joey Dee, Henry Glover | |||
Joey Dee and the Starliters singles chronology | ||||
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"Peppermint Twist" is a song written by Joey Dee and Henry Glover, recorded and released by Joey Dee and the Starliters in 1961.[1] Capitalizing on the Twist dance craze and the nightclub in which Dee performed ("The Peppermint Lounge"), the song hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1962. The original recording of the song was considered too long for release on a 45 rpm single, so it was split into two parts. It was this first part, "Peppermint Twist (Part 1)", with a length of 2:03, which became the #1 hit; the mostly instrumental second half of the recording is rarely heard today.
"Peppermint Twist" replaced Chubby Checker's "The Twist", the song that sparked the Twist fad, at the No. 1 position.
The lead singer in the Starliters' version is David Brigati, whose brother, Eddie Brigati, was a singer for the 1960s pop group the (Young) Rascals.[2] The other personnel on the record included Carlton Lattimore on organ, Billy Butler on guitar, Jerome Richardson on sax, and Don Martin on drums.
The Sweet version
"Peppermint Twist" | ||||
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Single by Sweet | ||||
from the album Sweet Fanny Adams | ||||
B-side | "Rebel Rouser" | |||
Released | 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Glam rock | |||
Length | 3:29 | |||
Label | RCA (Europe) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joey Dee, Henry Glover | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Wainman | |||
Sweet singles chronology | ||||
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The song was covered by English glam rock band Sweet, whose version topped the Australian singles chart in 1974,[3] and was included on their successful album Sweet Fanny Adams.
Other versions
- A version by Bill Haley & His Comets was recorded for Armed Forces Radio in 1962, but was not released until 2000.
- Catarina Valente reached No. 8 in Germany with her version in 1962.
- Kidsongs added their take on the 1994 release, I Can Bop with the Biggles.
In popular culture
- The Joey Dee and the Starliters recording features in the film American Graffiti (1973).
- Chubby Checker performed a variation, "The Super Bowl Twist", in medley with his hit "Let's Twist Again" during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988.[4]
- The song also inspired a New Zealand TV show of the same name set in the 1960s, which aired on TVNZ from 1987-88.
- D-TV set the song to the Silly Symphony, The Cookie Carnival (1935).
Chart performance
All-time charts
Chart (1958–2018) | Position |
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US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 244 |
See also
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (April 13, 2018). "The Number Ones: Joey Dee And The Starliters' "Peppermint Twist – Part 1″". Stereogum. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Pinchot, Joe (July 13, 2000). "Light still shines on Joey Dee". The Herald. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Buckley, Peter; Buckley, Jonathan (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides p. 2075. ISBN 978-1-8582-8457-6.
- ^ youtube.com/watch?v=HoGAshRemXM
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- Articles with hAudio microformats
- 1961 songs
- 1961 singles
- 1962 singles
- 1974 singles
- Bill Haley songs
- Caterina Valente songs
- The Sweet songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Songs written by Henry Glover
- Roulette Records singles
- RCA Records singles
- Twist (dance)
- Songs about dancing
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