Released May 1960 Genre Rock and roll, doo-wop Label Lute 5905 | Recorded 1960 Length 2:56 | |
B-side "Sho' Know a Lot About Love" | ||
"Alley-Oop" is a song written and composed by Dallas Frazier. The song, inspired by the V. T. Hamlin-created comic strip of the same name, was first recorded by Frazier as a country tune in 1957.
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The Hollywood Argyles
The Hollywood Argyles, a short-lived studio band, recorded the song in 1960, and it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the US R&B chart. It also went to #24 on the UK chart. It was produced by Gary Paxton, who also sang lead vocals. At the time, Paxton was under contract to Brent Records, where he recorded as Flip of Skip & Flip.
According to Paxton:
Other versions
Also in 1960, The Dyno-Sores released a version that went to #59 on the Hot 100 chart, and Dante & The Evergreens released a version that went to #15 on the Hot 100 chart. Both Dante & The Evergreens's and the Argyles's versions were credited as number ones in Cashbox magazine's singles chart.
The Beach Boys recorded and released their version on their 1965 album Beach Boys' Party! The British satirical art rock/pop group, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, recorded a version of "Alley Oop," which was released as their second single in October 1966. It was also performed by Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters on their self-titled album, released in 1967. The British group, The Tremeloes, recorded a version of the song, too.
Actress-singer Darlene Love recorded a version of the song for the 1984 film Bachelor Party. George Thorogood also performed a version of this song with his band, the Destroyers, and it was on his live album that was released on February 15, 1989. Ray Stevens's version was on his album Gitarzan.
The lyric "look at those cavemen go" is referenced in David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" from the album Hunky Dory.
Use in pro wrestling
In the late 1970s in the Memphis, TN-based CWA wrestling promotion, there was a wrestler on their roster named "Dream Machine"(local wrestler Troy Graham wearing a mask) and on one episode of the local Saturday morning CWA TV program, host Lance Russell showed a video of Dream Machine footage set to "Alley Oop". After the video, Russell chuckled about it causing an angry Dream Machine to run out and start choking Russell. After Dream Machine was separated from Russell by his manager Jimmy Hart, CWA promoter Eddie Marlin fined Dream Machine and threatened to suspend him.