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Mashed Potato Time

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"Mashed Potato Time" is a single written and composed by Barry Mann and Bernie Lowe, and performed by Dee Dee Sharp on her debut album It's Mashed Potato Time. The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1962, as well as No. 2 on the pop chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1962. It became a gold record.

The song refers to the Mashed Potato dance move which was a fad at the time. It was one of several that came out at that time, for example (Do the) Mashed Potatoes in 1960. In 1996 the Campbell Soup Company used the song in a $30 million advertising campaign, and commissioned a new, more upbeat recording from Dee Dee Sharp.

Dick and Dee Dee released a version of the song on their 1962 album, Tell Me - The Mountain's High. The song was covered by Dee Dee King on his 1989 album, Standing In The Spotlight, with Debbie Harry on backing vocals.

The Marvelettes song "Please Mr Postman" is mentioned in the lyrics and is copied in the arrangement .

Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash," released a few months after "Mashed Potato Time", was written in part as a parody of Dee Dee Sharp's record, even copying the "whaa-oo" backing vocal.

References

Mashed Potato Time Wikipedia