Do WHAT At the Hop?

I recently heard the classic rock 'n' roll hit, "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors and realized that here indeed was a song whose lyrics had to be researched. Perhaps you'll recall our discussion from March concerning songs to which you think you know the words, but you really have no clue what the singers are singing. As for "At the Hop," which was released late in 1957 (the same year that I was), I have never been able to figure out why you could "littzle when you chicken at the hop." Thanks to the Internet, I have discovered all kinds of fascinating information concerning this misunderstood lyric, and I have also avoided mopping the kitchen floor for the entire afternoon because I've been viewing about 19 versions of "At the Hop" on YouTube. That's how much I care about my readers--nothing but the best.

Anyway, it turns out that no one is "littzling." The actual words in full are, "When the records start to spinnin' you chalypso and you chicken at the hop." I knew that the Chicken was a dance, but had no idea what in the world "chalypso" was.

It turns out that the Chalypso was a short-lived dance craze on American Bandstand during 1957 that essentially combined the Cha Cha and the Calypso, hence "chalypso." There were several records cut to capitalize on this dance including one by Ike Turner called the Chalypso Love Cry. Danny and the Juniors included this dance in the lyrics to their song, "Do the Bop," which they played for Dick Clark. Clark knew that the Bop was losing its popularity as a dance and suggested that the group change the title and lyrics to "At the Hop." The original impetus for the song was co-writer Dave Madara's desire to make a record with piano rifts like the ones in Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."

From a live performance in St. Louis, here then is the #2 song from 1958. Some of those kids on the dance floor no doubt are chalypsoing. Speaking of floors, that reminds me--I still have to mop.