"At My Front Door" is a song written by

Ewart Abner Ewart Gladstone Abner, Jr. (May 11, 1923 – December 27, 1997) was a major American record company executive who was President of Motown Records from 1973 to 1975 and was personal and business manager for Stevie Wonder for 10 years. In his ex ...

and John Moore and performed by

The El Dorados The El Dorados were an American doo-wop group, who achieved their greatest success with the song " At My Front Door", a no. 1 hit on the US '' Billboard'' R&B chart in 1955. History The group formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 195 ...

. It reached #1 on the U.S. R&B chart and #17 on the U.S. pop chart in 1955. The song was featured on their 1957 album, ''Crazy Little Mama''.

Song Background

Lyrically, the song warns other men that, if they want to keep their "little mama", they need to keep her "off my street" or she'll end up "knocking at my front door . . . just like she did before".

Other charting versions

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1955 which reached #7 on the U.S. pop chart and #12 on the U.S. R&B chart. *

Dee Clark Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American soul singer best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song " Raindrops", which became a million-seller in the United States in ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1960 which reached #56 on the U.S. pop chart.

Other versions

The Modernaires The Modernaires was an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s alongside Glenn Miller. Career The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New Y ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1955, but it did not chart. * Arthur Lee Maye and the Johnny Otis Orchestra released a version of the song as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to his 1957 single " Honey Love". *

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1965 single "Justine". *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

released a version of the song on his 1972 album ''

Son of Schmilsson ''Son of Schmilsson'' is the eighth album by American singer Harry Nilsson. Background Nilsson was being pressured to produce a follow-up album similar to his 1971 breakthrough, ''Nilsson Schmilsson'', but instead, he created a more eccentric wo ...

'' and featured in 1974 film '' Son of Dracula'' and on its soundtrack. *

The Darts Darts are a nine-piece British doo-wop revival band that achieved chart success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The London-based band had a number of UK top 20 hits including three successive number twos with revivals of early US rock and ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1977 single "Love Bandit". * Rockats released a version of the song on their 1981 album ''Live at the Ritz''.

Sampled

* DTV set The El Dorados' version of the song to the

Silly Symphony ''Silly Symphony'' is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Silly Symphonies'' were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces ...

The Wise Little Hen ''The Wise Little Hen'' is a 1934 Walt Disney's ''Silly Symphony'' cartoon, based on the fable ''The Little Red Hen''. The cartoon features the debut of Donald Duck, dancing to the Sailor's Hornpipe. Donald and his friend Peter Pig try to avoid ...

''. *

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

sampled The El Dorados' version on the song "Let, Let Me In" that was featured on their 1991 album ''

De La Soul Is Dead ''De La Soul Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on ''3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album wa ...

''.

References

1955 songs 1955 singles 1960 singles Pat Boone songs The Righteous Brothers songs Harry Nilsson songs Song recordings produced by Richard Perry Vee-Jay Records singles Dot Records singles Coral Records singles {{1950s-single-stub