"Bony Moronie" was the third single by

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

, released in 1957.

Original version

Williams' original peaked at #14 on the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart and #4 on the U.S. R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

. Since then the song has been covered many times.

Hush version

In April 1975, Australian

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...

released a version, which peaked at number 4. The band performed the song on

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane said that "One of the defining moments of Australia's 1970s pop legacy was undoubtably Hush performing "Boney Moroney" (on Countdown)" He described how " Keith Lamb wiggled his satin flares-encased bum, thrust out his crotch and leered at the camera with a mischievous look in his eyes (and all the little girls understood).

Les Gock Leslie Gock (born 1954) is an Australian musician, producer and sound designer. He joined the glam rock band Hush in 1972. Gock played lead guitar, and was also a song writer and co-producer. The group received 12 gold records during his time in ...

dashed around the set in stack-heeled boots and glam threads, with peroxided streaks in his flowing, jet-black hair. Rick Lum hammed it up in a serious kind of way. Chris Pailthorpe cheerfully revealed his goofy, gap-toothed grin whenever the camera panned across his face." The song was the first single from the band's fourth studio album, ''

Rough Tough 'n' Ready ''Rough Tough 'n' Ready'' is the fourth studio album by Australian pop group Hush. The album was released in November 1975 peaked at No. 15 and was certified quadruple gold on the Australian charts. In an interview with Anthony O'Grady of '' ...

''.

Track listing

7" single (ZS-123) *side A "Bony Moronie" *side B "Rocking Gypsy King"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

Several early rock singers recorded their own versions of the song, notably

Johnny Burnette John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny and his brother, Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison formed the band that became ...

The Standells The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They are best kno ...

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

and

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed i ...

. Dick Dale and his Deltones included a version on their 1965 album ''Rock Out With Dick Dale & His Del-Tones Live At Ciro's''. Among others who have used the song are

The Cyrkle The Cyrkle was an American rock band active in the early and mid-1960s. The group charted two Top 40 hits, "Red Rubber Ball" and " Turn-Down Day". Career The band was formed by guitarists and lead singers Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes (who also p ...

on their 1966 debut album, ''

Red Rubber Ball "Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song written by Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers and recorded by The Cyrkle, whose version reached 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and in South Africa and New Zealand. In Canada ...

'', Joni Mitchell during her 1970 concert in Amchitka for

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

, pairing the song with

Big Yellow Taxi "Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, and originally released on her album '' Ladies of the Canyon''. It was a hit in her native Canada (No. 14) as well as Aust ...

in a medley.

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

included a 1971 live performance on their 1994 compilation ''

Thirty Years of Maximum R&B ''Thirty Years of Maximum R&B'' is a box set by British rock band, The Who released by Polydor Records internationally and by MCA Records in the U.S.; since 2003, it has been issued in America by Geffen Records. The set consists of four CDs th ...

''; Dr. Feelgood included it on their 1974 album ''

Down by the Jetty ''Down by the Jetty'' is the debut album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood, released in January 1975. The band's Johnny Kidd & the Pirates-influenced originals ("Keep It Out of Sight") appear alongside covers material like " Bonie Moronie" ...

'';

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

included it on his 1974 album ''Saints and Sinners'' and on his 1975 album '' Captured Live!'';

Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 ...

and

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

recorded for the 1977

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

benefit show ''The Mermaid Frolics'',

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

performed it live in 1973, the performance was released in 1982 on '' Live 1973''. Gram's friends, The Crickets, also recorded the song in 1974; Gram had planned to join them in the studio.

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Booker's unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. J ...

covered the song on his album ''Resurrection Of The Bayou Maharajah'' (1993) as part of a medley with "Slow Down", "Knock On Wood", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", and "Classified".

French, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian versions

Les Habits Jaunes made a French cover version entitled "Miss Boney Maronie" in 1965. The song was translated into

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Enrique Guzmán Enrique Guzmán (born February 1, 1943) is a Venezuelan-born Mexican singer and actor. He is one of the pioneers of Rock & Roll in Mexico, along with César Costa, Angélica María, Johnny Laboriel and Alberto Vasquez, among others. He is als ...

and Manny Martinez, who renamed it "Popotitos". Originally released as a single in 1961 by Guzman's and Martinez's band Los Teen Tops, "Popotitos" was also covered by a wide range of Spanish-speaking artists such as

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

and

Miguel Ríos Miguel Ríos Campaña (born 7 June 1944) is a Spanish singer, composer, actor. He is one of the pioneers of rock and roll in Spain. Biography Ríos was born in La Cartuja, a neighborhood of Granada. The youngest of seven children, he went to wo ...

. The song was recorded by

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

rock/pop group

Serú Girán Serú Girán was an Argentine rock supergroup. Formed in 1978, the group consisted of Charly García ( keyboards, synthesizers and vocals), David Lebón (guitars and vocals), Oscar Moro (drums and percussion) and Pedro Aznar (electric and fret ...

in 1982, which introduced "Popotitos" to younger generations, and made it a hit again across

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. A

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

version of the song was recorded by Yugoslav

avant-garde rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band

Laboratorija Zvuka Laboratorija Zvuka ( sr-cyr, Лабораторија Звука; trans. ''Sound Laboratory''), credited as Laboratorija (''Laboratory'') only on some of their releases, was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Novi Sad in 1977. Noted for ...

and released on their 1982 album ''Duboko u tebi''.

Rumoured Beatles versions

According to biographer

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

(first as

the Quarrymen The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle/ rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several schoolfriends, the Q ...

) regularly performed the song, from 1957 until 1961 with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

on lead vocal, but there is no known recorded version. Lennon himself recorded it for his 1975 album, ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

''. Roy Young recorded a single version in 1972 (liner notes CD set ''Roy Young The Best of 50 Years''). Additionally three of Lennon's original

Quarrymen The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle/rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several schoolfriends, the Quar ...

cut a version during rehearsal in 1993 that came out on CD as ''The Quarry Men - The Rehearsal Tapes'', copyrighted and privately released in 2004 (only via website sales, now out of print).

Chart performance

* #4 (U.S. Billboard R&B) * #14 (U.S. Billboard Best Sellers in Stores) * #45 (

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 ...

(Billboard Hot 100)) * #11

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Legacy

In the song "Land" on the album '' Horses'' (1975),

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

refers to “Bony Moronie.” Echo & the Bunnymen's 1984 song “My Kingdom”, includes the lyric “Do you know how to dance like Bony Moronie?”. The 1988 song "Good Times" by INXS & Jimmy Barnes, which makes many references to classic rock & roll, features the lyric, "Bony Maronie's gonna be with Jim/I said long tall Sally's gonna be with Slim".

References

External links

* {{authority control 1957 songs 1957 singles 1975 singles Songs written by Larry Williams Larry Williams songs Ritchie Valens songs The Cyrkle songs London Records singles Specialty Records singles