"Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by

Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Do Wah Diddy Diddy", " Da Doo Ron Ron", " Then He Kiss ...

and

Ellie Greenwich Eleanor Louise Greenwich (October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009) was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", " Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" ...

and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group

the Exciters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubbles over with coin-catching enthusiasm" and said that the "great lead job is backed by a fabulous instrumental arrangement." It was made internationally famous by the British band

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

Manfred Mann version

It was soon

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by British R&B,

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

and pop band

. Manfred Mann's version was released on 10 July 1964. It spent two weeks at No. 1 of the

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 ...

in August and two weeks at No. 1 of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in October. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said it "features powerful beat with Mann's solo echoed by male chorus." ''

'' described it as "a thumpin' novelty rocker that's right up the teeners' alley."

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Fun Factory version

In 1995, Fun Factory released a cover version of the song. Only a few lines of lyrics were retained, and supplemented by rap passages. It reached the top 10 in Germany and Spain and No.11 in Austria.

Track listings

CD-Maxi # Doh Wah Diddy (Dee Dee Radio) - 3:31 # Doh Wah Diddy (Dee Dee Fun-Tastic Extended) - 4:43 # Doh Wah Diddy (Fly Bass Remix) - 4:31 # Doh Wah Diddy (Medium Houze) - 4:43 # Fun Factory's Theme II - 3:24

Charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

* The song has been covered many times, notably by

DJ Ötzi Gerhard "Gerry" Friedle (born 7 January 1971), better known by his stage name DJ Ötzi (), is an Austrian pop and Schlager singer. Successful mainly in German-speaking countries, he is best known in the English-speaking world for his 2000 single ...

whose version titled "Do Wah Diddy" peaked at No.9 on the

Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Tuesdays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as ...

, as well as charting in Germany, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland. * A French cover version, "Vous les copains, je ne vous oublierai jamais", by Sheila (singer) became a big hit in France in 1964. * Swedish singer

Claes Dieden Claes Ove Dieden (4 June 1942 – 11 March 2021) was a Swedish singer-songwriter, best known for his cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron" which became a hit in Sweden in 1969. Several of his compositions were recorded and saw commercial success by other grou ...

reached number 14 on ''

Tio i Topp ''Tio i Topp'' (English: ''Ten At The Top'') was a Swedish record chart and radio program broadcast by Sveriges Radio P3 between the years of 1961 and 1974. It was launched to combat pirate radio charts and was the first official Swedish record cha ...

'' with his rendition in 1969.

In popular culture

The song was featured in the 1981 film ''

Stripes Stripe, striped, or stripes may refer to: Decorations *Stripe (pattern), a line or band that differs in colour or tone from an adjacent surface *Racing stripe, a vehicle decoration *Service stripe, a decoration of the U.S. military Entertainment ...

'', used as a marching cadence by characters played by

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Nigh ...

and

Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis (; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. His best-known film acting roles were as Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and '' Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russel ...

in boot camp. This usage inspired real-life Army units to use it as a marching song. The novelty item Travis the Singing Trout, a successor to

Big Mouth Billy Bass Big Mouth Billy Bass is an animatronic singing prop, representing a largemouth bass, invented by Gemmy Industries on December 16, 1998; sold beginning January 1, 1999; and popular in the early 2000s. Gemmy Industries Gemmy (IPA : ) is an Americ ...

sings a parody version of the song, about how the fish ended up mounted on a plaque. The song was featured in the ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three dau ...

'' episode "A Fish Called Martin", sung by Michelle.

References

{{authority control 1963 songs 1964 singles 1996 singles Songs written by Ellie Greenwich Songs written by Jeff Barry Manfred Mann songs Fun Factory (band) songs DJ Ötzi songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles His Master's Voice singles Capitol Records singles Curb Records singles Song recordings produced by John Burgess

Manfred Mann version

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Fun Factory version

Track listings

Charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

In popular culture

See also

References