"Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (sometimes entitled "Great Big Kiss") is a song written by

Shadow Morton George Francis "Shadow" Morton (September 3, 1941 – February 14, 2013) was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the 1960s. In particular, he was noted for writing and producing "Remember (Walking in ...

and performed by

the Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Gre ...

. It debuted at number 83 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in late December 1964, and peaked at #18 for two weeks in late January/early February 1965. It was featured on their 1965 album ''

Leader of the Pack "Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as a ...

''. The single was produced by

Other versions

Brian Protheroe Brian Protheroe (born 16 June 1944) is an English musician, actor and narrator. He is best known for his first single, "Pinball", which was released in August 1974, and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 40 and reached a peak of number 22. ...

covers it on his 1976 album ''Leave Him to Heaven''. *

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

ist

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...

does a solo version of the song on his 1978 album '' So Alone''. *A version by the New York Dolls also appears on their 1985 compilation album ''Night of the Living Dolls''. Also, on the band's 1973 self-titled album, lead singer

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

quotes the "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" line, "you'd best believe I'm in love L-U-V", in the opening of "Looking for a Kiss". "Looking for a Kiss" tells the story of adolescent romantic desire hampered by peers who use drugs. *

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman, 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows ''A Kick Up the Eighties'' (wi ...

released a version of the song on her 1984 album ''

You Caught Me Out ''You Caught Me Out'' is the second and final studio album by Tracey Ullman. It was released on Stiff Records in November 1984 throughout Europe. Unlike her 1983 debut album, this album was never released commercially in the United States. Bac ...

''. *

The Secret Goldfish The Secret Goldfish are a band from Glasgow, Scotland. The group was formed by ex- Fizzbombs singer Katy McCullars, guitarist John Morose, and the rhythm section from The Mackenzies, Graham Lironi and Paul Turnbull. History The band took their ...

released it as a single in 1997, but it did not chart. * It's My Party! released a version of the song on their 2000 album ''Can I Get to Know You Better?'' *

Kate Nash Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. Nash launched her music career in 2005. Her 2007 single " Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK. Her debut album, '' Made of Bricks ...

and

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

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 Nash's 2010 single "

Kiss That Grrrl "Kiss That Grrrl" is a song by English indie pop singer-songwriter Kate Nash, featured on her 2010 second album '' My Best Friend Is You''. Written by Nash and produced by Bernard Butler, it was released as the second single from the album on 12 ...

". *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

released a version of the song on her 2014 album ''

It's the Girls! ''It's the Girls!'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on November 4, 2014. Midler's first release with the label since '' Bette'' (2000), the album is a collection representing ...

References

1964 songs 1964 singles 1997 singles Songs written by Shadow Morton The Shangri-Las songs Johnny Thunders songs Tracey Ullman songs New York Dolls songs Kate Nash songs Billy Bragg songs Bette Midler songs Red Bird Records singles Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer) {{1960s-single-stub