"Little Bit O' Soul" is a song written in 1964 by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis. It was originally recorded by

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

band The Little Darlings, and released in 1965 on

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. Fontana Distribution, an independent label distributor, takes its name from the label. History Fontana began in the 1950s as a subsidi ...

in the UK.

The Music Explosion version

In 1967, the song was popularized in the United States by garage band

the Music Explosion The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, discovered and signed by record producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz. The quintet is best known for their number two hit record, hit, "Little Bit O' Soul". The single ...

, whose version went to No. 1 on the ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' 100 Top Pops chart. and reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was the only hit for The Music Explosion. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

the song also reached No. 1, and the follow-up single "Sunshine Games" reached No. 42. The single was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for sales of one million copies. It appeared on an album of the same name released in August 1967. "Little Bit O' Soul" has been subsequently

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 ...

by several bands including

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

the Linda Lindas The Linda Lindas is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The all-female group comprises Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, and sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza. The band formed in 2018, and took their name from '' Linda Linda Linda'', a Japanese ...

and

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, formed in 1984. The group was originally composed of DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), though its most well-known lineup ...

, who

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

the song's

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

. The hit single's flip side, "I See The Light" (featuring a surf guitar bridge), was covered by the Fourth Amendment and had a resurgence on some radio stations in the Midwest in 1971.

References

1964 singles 1967 singles Songs written by John Carter (musician) Songs written by Ken Lewis (songwriter) The Music Explosion songs Laurie Records singles 1964 songs The Linda Lindas songs {{1960s-single-stub