"Lollipop" is a pop song written by

Julius Dixson Julius Edward Dixson (who also used the spelling Dixon) (May 20, 1913 – January 30, 2004) was an American songwriter and record company executive. Life and work Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, he served in the Army during World War II in Engl ...

and

Beverly Ross Beverly Ross (September 5, 1934 – January 15, 2022) was an American songwriter and musician who co-wrote several successful pop songs in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Dim, Dim The Lights", "Lollipop" (which she also recorded as one half of Ro ...

in 1958. It was first recorded by the duo

Ronald & Ruby Ronald & Ruby were an American pop vocal duo, best known for their 1958 hit single, "Lollipop". The duo's members were the black Ronald Gumm (or Gumps) and the white Beverly "Ruby" Ross; interracial pop groups were unusual at the time, and the gro ...

– the writer of the song Ross herself was "Ruby". It was

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 ...

more successfully by

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

whose version reached No. 2 in the US, and

The Mudlarks The Mudlarks were an English pop vocal group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. They had two Top 10 UK hit singles in 1958. Career The Mudlarks were a family group from Luton, Bedfordshire, England, originally comprising Fred Mudd (1933–2007), ...

in the UK.

Origins

The song originated when Julius Dixson was late for a songwriting session with Beverly Ross. He explained that his daughter had gotten a lollipop stuck in her hair, and that had caused him to be late. Ross was so inspired by the word "lollipop" that she sat down at the piano and produced a version of the song on the spot. Beverly Ross recorded a demo with Ronald Gumm (or Gumps), a 13-year-old neighbor of Dixson, under the name Ronald & Ruby. Ross's mother insisted that she use a pseudonym for safety reasons, because they were an interracial duo.

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

got hold of it and Dixson, who owned the master and had produced the demo, agreed to let them release it. Ronald and Ruby's version rose up the chart, reaching No. 20.

The Chordettes version

"Lollipop" was then covered in the United States by female vocal quartet

. The Chordettes' version featured the sounds of rhythmic hand claps heard at the beginning, and a distinctive popping sound created by one of the Chordettes putting her finger into the mouth and flicked out. Their version featured also a male chorus singing the "Boom Booms", following the isolated popping sounds. The Chordettes version reached No. 2 and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' pop and R&B charts, respectively. The song became a worldwide hit. The Chordettes' version reached No. 6 in the UK, which is their highest charting song in the UK.

Charts

Other versions

A cover version by

was released in the UK and it reached No. 2 on the UK chart. The Mudlarks version also features an isolated mouth popping sound. Another version of the song was recorded by

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-e ...

in 1961. The Argentine band

Viuda e hijas de Roque Enroll Viuda e hijas de Roque Enroll was an Argentine all-female band formed in 1983 in Buenos Aires. It was part of the renewal movement of Argentine rock (Spanish: ''rock nacional''; "national rock") that occurred after the return to democracy in 19 ...

had a hit in the mid-1980s using interpolations of the two most popular "Lollipop" songs: the Dixson and Ross version, and "

My Boy Lollipop "My Boy Lollipop" (originally "My Girl Lollypop") is a song written in the mid-1950s by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, and usually credited to Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts. It was first recorded in 1956 by American ...

". Samples of the original Ronald and Ruby version were also used. The song has been recorded by many other musicians. "Lollipop", ''SecondhandSongs''
Retrieved 21 February 2019

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lollipop (1958 Song) Doo-wop songs 1958 debut singles Songs written by Beverly Ross 1958 songs The Chordettes songs Cadence Records singles RCA Records singles American pop songs

Origins

The Chordettes version

Charts

Other versions

See also

Notes and references