The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. The dance move and mashed potato song were first made famous by James Brown in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly. It was also a dance done to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's " Mashed Potato Time". The move vaguely resembles that of the twist, by Sharp's fellow

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnig ...

. The dance was first popularized internationally after being named in the lyrics of Motown's first mega-hit in the song "

Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1 ...

" written by Berry Gordy Jr. and performed by

The Contours The Contours is one of the early American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records. The group is best known for its classic chart-topping 1962 hit, "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. His ...

in 1962.

Dance movement

The dance move begins by stepping backward with one foot with that heel tilted inward. The foot is positioned slightly behind the other (stationary) foot. With the weight on the ball of the starting foot, the heel is then swiveled outward. The same process is repeated with the other foot: step back and behind with heel inward, pivot heel out, and so on. The pattern is continued for as many repetitions as desired. The step may be incorporated in various dances either as a separate routine or as a styling of standard steps.

Songs

Several songs inspired by the dance were hits, including " (Do the) Mashed Potatoes" by Nat Kendrick and the Swans (with vocals by Carlton "King" Coleman), "

Mashed Potatoes U.S.A. "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." is a rhythm and blues song by James Brown and his Famous Flames. Released in 1962 as a single by King Records, it reached #82 on the Pop chart and #21 on the R&B chart.White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In ''Star Time'' ...

" by James Brown, and " Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)", both by Dee Dee Sharp. In Australia the dance underwent a revival with Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs' version of "Mashed Potato" in 1964 and in France a song called "C'est le mashed potatoes" was performed by Johnny Hallyday in the early 1960s.

Dance variations and cultural references

The dance was also referred to in

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

' 1962 hit "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" ("...we'll ''Mashed Potato'' to a jukebox tune..."), "

" by

the Contours The Contours is one of the early American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records. The group is best known for its classic chart-topping 1962 hit, "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. His ...

, " Let's Dance" by Chris Montez, " Harry the Hairy Ape" a 1963 Top-20 pop and R&B novelty hit by

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...

, " Land of a Thousand Dances", "

Having a Party Having a Party may refer to: * ''Having a Party'' (Chips album), 1982 * ''Having a Party'' (Pointer Sisters album), 1977 * "Having a Party" (Sam Cooke song), 1962 * "Having a Party" (The Osmonds song), 1975 {{disambiguation ...

" by Sam Cooke, " Do the Strand" by

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and in

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

' version of "

Shake a Tail Feather "Shake a Tail Feather" is a song written by Otha Hayes, Verlie Rice, and Andre Williams and originally recorded in 1963 by the Chicago-based group the Five Du-Tones. The original recording reached #28 on ''Billboard''s Hot R&B Singles chart and ...

". The dance is also referenced in the Orlons song "Wah Watusi". (1962) A variation on the Mashed Potato was danced to Bobby "Boris" Pickett's novelty hit " Monster Mash", in which the footwork was the same, but "monster gestures" were made with the arms and hands. The dance was one of the inspirations for the

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Exo ...

song " The Toxic Waltz", from their 1989 album '' Fabulous Disaster''. In 2022, with the release of the song

Cure For Me A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgery, surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cur ...

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, the dance craze is back. On Tik Tok, people are doing the dance craze after Aurora was seen facing during the music video.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Dance Step Definitions
Novelty and fad dances 20th-century dance Dances of the United States