"Oh, What a Night" is a song first recorded by the

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group

the Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

and released in 1956, originally under the title "Oh What a Nite". It is said to have been inspired by a party, which had been held in the Dells' honor by some female friends of the group.

Reception

The Dells' original recording on the

Vee Jay Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

label peaked at #4 on the R&B singles chart. In 1969, they refashioned it as a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

song on the

Cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

label. The August 2, 1969 edition of ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' gave it a "Four Star Pick" review, stating: "This old, old, old, oldie sounds newer than tomorrow, via the Dells chartbreaker express. All will dig." The new "Oh, What a Night" was notably different from its original counterpart with an altered arrangement and tempo, and included a spoken recitation, in the introduction, from bass singer Chuck Barksdale. This new version reached #10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the Best Selling Soul singles chart. The 1969 version was ranked #260 on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

's list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

. "Oh, What a Night" was subsequently recorded by Sly Stone & the Biscaynes (1978),

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 ...

(1983),

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

(1986), the Moonlighters (1988),

Nick Kamen Ivor Neville "Nick" Kamen (15 April 1962 – 4 May 2021) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and model. He was best known for "Turn It Up" from 1989, the singles "Each Time You Break My Heart" from 1986 and "I Promised Myself" from 1990, ...

(1988), Barbara Jones (1995), Donnie & the Del Chords (1999), and Unisoghn (2001).

Personnel

1950s version

*Lead vocals by Johnny Funches and Marvin Junior *Background vocals by Johnny Funches, Marvin Junior, Michael McGill, Chuck Barksdale and Verne Allison

1960s version

*Lead vocals by Junior Marvin (Marvin Junior) and Johnny Carter *Background vocals by Johnny Carter, Michael McGill, Chuck Barksdale and Verne Allison *Spoken intro by Chuck Barksdale *Produced by Bobby Miller

References

External links

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee pageSongfacts: "Oh What a Nite" page
* Song review and list of albums the song appears on*

Change - Sharing Your Love (1982) Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

br>Change information, bio, discography and track lists
1956 singles 1969 singles Doo-wop songs 1956 songs Cadet Records singles {{1960s-single-stub