"Pink Shoe Laces" (or "Pink Shoelaces") is a song composed by Mickie Grant that was recorded by

Dodie Stevens Dodie Stevens (born Geraldine Ann Pasquale, February 17, 1946) is an American rock and pop singer. She is best known for her 1959 song " Pink Shoe Laces." It debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 when Stevens was one day short of 13 yea ...

, accompanied by Bobby Hammack and his Orchestra, and released as a single in 1959 on Crystalette Records, a record label distributed by

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

. Although the verses are delivered with a musical quality, they are not sung in the style of the chorus. Some commentators have observed that the verses are spoken rather than sung.

Recording

Dodie Stevens was born on February 17, 1946. The song was recorded when the singer was, according to different sources, 11 or 12 years old.

Content

The song is about a fellow named Dooley, with whom the singer is in love, who has a strange lifestyle and an off-the-beaten-pathway fashion sense; primarily preferring to dress in "tan shoes with pink shoelaces, a polka-dot vest (...) and a big Panama with a purple hatband." He takes the young lady "deep sea fishing in a submarine", to "drive-in movies in a

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...

" and owns a " whirly-birdy and a 12 foot

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

." When he feels that war is afoot, he enlists in the armed forces, but gets put into the brig for "raising such a storm" when they "tried to put him in a uniform", preferring to wear his unconventional signature garb. One day, he feels poorly and decides to write out his will, stating: "Just before the angels come to carry me, I want it down in writin' how to bury me", requesting to be buried in his preferred attire. The voice heard speaking the line was

Randy Van Horne Harry Randell Van Horne Jr. (February 10, 1924 – September 26, 2007) was an American singer and musician. Van Horne's musical group, the Randy Van Horne Singers, performed the theme songs for many classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons including ''Th ...

, the founder of the Randy Van Horne Singers who sang the themes from

the Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...

and many others.

Chart performance

The single reached number 3 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 streamin ...

in April 1959. "Pink Shoe Laces" also reached number 5 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. It sold more than a million copies.

Track listing

:Side A. "Pink Shoe Laces" :Side B. "Coming of Age"

Cover versions

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 ...

' rendition has them speaking and singing all of the lyrics, except for Dooley's Will, which is spoken by a male voice. **This rendition was featured in the 2014 video game

LittleBigPlanet 3 ''LittleBigPlanet 3'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by Sumo Digital for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It was released worldwide through November and December 2014, and it is the third entry in the main ''LittleBigPlanet'' series, ...

. *In 1959,

Roberta Shore Roberta Jymme Schourop (born April 7, 1943, Monterey Park, California), better known as Roberta Shore, is a retired American actress and performer. She is notable for her roles in the original '' Shaggy Dog'' film and as Betsy Garth on the Wester ...

along with the backup of

The Lennon Sisters The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group made up of four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (aka DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Anne, April 8, 1941), Kathy (born Kathleen Mary, Augu ...

, sang a cover of the song on

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1 ...

. This version is unique as it is not only sung as a solo from Roberta Shore, but also has sections of a harmony trio from the Lennon sisters. It also noted that the person playing Dooley in this version was played by Rocky Rockwell. *In 1960, Mexican

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

group Los Hooligans recorded a Spanish-language take titled "Agujetas de color de rosa". Their version was highly popular in Mexico, topping the charts for 9 weeks in 1961, and became one of the first rock and roll hits in that country.

References

External links

* * * {{cite web, last1=Adams, first1=Greg, title=Pink Shoelaces - Dodie Stevens - AllMusic Review by Greg Adams, url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/pink-shoelaces-mw0000873206, website=AllMusic, publisher=allmusic.com, accessdate=1 July 2017 1959 singles 1959 songs