"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962

pop song Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

written by American songwriters

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You Lo ...

and

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer

Dee Dee Sharp Dee Dee Sharp (born Dione LaRue; September 9, 1945, in Philadelphia) is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961. Career Although Sharp had been playing the piano from an early age and directed chur ...

, but Sharp turned the song down. The song is notable for appearing in the American Top 3 thrice, each time in a different decade: in 1962 by Little Eva (U.S. No. 1); in 1974 by

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succ ...

(also U.S. No. 1); and in 1988 by

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

(U.S. No. 3). The song is an enduring example of the dance-song genre; much of the lyric is devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually performed as a type of

line dance A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.Knight, ...

. However, the song pre-dates the dance. "The Loco-Motion" was also the second song to reach No. 1 by two different musical acts in America. The earlier song to do this was " Go Away Little Girl", also written by Goffin and King. It is one of only nine songs to achieve this feat.

Little Eva version

Background

King and Goffin wrote "The Loco-Motion" in hopes to have it recorded by

, who had a hit with " Mashed Potato Time". Sharp passed on the song, leaving the opportunity open for Eva Boyd, who had recorded the demo. Boyd's version was released, and her name was changed to Little Eva. Boyd was Carole King's babysitter, having been introduced to King and King's husband Gerry Goffin by

The Cookies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, a local girl group who would also record for the songwriters. "The Loco-Motion" was the first release by the new

Dimension Records Dimension Records was a record label founded in 1962 in New York City by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, owners of Aldon Music. It concentrated on the girl group sound and showcased songs by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Their composition "The Loco ...

company, whose releases were mostly penned and produced by Goffin and King. There are two common versions of the song in circulation: one includes handclaps during the verses; the other has no handclaps. King performed the backup vocals in the recording.

Reception

In the United States, "The Loco-Motion" was the seventh most successful single of 1962, according to ''Billboard''. It was also the third most successful single of 1962 in South Africa. In March 1965, Little Eva sang the song on the ABC-TV series ''

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of the song was recorded quickly by British girl group The Vernons Girls and scored the chart the same week as the Little Eva version. The Vernons Girls' version stalled at No. 47 in the UK, while the Little Eva version reached No. 2 on the UK charts. It re-entered the chart some 10 years later and almost became a top 10 again, peaking at No. 11. The Little Eva version of the song was later featured in the

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

film ''

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the citie ...

'' (2006). "The Loco-Motion" is ranked No. 359 on ''

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

''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 ...

"The Loco-Motion" myth

The widely believed story of how the song "The Loco-Motion" came to be is that Carole King was playing music at home and Eva Boyd was doing some chores and started dancing to it; the dance The Loco-Motion was born. However, this is not true. Eva Boyd was introduced to Goffin and King and they realized she had a good singing voice, so they had her record "The Loco-Motion". King stated this during an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) shortly after Little Eva died. As the song came before the dance, there was no dance when the song was originally written. When the song became a smash hit, Eva Boyd ended up having to create a dance to go along with the song. King stated this in her "One to One" concert video. In live performances of the song, Little Eva can be seen doing her version of the dance. Another bit of the conventional lore is that she had received only $50 for "The Loco-Motion". However, although she never owned the rights to her recordings, it seems $50 was actually her weekly salary during the years she was making records (an increase of $15 from what Goffin and King had been paying her as nanny). In 1971, she moved to North Carolina and lived in obscurity on menial jobs and welfare until being rediscovered in 1987. She died of cervical cancer in 2003. Top-40 DJ Dan Ingram has been quoted as saying that he believes the original "The Loco-Motion" was recorded by King herself. Producer

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...

has also stated he believes it is King singing on the recording.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sylvie Vartan version (in French)

In 1962, the French singer

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...

recorded a cover of "The Loco-Motion" in French, called "Le Loco-motion". Vartan's version went to number 1 in France on October 13, 1962, and remained there for one week.

Track listing

7-inch EP: "Le Loco-motion" / "Aussi loin que j'irai" / "Oui c'est lui" / "Comme l'été dernier" RCA Victor 76.593, 86.593 (1962, France) :A1. "Le Loco-motion" ("The Loco-Motion") :A2. "Oui c'est lui" ("He Is the Boy") :B1. "Comme l'été dernier" ("Dancing Party") :B2. "Aussi loin que j'irai"

Charts

Grand Funk Railroad version

Background

American rock band

recorded a cover version of the song in 1974, produced by

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

. The decision to play the song came about after guitarist Mark Farner was heard whistling the song in the studio. The Grand Funk version of the song featured guitars, several layers of harmony, and heavy drums. During the 2000s, this version of the song was featured in advertisements for the Japanese technology and communications company

SoftBank is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the Vi ...

, featuring the pop group

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six- ...

. SMAP also used the song on their television variety show ''

SMAP×SMAP ''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. t ...

'' for a music video, singing along to the original Grand Funk recording rather than covering it. The song is available as downloadable content for '' Rock Band 3''.

Reception

"The Loco-Motion" appeared on Grand Funk Railroad's album ''

Shinin' On ''Shinin' On'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in March 1974, by Capitol Records. Although not as successful as its predecessor, ''We're an American Band'' (1973), it peaked at #5 in the ...

'' and was released as a single in February 1974, eventually peaking at No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for two weeks in May 1974. It also reached number 5 in Australia, peaked at number 1 in Canada, and reached number 11 in Germany. In the 2004 edition of ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'',

Village Voice Media Village Voice Media or VVM is a newspaper company. It began in 1970 as a weekly alternative newspaper in Phoenix. The company, founded by Michael Lacey (editor) and Jim Larkin (publisher), was then known as New Times Inc. (NTI) and the public ...

music critic Nick Catucci called the cover "embarrassing".

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Ritz version

Disco group Ritz covered this song in 1979. Their version peaked at number one in New Zealand for seven non-consecutive weeks in 1980, becoming the most successful record of the year there. The Ritz version was also a top-20 hit in Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland. The live arrangement that

performed on her Golden Tour and

Summer 2019 Summer 2019 is a European tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her fourth major greatest hits album, '' Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection'' (2019). The tour commenced on 20 June 2019 in Kingston upon Thame ...

Tour is based upon this recording.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Carole King version

also recorded a version of "The Loco-Motion" for her 1980 studio album '' Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King''. The album peaked at No. 44 and spawned King's last top 40 hit to-date, " One Fine Day", which would reach No. 12 on the charts. King also sings the "Loco-Motion" on her live album '' The Living Room Tour'', released July 12, 2005. The album peaked at No. 17 on the US album chart on July 30, 2005.

Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin version

In May 1986, Dave Stewart and

Barbara Gaskin Barbara Gaskin (born 5 June 1950) is a British singer formerly associated with the UK Canterbury scene. Gaskin was lead vocalist in British folk-prog band Spirogyra (1969–1974). From 1973 to 1976, she sang backing vocals with Dave Stewart' ...

released a cover version of the song as a single. The duo had scored a UK No. 1 hit back in 1981 with their cover of " It's My Party" but had achieved little success since. For this 1986 single, they embarked on a big promotional push in an attempt to gain a second significant hit. The single, however, stalled at No. 70 in the UK charts in June.

Kylie Minogue version

Background

Australian

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

singer

released a cover version of the song in July 1987 as her debut single, under the title "Locomotion". After an impromptu performance of the song at an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

charity event with the cast of the Australian

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'', Minogue signed a record deal with

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival M ...

to release the song as a single. Initially recorded in a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

style, the project was radically reoriented by producer Mike Duffy, who was on loan to Mushroom from

's UK company

PWL Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record prod ...

. Duffy recorded a whole new backing track, inspired by the

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

pop of Dead or Alive, but retained Minogue's original vocal. This version was released on July 13, 1987, in Australia, where it became one of the biggest selling Australian records of the 1980s. It was later released the same year in New Zealand, Italy, and Sweden. The success of the song in her home country resulted in Minogue's signing a record deal with

PWL Records Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record produ ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and to working with the successful team Stock Aitken & Waterman (SAW). The producers decided to totally re-record Minogue's version of the song, with

slating her original Australian recording, which he claimed was poorly produced. Original producer Mike Duffy instead blamed the decision to re-record on Waterman's alleged wish to claim the prestige and royalties that looked set to roll in from the track's looming placement of the soundtrack of the 1988 film '' Arthur 2: On the Rocks'', starring

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

. On July 28, 1988, the re-recorded version produced by SAW was released worldwide with the title "The Loco-Motion". This release, also a major success, reached the top five in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This version of the track substitutes the Australian term ''

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

'' for the American term ''

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

'' in the song's lyrics.

Reception

The 1987 "Locomotion" release was a huge hit in Minogue's native Australia, reaching number one on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

singles chart and remaining there for seven weeks. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

between mid-1983 and June 19, 1988. The 1988 release of the song in the United Kingdom debuted at number two on the singles chart—the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist. It remained in the number two position for four weeks before falling to number three. With sales of 440,000 it was the eleventh best selling single of the year.''Kylie - The Biography'', Sean Smith,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

; December 4, 2006, The song became Minogue's third top five single in the UK and remains one of her most successful single releases to date. Throughout Europe and Asia the song also performed well on the music charts, reaching number one in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, and South Africa. During late 1988, Minogue traveled to the United States to promote "The Loco-Motion", where she did many interviews and performances on American television. The song was used in the comedy film ''Arthur 2: On the Rocks''. "The Loco-Motion" debuted at number 80 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and later peaked at number three for two weeks. The song was Minogue's second single to chart in the U.S., but her first to reach the top ten. To this day, the song remains as her highest-charting single in the United States; however, her second overall and most recent song to reach the top ten, 2002's "

Can't Get You Out of My Head "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song that was recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, ''Fever'' (2001). Parlophone Records released the song as the album's lead single on 8 September 2001. "Can't Get ...

", ended up outselling "The Loco-Motion". In Canada, the song also reached the top spot in the pop sales chart. In 2012, during her K25 anniversary, the song re-entered the Japanese Singles Chart at number 83.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for "Locomotion" was directed by Chris Langman and filmed at

Essendon Airport Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...

and the ABC studios in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...

. Choreographer

Tania Lacy Tania Jane Lacy is an Australian comedian. Early life and education Originally from Toowoomba, Queensland, Lacy spent many of her early years travelling with her family. Her father, then an officer in the army, was posted to Singapore (where L ...

conceived the video's dance sequences around locomotive movements. For the international release of "The Loco-Motion", footage from the Australian music video was re-edited twice; one version for the US market and another for the European market. Near the end of 1988, the song was nominated for 'Best International Single' at the Canadian Music Industry Awards.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "The Loco-motion".

"The Loco-motion" (1988)

* UK 7-inch vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (7-inch mix) – 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45 * UK 12-inch vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) – 5:59 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45 * UK 12-inch remix # "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) – 6:35 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45 * US 7-inch vinyl single/cassingle # "The Loco-motion" (LP version) – 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45 * US 12-inch vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) – 5:59 # "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) – 6:35 # "The Loco-motion" (LP version) – 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45 * German CD single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) – 5:59 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" – 3:45

iTunes digital release (2009)

* "Locomotion" (Australian version) # "Locomotion" # "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix) # "Locomotion" (The Girl Meets Boy Mix) # "Getting Closer" # "Getting Closer" (UK mix) (previously unreleased) # "Getting Closer" (UK instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Mix) # "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "Glad to Be Alive" * "The Loco-Motion" # "The Loco-Motion" (7-inch mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (The Kohaku Mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (7-inch instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "The Loco-Motion" (7-inch backing track) (previously unreleased) # "I'll Still Be Loving You" # "I'll Still Be Loving You" (instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "I'll Still Be Loving You" (backing track) (previously unreleased) * "The Loco-Motion" (Remix) # "The Loco-Motion" (The Sankie Mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (Alternative Sankie Mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (12-inch Master) # "The Loco-Motion" (Album Instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "The Loco-Motion" (Album Backing Track) (previously unreleased) # "The Loco-Motion" (Oz Tour Mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (Oz Tour Backing Track) (previously unreleased)

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Other versions

British

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. I ...

group Emerson, Lake & Powell included a reworked instrumental cover of the song on their eponymous debut (and only) album in 1986. In 1991,

Joanie Bartels Joan Constance Bartels (born May 21, 1953) is a retired American children's singer-songwriter, recording artist, and occasional actress based in New Zealand. Her 1985 album, ''Lullaby Magic'', was certified gold by the Recording Industry Assoc ...

covered the song from the album ''Dancin' Magic'', which was released as a single. It also appeared in the video, ''The Extra-Special Substitute Teacher.'' In 2000,

Atomic Kitten Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart ...

sang a cover version for '' Thomas and the Magic Railroad''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loco-Motion, The 1962 songs 1962 debut singles 1974 singles 1987 debut singles 1988 singles ARIA Award-winning songs Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Songs written by Carole King Little Eva songs Sylvie Vartan songs Dave Stewart (keyboardist) songs Grand Funk Railroad songs Kylie Minogue songs Carole King songs La Toya Jackson songs Shelley Fabares songs Električni Orgazam songs Ringo Starr songs Alexia (Italian singer) songs Atomic Kitten songs Orange Range songs Song recordings produced by Gerry Goffin Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Canada Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in France Number-one singles in New Zealand RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Dimension Records singles Capitol Records singles RCA Victor singles Mushroom Records singles Geffen Records singles CBS Records singles Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Songs about dancing Novelty and fad dances