"Lollipop" is a

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'' ( ...

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 in 1958. It was first recorded by the duo Ronald & Ruby – 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 copy ...

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 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 The Mudlarks 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-ei ...

in 1961. The Argentine band Viuda e hijas de Roque Enroll 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". 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