"Barefootin'" is a 1966 song written and performed by Robert Parker. "Barefootin'" was arranged and produced by Wardell Quezergue in 1965. Parker's record label, Nola Records, claimed that the record sold over one million copies.

Chart performance

The song reached No.2 on the U.S. Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and No.7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also peaked at No.11 on the

Cash Box Top 100 The ''Cash Box'' Top 100 Pop Singles (also known as the ''Cash Box'' Top 100) was a record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Cash Box'' magazine, which began publication in 1942. As a close competitor to ''Billboard ...

in June 1966. Outside the US, the track reached No.7 in Canada in June 1966 and No.24 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1966.

Other versions

In Canada, Larry Lee & the Leesures had a hit version in 1967. In 1977, Barefoot Jerry covered the song on the album of the same name. In 1987 a

claymation Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine cl ...

music video was produced by

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...

taking place in outer space with aliens singing. Aardman Animations were approached by

Charly Records Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material. Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. History Charly Records was founded in Fran ...

who owned the back catalog rights to many classic R&B tracks. In the late '80s, classic R&B charted at the lower 100 on the charts and sometimes the owner would spend some marketing money on a song hoping to kick it into the top 20. The song is included as a full-length performance by Walter "Wolfman" Washington and house band in the 2005 documentary film '' Make It Funky!'', which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

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

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. It was covered on the 1989 album ''Southern Star'' by the American country music band

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Lead vocals were sung by the bands lead guitarist/fiddler Jeff Cook. It was covered on

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 ...

' 1991 album, "Dancin' Magic". It was covered by the Kidsongs kids in their 1998 video, "I Can Dance!" It was included on the soundtrack album of the 2006 film '' Hoot'' by

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

and

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

, on the MCA label.

References

1966 songs Robert Parker (singer) songs Animated music videos Music videos by Aardman Animations 1966 singles {{1960s-song-stub