"Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep" is a song recorded in 1970 by its composer Lally Stott, and made popular in 1971 by Scottish band Middle of the Road for whom it was a UK #1 chart hit. That version is one of fewer than fifty singles ever to have sold in excess of 10 million physical copies worldwide.

History

The original recording of the song by Lally Stott was first released in September 1970 in Italy, where he had been living for several years. It was a hit, becoming a top-twenty hit at the beginning of October. However, the record company Philips were reluctant to release the song overseas, and apparently offered it to two other groups: Scottish folk-pop group Middle of the Road, who were working in Italy at the time, and the Trinidadian brother-and-sister duo Mac and Katie Kissoon. Philips did eventually release Stott's version elsewhere and it topped the charts in Australia and Zimbabwe, as well as being a top-ten hit in South Africa. It was also a minor hit in the US, peaking at number 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, something that Middle of the Road never achieved. Middle of the Road released their version in October 1970 in Italy, though it failed to chart there. It was released in the UK on 15 January 1971 and initially became a hit in continental Europe only, before later growing in popularity in the UK. It entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in the final week of May and reportedly got a boost from DJ

Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC ...

, who favoured this version over the one by Mac and Katie Kissoon (which had recently been released), and topped the charts three weeks later for five weeks. Mac and Katie Kissoon's version, released in May 1971, had the most success in North America, peaking at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 10 on the Canadian '' RPM'' chart. At the time, the song was dismissed by critics as bubblegum, a view initially held by band leader Ken Andrew: "We were as disgusted with the thought of recording it as most people were at the thought of buying it. But at the end of the day, we liked it." In 2006 "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" topped a list of unintentionally creepy songs in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

''. Despite its popular appeal and popular chorus, the song has a theme of child abandonment.

Appearances

The song was featured on the '' Top of the Pops, Volume 18'' album.

In popular culture

The song was sampled in the

Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been p ...

song "Middle of the Road" on their 1992 album, '' Back in Denim''. The song's title has sometimes been parodied: * " Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep", a 1998 episode of the Irish sitcom ''

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including ...

''. * "Slurpy Slurpy Sleep Sleep", a song on Scottish band

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have ...

's 2022 album, '' The Myth of the Happily Ever After''. Included on the soundtrack in ''The Guard'' (2011) performed by Middle of the Road. The character Frank Gallagher references the Middle of the Road version in an episode of the UK TV series, '' Shameless'' Included on the soundtrack of the Shudder exclusive film, "The Power" (2021), which takes place in 1974 London.

Charts

Lally Stott version

Weekly charts Year-end charts

Middle of the Road version

Weekly charts Year-end charts

Mac and Katie Kissoon version

Weekly charts

References

{{authority control 1970 singles 1971 singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Switzerland Number-one singles in Zimbabwe Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Middle of the Road songs Schlager songs 1970 songs