Let's Go (Pony) is a 1962 song by The Routers. Its infectious “ lap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clapLet's Go!" chant became a favorite of

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

s and football fans worldwide. The musicians were key members of the famous session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew:

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...

(drums),

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. () (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s " The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and bar ...

(saxophone),

Tommy Tedesco Thomas Joseph Tedesco (July 3, 1930 – November 10, 1997) was an American guitarist and studio musician in Los Angeles and Hollywood. He was part of the loose collective of the area's leading session musicians later popularly known as The Wre ...

(guitar),

Bill Pitman William Keith Pitman (February 12, 1920 – August 11, 2022) was an American guitarist and session musician. As a first-call studio musician working in Los Angeles, Pitman played on some of the most celebrated and influential records of the ro ...

(guitar), and Jimmy Bond (bass).

Background

Although the songwriting credits are given to local singer Lanny Duncan and his brother Robert Duncan, Lanny had previously recorded the original demo of the song in 1961 as a member of the Starlighters (The Standells), featuring Tony Valentino on guitar and Jody Rich on bass. The demo was recorded in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

with engineer Eddie Brackett.

Reception and influence

Chartwise, the song charted on No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 27 on Cashbox and No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart. \header \drums \addlyrics The recognizable hand-clapping rhythmic pattern became popular in

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

and as a

football chant A football chant or terrace chant is a form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...

worldwide. The rhythm was later used in the

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity, as a band in the 1970s. One of many 70s acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beatles", they were called the "tartan teen sensations fro ...

hit " Saturday Night" in 1976, The

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

-produced " Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" in 1980 (which also quotes the phrase "let's go"),

Like Wow – Wipeout "Like Wow – Wipeout" is a song written by Dave Faulkner (musician), Dave Faulkner and recorded by Australian Rock music, rock group Hoodoo Gurus for their album ''Mars Needs Guitars!''. It was released in October 1985 as the second single from t ...

(1985) by Australian band The Hoodoo Gurus, art-rock song "

Mongoloid Mongoloid () is an obsolete racial grouping of various peoples indigenous to large parts of Asia, the Americas, and some regions in Europe and Oceania. The term is derived from a now-disproven theory of biological race. In the past, other terms ...

" by American band

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

, produced by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

in 1977, in 1982

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her cover of the song " Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Austral ...

's cheerleading anthem " Mickey" ("Oh Mickey, you're so fine...") and in

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was th ...

's " Centerfield" in 1985. The Cars' 1979 hit " Let's Go" not only includes the same rhythm, but also the same title as its antecedent.

Cover versions

*The song was also covered by

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

in 1963 as "Let's Go".

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1962 songs 1960s instrumentals