"Let's Have a Party" is a
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
song written by
Jessie Mae Robinson and recorded by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
for the movie ''
Loving You''. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom under the title "Party" and peaked at #2 in the
UK Singles Chart.
Wanda Jackson
Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American retired singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of Rock music, rock, Country music, country and Gospel music, gospel. She was among th ...
recorded the song for her first album, ''Wanda Jackson'', released in 1958. The song was released as a single by Jackson in 1960 and entered the UK chart on 1 September of that year, spending eight weeks there and reaching #32; it also reached #37 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1960.
The Jackson version was later featured in the 1989 film ''
Dead Poets Society''. Her recording of the song was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 2024.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
also recorded and released the song (under the title "Party") on his 1999 ''
Run Devil Run'' album. His original song "Run Devil Run", on the
album of the same name, also has a similar melody. A cover of "Let's Have a Party" by
Sonia was included on the 2010 remastered edition of her 1990 album ''
Everybody Knows''.
The song was included under the title "Party" in the Broadway musical ''
Million Dollar Quartet
"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956 at the Sun Studio, Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about th ...
'', which opened in New York in April 2010. It was sung by Robert Britton Lyons, portraying
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
, as well as by the company of the show, and was covered by Robert Britton Lyons and the company on the ''Million Dollar Quartet'' original Broadway cast recording.
In
T. Rex's 1972 concert film ''
Born to Boogie'',
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...
and
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
attempt to recite one of the lyrics from the song ("some people like to rock, some people like to roll, but movin' and a-groovin's gonna satisfy my soul"). However, they break into laughter each time.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
also played this song live during their live sets of "
Whole Lotta Love
"Whole Lotta Love" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track on the band's second album, '' Led Zeppelin II'', and was released as a single in 1969 in several countries; as with other Led Zeppelin songs, no singl ...
"; an example of this practice can be found on their live album ''
How the West Was Won''.
English
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...
band
Mud
Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...
recorded the song for their 1975 album ''Mud Rock Volume 2''.
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 ...
band
Dr. Feelgood included the song on their 1978 album ''
Private Practice''.
Chart performance
Elvis Presley version
Wanda Jackson version
References
1957 songs
1960 singles
Elvis Presley songs
Wanda Jackson songs
Paul McCartney songs
Sonia (singer) songs
Songs written by Jessie Mae Robinson
Capitol Records singles
Song recordings produced by Ken Nelson (American record producer)
Songs written for films
Music published by MPL Music Publishing
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