"Rockin' Robin" (originally released as "Rock-In Robin" on the Class Records 45 single) is a song written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, and recorded by American singer Bobby Day in 1958. It was Day's biggest hit single, becoming a number two hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and spent one week at the top of the R&B sales chart.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

recorded his own version of the song in 1972, which also achieved success.

Personnel

*Bobby Day – vocals *

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 ...

–

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

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 *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" gu ...

– guitar

Copyright status

"Rockin' Robin" is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

, as the owners never renewed the copyright.

Charts

Michael Jackson version

In 1972,

released his own version of "Rockin' Robin", which was released as a single from his gold-certified solo album titled '' Got to Be There'' as a follow-up single to the song of the same name. It was the biggest hit from the album, hitting number 1 on the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' singles chart and peaking at number two on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, behind "

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his third wife. At that time, MacColl was still married to his second wife, Jean Newlove. ...

" by

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

, and the ''Billboard'' soul singles chart, behind " In the Rain" by the Dramatics. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "little Michael rocks in with a revival of the big Bobby Day hit of the rockin' 1950s".

Track listing

*A. "Rockin' Robin" – 2:30 *B. "

Love Is Here and Now You're Gone "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" is a 1967 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and composed by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, it became the second consecutive number-one pop single from the S ...

" – 2:51

Chart performance

Certifications and sales

Lolly version

In 1999, English singer Lolly released a cover of "Rockin' Robin" as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

single with "Big Boys Don't Cry". It was a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 10 in December of that year and remaining on the chart for a total of 11 weeks.

References

{{Authority control 1958 songs 1958 singles 1972 singles 1999 singles Bobby Day songs Michael Jackson songs Lolly (singer) songs Songs written by Leon René Motown singles Cashbox number-one singles Songs about birds Songs about fictional male characters Public domain music