novelty
Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...
R&B song in the talking blues style, recorded by American vocal group
the Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...
in 1960. Originally credited to Elmo Glick, a songwriting
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...
, who also produced the track, it was partly based on the 1956 song "Clothes Line (Wrap It Up)", written by Kent Harris and recorded by him as Boogaloo and his Gallant Crew. Harris later received a co-writing credit on "Shoppin' for Clothes."
Background and recording
Jerry Leiber conceived the idea for the recording when Billy Guy of the Coasters told him about a song he had heard on the radio, about a man shopping for clothes. Guy had remembered some of the lyrics, but not the song title or singer. Leiber failed to track down the original recording, and created some new lyrics on the same theme, incorporating the lines that Guy had remembered. Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, David Ritz, ''Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography'', Simon and Schuster, 2010, pp.133-135 /ref> Matt Powell, "Buddy, that Suit is You: Shopping for Clothes with Kent “Boogaloo” Harris", ''Humor In America'', 28 February 2014 Retrieved 30 March 2016
Both songs had the same introductory lines:
The song continues with the singer being shown various expensive, stylish suits while demonstrating his deep knowledge of men's fashions of 1960, eventually selecting several and then telling the merchant to "go get that paper so I can sign on the dotted line", but subsequently being told, "I’m sorry my man, but your credit didn’t go through”, and taunting him with "That’s a suit you’ll never own." The hapless shopper laments "It's a shame and me with a good job, sweeping up every day!".
Stoller wrote and arranged the music, at a slower tempo than Harris' earlier song, and the group recorded the track on July 29, 1960, at Atlantic Studios in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
. In reciting the dialogue, Guy took the part of the shopper and bass singer
Will "Dub" Jones
Will J. "Dub" Jones (May 14, 1928 – January 16, 2000) was an American R&B singer. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and died in Long Beach, California.Carl Gardner and Cornell Gunter, with Stoller (piano),
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
(guitars),
Wendell Marshall
Wendell Marshall (October 24, 1920 – February 6, 2002) was an American jazz double-bassist.
Marshall was Jimmy Blanton's cousin. He studied at Lincoln University, then served in the Army during World War II. Following his discharge, he p ...
(bass), and Gary Chester (drums).
Writer Matt Powell said that "Guy’s... vocal performance as the hapless customer is a subtle, nuanced, self-deprecating hipster tour de force", and "King Curtis’ sly, playful, warm and flirty sax lines accentuate Stoller’s minimalist, stuttering groove bed".Phil Hardy called the track "the coolest—and blackest—sounding of he Coasters'Atlantic recordings."
Release and legacy
Released by Atco Records in September 1960, the record reached no higher than number 83 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot 100. After Harris' publishing company, American Music, alleged copyright infringement, an out-of-court settlement gave Harris sole writing credit. Some later copies of the record were titled "Clothes Line (Wrap It Up)" (Harris' original title), with a writing credit given to Harris. Adding to the confusion, some 1961 copies with the "Clothes Line" title are mispressed, and actually play the song "Silver Dollar", performed by Barry Darvell.
In live performances, the Coasters would place a clothes rack on stage, and dramatize the song.