Barbara Ann
Encyclopedia
"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert
and performed (as "Barbara Anne") by The Regents
in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
record chart.
The most famous cover version is by the American
rock
band
The Beach Boys
. The song was released as a single on December 20, 1965, with the B-side "Girl Don't Tell Me
". The song peaked at #2 in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 (#1 in Cash Box and Record World) and at #3 in the U.K
. It also topped the charts in Germany, Switzerland and Norway. It was The Beach Boys' biggest hit in Italy, reaching #4. The song was also released on the 1965 album Beach Boys' Party!
. Brian Wilson
and Dean Torrence, who had previously recorded the song as one half of Jan and Dean
, are featured on lead vocals. Dean is not credited on the album jacket but "Thanks, Dean" is said by Carl at the end of the track.
A version recorded by the Beach Boys without the Beach Boys' Party! effects can be found on the Hawthorne, CA
album. The Beach Boys made a false start on the Party! album by singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" instead of "Baa Baa Baa Baa Barbara Ann". The Beach Boys sang this song as an encore on their Live In London album. Brian Wilson has a rendition on his live Roxy CD, and in 2001, performed it himself, with the ensemble, on An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson.
called "Beach Boy Bingo" the Tanner family went to a Beach Boys concert and got to sing this song with them on stage.
The song was also covered by The Who
(released in November 1966 on the Ready Steady Who
7" EP
), sung by Keith Moon
, and was included in the film The Kids are Alright
. Blind Guardian
also covered the song on the album Follow the Blind
.
In the late 1970s series Welcome Back Kotter, the character Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta
) sings a version with the lyrics "Baa-baa-baa Baa-Barbarino". A modified version of the Barbarino song is currently used in commercials by Barberino Nissan of Wallingford
, Connecticut
. The song featured in the 1973 film American Graffiti
. In 1975, the Martin Cicus group performed a French version named "Marylène".
In the early 1990s, the melody of the song was made into a jingle for Babybel
cheese and has remained in advertising for the cheese ever since.
In the early 1990s television series Saved by the Bell
episode "House Party" Zach, Slater and Screech lip-sync to the song while enjoying "guys night in" at Screech's house when his parents are away on vacation. The song was featured during the 4th season episode, "My Ocardial Infarction", of the sitcom Scrubs
, being sung by The Janitor's
fake band, "Hibbleton". Brian Griffin
mentions the song in the Family Guy
episode "Ocean's Three and a Half
". The song is also used as a plot point in the film Surf Ninjas
.
The song was used as walk-on song for John McCain
on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
.
.
John McCain
briefly sang "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" in response to a question at a campaign stop on April 19, 2007. Paul Shanklin
recorded a full "Bomb Iran" parody of the song (impersonating McCain) for Rush Limbaugh
's radio show.
Fred Fassert
Fred Fassert is most famously known as the writer of the popular song "Barbara Ann," which was originally written for the band that he was in at the time, The Regents. In 1961, the song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
and performed (as "Barbara Anne") by The Regents
The Regents
The Regents were an American doo-wop vocal group from New York, operating in the late 1950s and early 1960s.They are best known for writing and recording the hit "Barbara Ann" in 1961, which reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
record chart.
The most famous cover version is by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. The song was released as a single on December 20, 1965, with the B-side "Girl Don't Tell Me
Girl Don't Tell Me
"Girl Don't Tell Me" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1965 album Summer Days . Featuring Carl Wilson on Lead. In December 1965, it was chosen to be the B-side to The Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann" single, which would chart at #2 in the...
". The song peaked at #2 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100 (#1 in Cash Box and Record World) and at #3 in the U.K
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It also topped the charts in Germany, Switzerland and Norway. It was The Beach Boys' biggest hit in Italy, reaching #4. The song was also released on the 1965 album Beach Boys' Party!
Beach Boys' Party!
Beach Boys' Party! is an album of cover songs by American rock and roll band The Beach Boys that was marketed during the lucrative Christmas season. The original album release included a sheet of photographs of the band 'appearing' to be at the party at hand. It was The Beach Boys' tenth album...
. Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Dean Torrence, who had previously recorded the song as one half of Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
, are featured on lead vocals. Dean is not credited on the album jacket but "Thanks, Dean" is said by Carl at the end of the track.
A version recorded by the Beach Boys without the Beach Boys' Party! effects can be found on the Hawthorne, CA
Hawthorne, CA (album)
Hawthorne, CA, subtitled Birthplace of a Musical Legacy, is the second anthology collection by The Beach Boys and released through Capitol Records...
album. The Beach Boys made a false start on the Party! album by singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" instead of "Baa Baa Baa Baa Barbara Ann". The Beach Boys sang this song as an encore on their Live In London album. Brian Wilson has a rendition on his live Roxy CD, and in 2001, performed it himself, with the ensemble, on An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson.
Beach Boys version
- Written by: Fred FassertFred FassertFred Fassert is most famously known as the writer of the popular song "Barbara Ann," which was originally written for the band that he was in at the time, The Regents. In 1961, the song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
- Album: Beach Boys' Party!Beach Boys' Party!Beach Boys' Party! is an album of cover songs by American rock and roll band The Beach Boys that was marketed during the lucrative Christmas season. The original album release included a sheet of photographs of the band 'appearing' to be at the party at hand. It was The Beach Boys' tenth album...
- Time: 3 minMinuteA minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units...
23 secSecondThe second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... - Produced by: Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
Performers
- Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
: Lead Vocals, Bass - Dean Torrence: Lead Vocals
- Al JardineAl JardineAlan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
: Backing Vocals, Guitar - Bruce JohnstonBruce JohnstonBruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
: Backing Vocals - Mike LoveMike LoveMichael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
: Backing Vocals - Carl WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
: Backing Vocals, Guitar - Dennis WilsonDennis WilsonDennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
: Backing Vocals - Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
: His Famous Ashtrays
Use in popular culture
The Beach Boys appeared in the television series Home Improvement as cousins of the character Wilson. They perform "Barbara Ann" in Wilson's backyard. In episode of Full HouseFull House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
called "Beach Boy Bingo" the Tanner family went to a Beach Boys concert and got to sing this song with them on stage.
The song was also covered by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
(released in November 1966 on the Ready Steady Who
Ready Steady Who
Ready Steady Who is a 7" EP by The Who, released only in the UK on 11 November 1966. The title refers to a Ready Steady Go! TV special the band had recently appeared in, but the EP contains different recordings to what was performed on the TV show...
7" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
), sung by Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
, and was included in the film The Kids are Alright
The Kids Are Alright (film)
The Kids Are Alright is a 1979 rockumentary film about the English rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films and interviews from 1964 to 1978.-Production:...
. Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres...
also covered the song on the album Follow the Blind
Follow the Blind
Follow the Blind is the second full-length album from the German metal band Blind Guardian, released in 1989. The album is more in the vein of speed metal, compared to the style that would later define the band's unique sound...
.
In the late 1970s series Welcome Back Kotter, the character Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
) sings a version with the lyrics "Baa-baa-baa Baa-Barbarino". A modified version of the Barbarino song is currently used in commercials by Barberino Nissan of Wallingford
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The song featured in the 1973 film American Graffiti
American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
. In 1975, the Martin Cicus group performed a French version named "Marylène".
In the early 1990s, the melody of the song was made into a jingle for Babybel
Babybel
Babybel is a brand of cheese sold internationally. The Bel Group introduced Babybel in 1952 and in 1977 Mini Babybel was launched in France. In 1979, Mini Babybel was launched in the U.S. under the Laughing Cow umbrella brand. As of 2011, Mini Babybel is eaten in North America, South America,...
cheese and has remained in advertising for the cheese ever since.
In the early 1990s television series Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
episode "House Party" Zach, Slater and Screech lip-sync to the song while enjoying "guys night in" at Screech's house when his parents are away on vacation. The song was featured during the 4th season episode, "My Ocardial Infarction", of the sitcom Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, being sung by The Janitor's
Janitor (Scrubs)
The Janitor is a fictional character, played by actor Neil Flynn in the American comedy-drama Scrubs.Neil Flynn was originally billed as a recurring guest star throughout Season 1, although he appeared in all 24 episodes of that season. He was promoted to a series regular beginning with Season 2...
fake band, "Hibbleton". Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
mentions the song in the Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "Ocean's Three and a Half
Ocean's Three and a Half
"Ocean's Three and a Half" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of Family Guy. It first aired in the United States on the Fox television network on February 15, 2009. Peter decides to induce Joe's wife Bonnie into labor so that Joe will be able to spend more time with him. Bonnie gives...
". The song is also used as a plot point in the film Surf Ninjas
Surf Ninjas
Surf Ninjas is a 1993 American comedic family film involving martial arts, directed by Neal Israel and written by Dan Gordon. The film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan, and Leslie Nielsen...
.
The song was used as walk-on song for John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
.
Parodies
The song was parodied as "Bomb Iran" by Vince Vance and the Valiants during the 1979 Iran hostage crisisIran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
.
John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
briefly sang "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" in response to a question at a campaign stop on April 19, 2007. Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin is an American conservative political satirist, impressionist, comedian, and conservative speaker...
recorded a full "Bomb Iran" parody of the song (impersonating McCain) for Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
's radio show.