The Loco-Motion
Encyclopedia
"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 written by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 songwriters Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...

 and Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...

. The song is notable for appearing in the American Top 5 three times – each time in a different decade: for Little Eva
Little Eva
Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...

 in 1962 (U.S. #1); for Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...

 in 1974 (U.S. #1); and for Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

 in 1988 (U.S. #3).

The song is a popular and enduring example of the dance-song genre
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

: much of the lyrics are devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually done as a type of line dance
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...

. However, the song came before the dance.

"The Loco-Motion" is ranked #359 on the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....

".

"The Loco-Motion" was also the second song to reach #1 by two different musical acts. The earlier song to do this was "Go Away Little Girl
Go Away Little Girl
"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The lyrics consist of a young man asking an attractive young woman to stay away from him, so he won't be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her...

," also written by Goffin and King. It is one of only nine songs to achieve this feat.

Original Little Eva version

The original recording of the song was sung by Eva Boyd, under the stage name Little Eva
Little Eva
Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...

. Boyd was actually Carole King's babysitter, having been introduced to King and husband Gerry Goffin by The Cookies
The Cookies
The Cookies were an American R&B girl group in the 1950s to 1960s. Members of the original lineup would later become The Raelettes, the backing vocalists for Ray Charles.-History:...

, a local girl group who would also record for the songwriters. "The Loco-Motion" was the first release by the new Dimension Records
Dimension Records
Dimension Records was a record label founded in 1962 in New York City by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, owners of Aldon Music. It concentrated on the girl group sound and showcased songs by Goffin and King. Their composition "The Loco-Motion", sung by Little Eva, gave it its biggest hit...

 company, whose releases were mostly penned and produced by Goffin and King, and reached #1 in China in 2001.

A cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of the song was recorded quickly by British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 girl group The Vernons Girls
The Vernons Girls
The Vernons Girls were an English musical ensemble of female vocalists. They were formed at the Vernons football pools company in the 1950s in Liverpool, settling down to a sixteen strong choir and recorded an album of standards.-Career:...

 and scored the chart the same week as the Little Eva version. The Vernons Girls' version stalled at #47 in the UK, while the Little Eva version reached #2 on the UK charts. It re-entered the chart some ten years later and almost became a top ten again, peaking at #11.

In the United States, "The Loco-Motion" was the sixth most successful single of 1962 according to Billboard. It was also the third most successful single of 1962 in South Africa.

The Little Eva version of the song was featured by the 2006 David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...

 film Inland Empire
Inland Empire (film)
Inland Empire, sometimes styled as INLAND EMPIRE, is a 2006 mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. It was his first feature-length film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, and shares many similarities with that film. It premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006...

.

Little Eva "The Loco-Motion" Myth

The widely-believed story of how the song "The Loco-Motion" came to be is that Carole King was playing music at home and Eva Boyd was doing some chores and started dancing to it; the dance The Loco-Motion was born. However, this is not true. Eva Boyd was introduced to Goffin and King and they realized she had a good singing voice, so they had her record "The Loco-Motion." Carole King stated this during an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) shortly after Little Eva died.

As the song came before the dance, there was no dance when the song was originally written. When the song became a smash hit, Eva Boyd ended up having to create a dance to go along with the song. Carole King stated this in her "One to One" concert video.

In live performances of the song, Little Eva can be seen doing her version of the dance.

Another bit of the conventional lore is that she had received only $50 for "The Loco-Motion." However, although she never owned the rights to her recordings, it seems $50 was actually her weekly salary during the years she was making records (an increase of $15 from what Goffin and King had been paying her as nanny). In 1971, she moved to South Carolina and lived in obscurity on menial jobs and welfare, until being rediscovered in 1987. She died of cervical cancer in 2003.

Believed by some to be the penultimate Top-40 DJ of all time, Dan Ingram has been quoted as saying that he believes the original "The Loco-Motion" was recorded by Carole King herself.

Charts

Chart Peak Position
US 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...

1
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

1
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

2
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 1

Grand Funk Railroad version

American hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 group Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...

 recorded a version of the song in 1974, produced by Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...

. The song appeared on their album Shinin' On
Shinin' On
Shinin' On is the eighth album by Grand Funk Railroad, released in 1974. Although not as successful as its predecessor, We're an American Band, it peaked at #5 in the US and was certified gold. The original cover was done in bi-visual 3-D and included the required blue and red lensed glasses to...

, and released as a single, scored #1 on the U.S. charts. The decision to play the song came about after guitarist Mark Farner
Mark Farner
Mark Fredrick Farner is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, and later as a Contemporary Christian Musician.-Early life and career:...

 was heard whistling the song in the studio. The Grand Funk version of the song featured guitars, several layers of harmony, and heavy drums.

Durimg the 2000s, this version of the song was featured in advertisements for the Japanese technology and communications company SoftBank
SoftBank
is a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....

, featuring the pop group SMAP
SMAP
SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...

. SMAP also used the song on their television variety show SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday...

for a music video, singing along to the original Grand Funk recording rather than covering it. The song is a downloadable content for Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...

.

Charts

Chart Peak Position
US Billboard Hot 100 1
Australia Go-Set 5
Austrian Singles Chart 7
Canadian Singles Chart 1
German singles Chart 11

Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin version

In 1986, Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
Barbara Gaskin
Barbara Gaskin is a British singer who, with her musical partner, the keyboardist Dave Stewart, formed a duo in 1981. In September of that year they had a number one single in the UK with a cover version of the song "It's My Party"...

 released a version of the song as a single in May. The duo had scored a UK #1 hit back in 1981 with their cover of "It's My Party
It's My Party (song)
"It's My Party" is a song most famously sung by American singer Lesley Gore in 1963. This song hit #1 on the pop and rhythm and blues charts in the United States. "It's My Party", peaked at #9 in the United Kingdom, becoming Gore's only major hit there...

", but had achieved little success since. For this single, they embarked on a big promotional push in an attempt to gain a second significant hit. The single however stalled at #70 in the UK charts in June.

Kylie Minogue version

A cover version of "The Loco-Motion" was the debut single by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n popular music singer Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

.

After an impromptu performance of the song at an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 charity event with the cast of the Australian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...

, Minogue was signed a record deal by Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...

 to release the song as a single. The single was released on July 28, 1987 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 under the title "Locomotion". The song was a success in Australia, reaching number one and remaining there for seven weeks. The success of the song in her home country resulted in her signing a record deal with PWL Records in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and to working with the successful team Stock Aitken & Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...

.

In 1988, a re-recorded version produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman was released worldwide with the title "The Loco-Motion". This release again was a major success, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom
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...

, the United States, and Canada. Minogue's version of the track appeared in the 1988 film Arthur 2: On the Rocks, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli.

The Minogue version of "The Loco-Motion" substitutes the Australian term railway for the American usage of railroad in the song's lyrics.

Release history

Country Date
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

July 28, 1987
World
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....

wide
July 28, 1988

Music video

The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "Locomotion" was filmed at Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...

 and the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 studios in Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. The video for "The Loco-Motion" was created out of footage from the Australian music video.

Near the end of 1988, the song was nominated for Best International Single at the Canadian Music Industry Awards.
"Locomotion" (1987)

● Australian cassette single
  1. "Locomotion" — 3:17
  2. "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix) — 7:38
  3. "Locomotion" (Girl Meets Boy Mix) — 3:15
  4. "Glad to Be Alive" (7" Mix) — 3:42


● Australian 7" vinyl single
  1. "Locomotion" — 3:15
  2. "Glad to Be Alive" (7" Mix) — 3:42


● Australian 12" vinyl single
  1. "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix) — 7:38
  2. "Locomotion" (Girl Meets Boy Mix) — 3:15
  3. "Glad to Be Alive" (7" Mix) — 3:42


● Swedish 7" vinyl single
  1. "Locomotion" — 3:17
  2. "Getting Closer" (7" Mix) — 3:33


● Swedish 12" vinyl single
  1. "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix) — 7:38
  2. "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Mix) — 4:11
  3. "Locomotion" — 3:17


● Italian 7" vinyl single
  1. "Locomotion" — 3:17
  2. "Getting Closer" (7" Mix) — 3:35

"The Loco-motion" (1988)

● UK 7" vinyl single
  1. "The Loco-motion" (7" mix) — 3:17
  2. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45


● UK 12" vinyl single
  1. "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59
  2. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45


● UK 12" remix
  1. "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) — 6:35
  2. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45


● USA 7" vinyl single/Cassingle
  1. "The Loco-motion" (LP Version) — 3:17
  2. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45


● USA 12" vinyl single
  1. "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59
  2. "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) — 6:35
  3. "The Loco-motion" (LP Version) — 3:17
  4. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45


● German CD single
  1. "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59
  2. "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45

iTunes digital release (2009)

●"Locomotion" (Australian version)
  1. "Locomotion"
  2. "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix)
  3. "Locomotion" (The Girl Meets Boy Mix)
  4. "Getting Closer"
  5. "Getting Closer" (UK mix) (previously unreleased)
  6. "Getting Closer" (UK instrumental) (previously unreleased)
  7. "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Mix)
  8. "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Instrumental) (previously unreleased)
  9. "Glad to Be Alive"


● "The Loco-Motion"
  1. "The Loco-Motion" (7" mix)
  2. "The Loco-Motion" (The Kohaku Mix)
  3. "The Loco-Motion" (7" instrumental) (previously unreleased)
  4. "The Loco-Motion" (7" backing track) (previously unreleased)
  5. "I'll Still Be Loving You"
  6. "I'll Still Be Loving You" (instrumental) (previously unreleased)
  7. "I'll Still Be Loving You" (backing track) (previously unreleased)

Chart performance

The 1987 "Locomotion" release was a huge hit in Minogue's native Australia, reaching number one on the AMR singles chart and remaining there for seven weeks. The song set the record as the biggest Australian single of the decade. Throughout Europe and Asia the song also performed well on the music charts, reaching number one in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The 1988 release of the song in the United Kingdom
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...

 debuted at number two on the singles chart — the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist — due to strong 7" single sales and radio airplay. It remained in the number two position for four weeks before falling to number three. With sales of 440,000 it was the 11th best selling single of the year. The song became Minogue's third top five rated single in the UK and remains one of her most successful single releases to date.

During late 1988, Minogue traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to promote "The Loco-Motion", where she did many interviews and performances on American television. The song was also used in the hit film around the world at the time, Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Arthur 2: On the Rocks is the 1988 sequel to the 1981 film Arthur. Lead actors Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli reprised their roles.John Gielgud, who won an Academy Award for his role in the original film, reappears briefly in a drunken hallucination on Arthur's part.The film co-stars Kathy Bates as...

starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli.

"The Loco-Motion" debuted at number eighty on the U.S. 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...

 and later climbed to number three for two weeks. The song was Minogue's second single to chart in the U.S., but her first to reach the top ten. It remains her best success in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. She would not even reach the top ten again until 2002 with the release of "Can't Get You Out of My Head
Can't Get You out of My Head
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released from her eighth studio album Fever . The song was released worldwide as the lead single from the album, which was released on 8 September, 2001. The song was written and produced...

", which reached number seven on the chart.

In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the song also reached the top spot in the pop sales charts.

Live performances

Kylie performed the song on the following concert tours:
  • Disco in Dream/The Hitman Roadshow (Kohaku Mix performed)
  • Enjoy Yourself Tour
    Enjoy Yourself Tour
    The Enjoy Yourself Tour was Kylie Minogue's first world tour following the success of her second studio album, Enjoy Yourself. By the start of the European leg of the tour, Minogue had started to take control of her image and musical direction, demonstrated by the release of the career milestone...

     (French Kiss Mix performed)
  • Rhythm of Love Tour
    Rhythm of Love Tour
    The Rhythm of Love Tour was the second world tour undertaken by Kylie Minogue, in support of her hit album Rhythm of Love. Beginning on 10 February 1991, the tour visited Australia and Southern Asia....

  • Let's Get to It Tour
    Let's Get to It Tour
    The Let's Get to It Tour was a Kylie Minogue concert tour of the UK and Ireland in late 1991. The tour was a continuation of the previous Rhythm of Love Tour which had already visited Australia and Asia. Together with five dancers, Minogue staged the tour in support of the album Let's Get to It...

  • Intimate and Live Tour (performed at some shows only)
  • KylieFever2002
  • Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour
  • Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour
  • KylieX2008
    KylieX2008
    KylieX2008 was the tenth concert tour by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, in support of her tenth studio album, X . Originally announced as just a European tour, rumors of Minogue taking the tour to Australia, Asia, and America had surfaced in the international media...

     (performed as an impromptu acapella encore at some shows only)
  • For You, For Me Tour
    For You, For Me Tour
    The For You, For Me Tour was the ninth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. This is Minogue's first concert tour in North America. The concert has received very favorable reviews from music critics...

  • Aphrodite World Tour (as an acapella or with instrumentation at several dates)


The song was also performed on:
  • An Audience with Kylie
    An Audience with...
    An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by ITV Studios, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.The show began as An...

     2001 TV Special (Acapella)

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
U.S. 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...

3
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 12
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...

4
Australian Singles Chart
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

1
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

3
Belgian Singles Chart
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

1
Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....

1
Dutch Singles Chart
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

6
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...

1
Finland Singles Chart
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

1
French Singles Chart 5
German Singles Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

3
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

1
Italian Singles Chart
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....

6
Japan Singles Chart
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

1
New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

8
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

3
Peru Top 100 1
South Africa Singles Chart
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

1
Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....

10
Swiss Singles Chart
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

2
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

2

End-of-year charts

Year Country Position
1987 Australian Singles Chart 1
1988 UK Singles Chart 11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 49

End-of-decade charts

Country Position
Australia 1


Sylvie Vartan version

In 1962, French singer Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan is a French singer. She was one of the first rock girls in France. Vartan was the most productive and active of the yé-yé style artists, considered as the toughest-sounding of those. Her performance often featured elaborate show-dance choreography. She made many appearances on French...

 recorded a version of the song in French called "Le Locomotion". It went to #1 in France on October 13, 1962 and remained there for one week.

Carole King versions

Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...

 herself sings the song on her live album The Living Room Tour
The Living Room Tour
The Living Room Tour is a live album by Carole King released in 2005. It consists of live recordings of most of the songs from Tapestry. Her daughters Louise and Sherry and background singer and guitarist Gary Burr joined her on several songs. This album debuted at #17 in the US, becoming King's...

released July 12, 2005. The album peaked at number 17 on the US album chart on July 30, 2005.

She also recorded a version for her 1980 album Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1980. It produced Carole King's last hit to date, One Fine Day, which reached number 12 on the charts.-Track listing:...

. The album peaked at number 44 and spawned King's last top 40 hit to-date, One Fine Day
One Fine Day (song)
"One Fine Day" has been recorded by a diverse array of artists including Susie Allanson, the Carpenters as part of the oldies medley on their album Now and Then, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, Even in Blackouts, Kids Incorporated, David Lasley, Natalie Merchant , the Mountain Goats, Aaron Neville,...

, which would reach number 12 on the charts.

La Toya Jackson version

The song was recorded and performed by La Toya Jackson
La Toya Jackson
La Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family...

 in 1992 as part of her Moulin Rouge show Formidable
Formidable
Formidable is the soundtrack to the show performed at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France by American singer La Toya Jackson. Only 3,000 copies were created and it has become one of the most sought-after albums by La Toya's fans....

 It is the only song in the show to be sung in English, as the rest of the show features numbers entirely in French.
Jackson also performed the song as part of her live sets throughout the early to mid-1990s.

Chart precession and succession

Other versions

The song has inspired dozens of cover versions over the years. Besides those already mentioned:
  • 1962 on Shelley Fabares
    Shelley Fabares
    Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...

    's album The Things We Did Last Summer
    The Things We Did Last Summer (album)
    The Things We Did Last Summer is the second studio pop album by singer and actress Shelley Fabares released in 1962 on Colpix Records. It was available in both mono and stereo, catalogue numbers CP-431 and SCP-431....

    .
  • 1963 by The Chiffons
    The Chiffons
    The Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...

    .
  • 1963, a French cover version by Richard Anthony
    Richard Anthony (French singer)
    Richard Anthony is a French singer, born 13 January 1938 in Cairo, Egypt, as Ricardo Btesh.-Biography:Richard's father was an industrialist, and his mother was the daughter of an English diplomat...

     named On twiste sur le locomotion
  • 1972 by Christopher Milk, Reprise Some People Will Drink Anything, produced by Chris Thomas
    Chris Thomas (record producer)
    Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...

    .
  • 1973 by Pugh Rogefeldt
    Pugh Rogefeldt
    Pugh Rogefeldt, real name Anders Sture Torbjörn Rogefeldt , is a Swedish singer, musician, guitarist and songwriter.-Biography:...

    , a Swedish version called "Ångmaskinen" (The Steam Engine).
  • 1977 by Computer, in disco
    Disco
    Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

     form.
  • 1979 by Ritz, also as a disco song.
  • 1983 by Mike Love
    Mike Love
    Michael 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...

     and Dean Torrence.
  • 1983 by Paula Ann Bland
    Paula Ann Bland
    Paula Ann Triplett is a former British actress. She is best known for her role as the teenager Claire Scott in the award winning BBC school drama Grange Hill between 1981 and 1985, her final appearance being in the 1985 Christmas Special.She was featured on the cover of the magazine Mayfair in...

    , who was famous for her role in Grange Hill
    Grange Hill
    Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...

    .
  • 1983 by Serbia
    Serbia
    Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

    n/Yugoslav
    Yugoslavia
    Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

     New Wave
    New Wave music
    New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

     band Električni Orgazam
    Električni Orgazam
    Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...

     on their cover album Les Chansones Populaires
    Les Chansones Populaires
    -Personnel:*Grof — bass guitar*Piko — drums*Ljubomir Jovanović — guitar*Srđan Gojković — guitar, lead vocals*Ljubomir Đukić — piano, synthesizer, vocals...

  • 1986 by Emerson, Lake & Powell
    Emerson, Lake & Powell
    Emerson, Lake & Powell, sometimes abbreviated as ELPowell, were an English rock band, an offshoot or variant lineup of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, that released one official studio album in 1986....

    .
  • 1988 on The Cosby Show
    The Cosby Show
    The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...

    .
  • 1989 featured on "Full House
    Full 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...

    " by DJ Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler
  • 1994 on Charly García
    Charly García
    Charly García is a singer-songwriter, pianist and keyboardist from Argentina with a long career in rock music, forming successful groups such as Sui Generis and Serú Girán, cult status groups like La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and as a solo musician.-Early years:Charly García was the eldest son in...

    's album La Hija de la Lagrima.
  • 1994 on the Kidsongs
    Kidsongs
    Kidsongs is an American award-winning children's media franchise which includes Kidsongs Music Video Stories on DVD and video, The Kidsongs TV Show, CDs of favorite children’s songs, song books, sheet music, toys and an ecommerce website...

    ' video and DVD "Boppin' with Biggles".
  • 1997 by Ringo Starr
    Ringo Starr
    Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...

    , on his live album Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band-Volume 1
    Ringo Starr and His third All-Starr Band-Volume 1
    Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band-Volume 1 was a limited edition live album by Ringo Starr, and his All Starr band, recorded at the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan. The album was released as a promotion by Blockbuster videos for only $5.99. The All-Starr Band included the return of the...

    .
  • 1998 to 2001 covered by Alexia from the video game software of Dance Maniax
    Dance Maniax
    Dance Maniax is a game from the Bemani series of rhythm games, published by Konami, with songs mostly from the Dancemania series of music, and shares many songs with Dance Dance Revolution...

    by Konami
    Konami
    is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

  • 2000 by Atomic Kitten
    Atomic Kitten
    Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...

    , on the "Whole Again
    Whole Again
    "Whole Again" is the fifth single released from British popband Atomic Kitten's debut studio album, Right Now, and the first single released from the album in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The group persauded Virgin Records to release the track as a tribute to band member Kerry...

    " single, the Thomas and the Magic Railroad
    Thomas and the Magic Railroad
    Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...

    soundtrack, and the Access All Areas: Remixed & B-Side album.
  • 2006 by Gitogito Hustler.
  • 2007 by Girl Authority
    Girl Authority
    Girl Authority is an American pop girl group from Massachusetts.The group consists of nine girls, ranging in ages 11 to 16. The group was established in the summer of 2005 by the group's vocal coach/executive producer Samantha Hammel, Scott Billington and the CEO of Rounder Records John Virant.All...

    .
  • 2010 by Hunx and His Punx
    Hunx and His Punx
    Hunx and His Punx is a rock and roll band from Oakland, California.Hunx, real name Seth Bogart, started the band in 2008 after years of fronting a queer-themed electro outfit called Gravy Train!!!! The group's sound has been compared to 1960s girl groups, early power pop, and punk music. Arizonan...

    .
  • 2011 by Radagun
    Radagun
    Radagun is an American pop band based in Jacksonville, Florida, consisting of husband and wife Todd Low and Aimee Ortiz and is occasionally accompanied by additional live performers. In March 2009 Radagun released the single "Runaway" from their debut album...

    .

Parodies

Orange Range
Orange Range
is a 5-member Okinawan alternative rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The group left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, Super Echo....

 used the melody line of "The Loco-Motion" on their 2004 song "Locolotion" which became the number-one success on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese singles chart. The commercially successful song brought about controversy because Goffin and King were not indicated on its songwriting credit; their names were later added as co-writers to avoid lawsuits, when the song was featured on the band's musiQ
Musiq
Musiq Soulchild or Musiq is a US R&B/soul singer-songwriter whose style blends contemporary R&B, soul, funk, alternative, blues, jazz, some gospel influences and hip hop.-Biography:...

album released during the same year.

External links

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