The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)
Encyclopedia
"The Wallflower" is a popular
song. It was one of several answer song
s to "Work With Me Annie" and has the same 12-bar blues melody.
It was written by Johnny Otis
, Hank Ballard
, and Etta James
. Etta James recorded it, with uncredited vocal responses
from Richard Berry
, under the title "The Wallflower" and it became a rhythm and blues hit, topping the U.S. R&B chart for 4 weeks. It was popularly known as "Roll with Me Henry".
The song was covered
for the pop market, with the title, "Dance With Me Henry", by Georgia Gibbs
. That version charted in 1955
, hitting the top 5 of several different pop charts. It reached number one on the Most Played In Juke Boxes chart on May 14, 1955, and spent three weeks on top of that chart.
In 2008, Etta James
received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award
for her 1955 recording.
The song is a dialogue between "Henry" and the singer:
The context is the dance floor. The Midnighters also recorded an "answer to the answer": "Henry's Got Flat Feet (Can't Dance No More)".
The song inspired the title of the 1956 Abbott and Costello
film Dance with Me Henry
, although the film's plot was unrelated to the song.. It was also included in the films Sister Act
and also Back to the Future
. Etta James no longer performs the song.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song. It was one of several answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
s to "Work With Me Annie" and has the same 12-bar blues melody.
It was written by Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
, Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
, and Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
. Etta James recorded it, with uncredited vocal responses
Uncredited background singer
Uncredited background vocals are common in popular music, even when the unnamed performer adds significantly to the performance. It is uncommon for background singers to be credited. Usually credit is withheld so as to highlight the performance of the lead artist and sometimes the extra singer...
from Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Richard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
, under the title "The Wallflower" and it became a rhythm and blues hit, topping the U.S. R&B chart for 4 weeks. It was popularly known as "Roll with Me Henry".
The song was covered
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...
for the pop market, with the title, "Dance With Me Henry", by Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs first achieved acclaim in the mid-1950s interpreting songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later as a featured vocalist on a long list of...
. That version charted in 1955
1955 in music
-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
, hitting the top 5 of several different pop charts. It reached number one on the Most Played In Juke Boxes chart on May 14, 1955, and spent three weeks on top of that chart.
In 2008, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
for her 1955 recording.
The song is a dialogue between "Henry" and the singer:
- Hey baby, whatta I have to do to make you love me too?
- You've got to roll with me Henry.
The context is the dance floor. The Midnighters also recorded an "answer to the answer": "Henry's Got Flat Feet (Can't Dance No More)".
The song inspired the title of the 1956 Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
film Dance with Me Henry
Dance with Me Henry
Dance with Me, Henry is a 1956 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the final film that they starred in together, although Costello went on to star in one more film before his death, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock.-Plot:...
, although the film's plot was unrelated to the song.. It was also included in the films Sister Act
Sister Act
Sister Act is a 1992 American comedy film released by Touchstone Pictures. Directed by Emile Ardolino, it features musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman and stars Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer who has been put under protective custody in a San Francisco convent and has to pretend to be a...
and also Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
. Etta James no longer performs the song.