Tutti Frutti (song)
Encyclopedia
"Tutti Frutti" is a 1955 song by Little Richard
, which became his first hit record. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!" (supposedly intended to be an onomatopoeic parody of a drum intro) and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the models for Rock and Roll
itself.
since 1951, his records had been relatively undistinguished and had sold poorly. In February 1955, he sent a demo
tape to Specialty Records
, which was heard by producer Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell. Blackwell heard promise in the tapes and arranged a recording session for Little Richard at Cosimo Matassa
's studio in New Orleans in September 1955, with Fats Domino
's backing band. The band included Lee Allen
and Alvin "Red" Tyler
on saxophones, Frank Fields on guitar, and Earl Palmer
on drums.
However, as the session wore on, Little Richard's anarchic performance style was not being fully captured on tape. In frustration during a lunch break, he started pounding a piano and singing a ribald song which he had been performing live for some time. The song that he sang was a piece of music that he “had polished in clubs across the South".
The song "Tutti Frutti" bears similarities to an earlier song titled "Tutti Booty", recorded by Slim and Slam in 1938. Little Richard sang :
"A-wop bop-a loo-mop, a-lop bam-boom!
Tutti Frutti, aw-rooty"
After this lively performance, Blackwell knew the song was going to be a hit, but recognized that the lyrics, with their “minstrel modes and sexual humor” needed to be cleaned up.
Blackwell contacted local songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie
to revise the lyrics, with Little Richard still playing in his characteristic style. According to Blackwell, Dorothy La Bostrie “didn’t understand melody”, but was definitely a “prolific writer". The original lyrics, “Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy", were replaced with “Tutti Frutti, all rooty! Tutti Frutti, all rooty”. (All rooty was hipster
slang for "all right".) In addition to Penniman and LaBostrie, a third name—Lubin—is credited as co-writer. Some sources considered this to be a pseudonym used by Specialty label owner Art Rupe
to claim royalties on some of his label's songs, but others refer to songwriter Joe Lubin. Songwriter LaBostrie was quoted as saying that "Little Richard didn't write none of 'Tutti Frutti'." She was still receiving royalty checks on the average of $5,000 every three to six months from the song in the 80s.
Blackwell stated that time constraints didn't permit a new arrangement, so Little Richard recorded the revised song in three takes, taking about fifteen minutes, with the original piano part. The song was recorded on September 14, 1955. Released on Specialty 561, the record entered the Billboard
Rhythm and Blues chart
at the end of November 1955, and rose to # 2 early in 1956. It also reached # 17 on the Billboard pop chart. In the UK, it only scraped into the top 30 in 1957, as the B-side of "Long Tall Sally
". The song, with its 12 bar blues chord progression, provided the foundation of Little Richard's career. It was seen as a very aggressive song that contained more features of African American vernacular music than any other past recordings in this style.
The song, as sung by Little Richard, is #43 in Rolling Stone
' s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
. It is #1 in Mojo Music Magazines list of 100 records that changed the world.
"Tutti Frutti" provided the title for one of the earliest books about the development of rock and roll and pop music from the 1950s, Nik Cohn
's "Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom" (1969).
In 2010, The Library of Congress National Recording Registry added Penniman's original 1955 hit “Tutti Frutti” to its registry, claiming that the hit announced a new era in music: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!”
, written and first recorded by Carl Perkins
as an example, was recorded at least 30 times in the 1950s and 1960s. Both Blue Suede Shoes and Bill Haley and the Comets' See You Later Alligator
consistently outranked "Tutti Fruiti" on the Cash Box Best Selling Singles list.
Pat Boone
's version of the song led at 12 ranking with Little Richard's trailing behind in the 17th position. Pat Boone himself admitted that he did not wish to do a cover of “Tutti Frutti” because “it didn’t make sense” to him; however, the producers persuaded him into making a different version by claiming that the record would generate attention and money.
Little Richard admits that though Pat Boone “took [his] music”, Boone made it more popular due to his high status in the white music industry. Nevertheless, a Washington Post Staff Writer, Richard Harrington, quotes Richard in an article:
Richard's contract with Peacock had been purchased by Specialty Records
owner Art Rupe
, who also owned the publishing company that bought Richard's songs. Specialty's deal with Richard was typical of the company's dealings with their artists.
by many musicians. After Pat Boone
's success with "Ain't That a Shame
", his next single was "Tutti Frutti", markedly toned down from the already reworked Blackwell version. Boone's version outdid Little Richard's on the US pop charts, reaching #12.
Elvis Presley
recorded the song and it was included in his first RCA album Elvis Presley
March 23, 1956. Presley's version uses "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" for every verse, instead of at the very end of the original.
Queen
played it every gig during their live Magic Tour shows in 1986. It is also featured during the T.Rex jam session with Elton John
during the 1972 rock film Born to Boogie
. It is the first song on the MC5
album, Back in the USA. The song was covered by Fair Weather
in 1970.
Sting recorded the tune for the original soundtrack of the 1982 film Party Party.
The Disney Channel ran a DTV
music video of the song, set mostly to clips from the 1940 Donald Duck
cartoon Mr. Duck Steps Out
(Daisy Duck
represents the character of the same name in the lyrics), but also the 1942 cartoon Mickey's Birthday Party
(with Clara Cluck representing Sue in the lyrics).
This song is also featured in the 1987 movie The Brave Little Toaster
.
The song is featured on the California Raisins soundtrack from their first special, Meet the Raisins.
The song is sung by Val Kilmer in Top Secret!
The song is featured in DJ Hero
mixed with "Beats" by Shlomo.
WWE's Mean Gene Okerlund covered it, and uses it as his entrance tune. It appears on 1985's The Wrestling Album
.
The song is performed in Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever
.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
did their rendition of the song in their 1990 T.V. documentary special Rockin' Through the Decades
starring Will Smith
, and their full version can be heard in their album of the same name.
In the 1991 film Flirting
, Thandie Newton
recites the song lyrics in full at a school debate on the relative importance of the intellectual and physical spheres of human experience.
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, which became his first hit record. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!" (supposedly intended to be an onomatopoeic parody of a drum intro) and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the models for Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
itself.
Original recording by Little Richard
Although Little Richard Penniman had recorded for Peacock RecordsPeacock Records
Peacock Records was a record label started in 1949 by Don D. Robey in Houston, Texas."Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton was a bit hit for Peacock in 1953. Other significant rhythm & blues artists on Peacock were Marie Adams, James Booker, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Little Richard, Memphis Slim, and...
since 1951, his records had been relatively undistinguished and had sold poorly. In February 1955, he sent a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape to Specialty Records
Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
, which was heard by producer Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell. Blackwell heard promise in the tapes and arranged a recording session for Little Richard at Cosimo Matassa
Cosimo Matassa
Cosimo Matassa is an Italian-American recording engineer and studio owner responsible for many R&B and early rock and roll recordings....
's studio in New Orleans in September 1955, with Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
's backing band. The band included Lee Allen
Lee Allen (musician)
Lee Allen was an American tenor saxophone player born in Pittsburg, Kansas.A key figure in the New Orleans rock and roll scene of the 1950s, Allen recorded with many leading performers of the early rock and roll era...
and Alvin "Red" Tyler
Alvin Tyler
Alvin "Red" Tyler was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist and arranger.Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Tyler grew up listening to the sound of New Orleans marching bands. He began playing saxophone when in the Navy, and by 1950 had joined Dave Bartholomew’s R&B...
on saxophones, Frank Fields on guitar, and Earl Palmer
Earl Palmer
Earl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
on drums.
However, as the session wore on, Little Richard's anarchic performance style was not being fully captured on tape. In frustration during a lunch break, he started pounding a piano and singing a ribald song which he had been performing live for some time. The song that he sang was a piece of music that he “had polished in clubs across the South".
The song "Tutti Frutti" bears similarities to an earlier song titled "Tutti Booty", recorded by Slim and Slam in 1938. Little Richard sang :
"A-wop bop-a loo-mop, a-lop bam-boom!
Tutti Frutti, aw-rooty"
After this lively performance, Blackwell knew the song was going to be a hit, but recognized that the lyrics, with their “minstrel modes and sexual humor” needed to be cleaned up.
Blackwell contacted local songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie
Dorothy LaBostrie
Dorothy LaBostrie , alternatively La Bostrie or Labostrie, later Dorothy LaBostrie Black, was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing Little Richard's 1955 hit "Tutti Frutti"....
to revise the lyrics, with Little Richard still playing in his characteristic style. According to Blackwell, Dorothy La Bostrie “didn’t understand melody”, but was definitely a “prolific writer". The original lyrics, “Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy", were replaced with “Tutti Frutti, all rooty! Tutti Frutti, all rooty”. (All rooty was hipster
Hipster (1940s subculture)
Hipster, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jazz, in particular bebop, which became popular in the early 1940s. The hipster adopted the lifestyle of the jazz musician, including some or all of the following: dress, slang, use of cannabis and other drugs, relaxed attitude, sarcastic...
slang for "all right".) In addition to Penniman and LaBostrie, a third name—Lubin—is credited as co-writer. Some sources considered this to be a pseudonym used by Specialty label owner Art Rupe
Art Rupe
Arthur N. "Art" Rupe is an American music industry executive and record producer. He started Specialty Records, noted for its rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music recordings, in Los Angeles in 1946.-Career:Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Rupe...
to claim royalties on some of his label's songs, but others refer to songwriter Joe Lubin. Songwriter LaBostrie was quoted as saying that "Little Richard didn't write none of 'Tutti Frutti'." She was still receiving royalty checks on the average of $5,000 every three to six months from the song in the 80s.
Blackwell stated that time constraints didn't permit a new arrangement, so Little Richard recorded the revised song in three takes, taking about fifteen minutes, with the original piano part. The song was recorded on September 14, 1955. Released on Specialty 561, the record entered the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Rhythm and Blues chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
at the end of November 1955, and rose to # 2 early in 1956. It also reached # 17 on the Billboard pop chart. In the UK, it only scraped into the top 30 in 1957, as the B-side of "Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally
"Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label....
". The song, with its 12 bar blues chord progression, provided the foundation of Little Richard's career. It was seen as a very aggressive song that contained more features of African American vernacular music than any other past recordings in this style.
The song, as sung by Little Richard, is #43 in 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...
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"....
. It is #1 in Mojo Music Magazines list of 100 records that changed the world.
"Tutti Frutti" provided the title for one of the earliest books about the development of rock and roll and pop music from the 1950s, Nik Cohn
Nik Cohn
Nik Cohn is a British rock journalist, born in London in 1946. He was brought up in Derry, in the North of Ireland, the son of historian Norman Cohn and Russian writer Vera Broido...
's "Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom" (1969).
In 2010, The Library of Congress National Recording Registry added Penniman's original 1955 hit “Tutti Frutti” to its registry, claiming that the hit announced a new era in music: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!”
Racial connotations
Recording cover versions of songs was standard industry practice during the 1940s and 1950s. A hit song could generate many different versions: pop and instrumental, polka, blues, hillbilly, and others by a variety of artists. Blue Suede ShoesBlue Suede Shoes
"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time...
, written and first recorded by Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
as an example, was recorded at least 30 times in the 1950s and 1960s. Both Blue Suede Shoes and Bill Haley and the Comets' See You Later Alligator
See You Later Alligator
"See You Later, Alligator" is the title of an iconic rock and roll song of the 1950s.Originally entitled "Later Alligator", the song, based on a 12-bar blues chord structure , was written by Louisiana songwriter Robert Charles Guidry and first recorded by him under his professional name "Bobby...
consistently outranked "Tutti Fruiti" on the Cash Box Best Selling Singles list.
Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
's version of the song led at 12 ranking with Little Richard's trailing behind in the 17th position. Pat Boone himself admitted that he did not wish to do a cover of “Tutti Frutti” because “it didn’t make sense” to him; however, the producers persuaded him into making a different version by claiming that the record would generate attention and money.
Little Richard admits that though Pat Boone “took [his] music”, Boone made it more popular due to his high status in the white music industry. Nevertheless, a Washington Post Staff Writer, Richard Harrington, quotes Richard in an article:
Richard's contract with Peacock had been purchased by Specialty Records
Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
owner Art Rupe
Art Rupe
Arthur N. "Art" Rupe is an American music industry executive and record producer. He started Specialty Records, noted for its rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music recordings, in Los Angeles in 1946.-Career:Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Rupe...
, who also owned the publishing company that bought Richard's songs. Specialty's deal with Richard was typical of the company's dealings with their artists.
Other versions
The song has been coveredCover 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...
by many musicians. After Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
's success with "Ain't That a Shame
Ain't That a Shame
"Ain't That a Shame" is a song recorded by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. It was previously recorded in 1901 by Silas Leachman. The recording was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the...
", his next single was "Tutti Frutti", markedly toned down from the already reworked Blackwell version. Boone's version outdid Little Richard's on the US pop charts, reaching #12.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
recorded the song and it was included in his first RCA album Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley (album)
-1999 Reissue with Bonus Tracks:Catalogue data reflects simultaneous release of all tracks from LPM 1254 as singles in August, 1956; chart positions from Billboard Pop Singles chart.-2006 FTD Reissue:Disc OneDisc Two-Personnel:...
March 23, 1956. Presley's version uses "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" for every verse, instead of at the very end of the original.
Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
played it every gig during their live Magic Tour shows in 1986. It is also featured during the T.Rex jam session with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
during the 1972 rock film Born to Boogie
Born to Boogie
Born to Boogie is a 1972 concert film based around a concert at Wembley Empire Pool starring Marc Bolan and T. Rex. Directed by Ringo Starr, the movie was released on The Beatles' Apple Films label...
. It is the first song on the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
album, Back in the USA. The song was covered by Fair Weather
Fair Weather
Fair Weather was a British rock band formed in 1970 by former Amen Corner guitarist and vocalist, Andy Fairweather Low. They are best known for their track, "Natural Sinner".-Biography:The band evolved from a split within Amen Corner...
in 1970.
Sting recorded the tune for the original soundtrack of the 1982 film Party Party.
The Disney Channel ran a DTV
D-TV
D-TV was a series of music videos created by Walt Disney Productions in 1984 using popular music and video footage from Disney videos, mostly cartoons, created out of the trend of music videos on cable channel MTV, which inspired the name of this series...
music video of the song, set mostly to clips from the 1940 Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
cartoon Mr. Duck Steps Out
Mr. Duck Steps Out
Mr. Duck Steps Out is a Donald Duck cartoon made by The Walt Disney Company. The film was released on June 7, 1940 and featured the debut of Daisy Duck. The short was directed by Jack King and scripted by Carl Barks.-Synopsis:...
(Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
represents the character of the same name in the lyrics), but also the 1942 cartoon Mickey's Birthday Party
Mickey's Birthday Party
Mickey's Birthday Party is a cartoon made by Walt Disney starring Mickey Mouse in 1942, in which Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar and Clara Cluck throw a big party for Mickey where the mouse's wild rhumba dancing rules the day...
(with Clara Cluck representing Sue in the lyrics).
This song is also featured in the 1987 movie The Brave Little Toaster
The Brave Little Toaster (film)
The Brave Little Toaster is a 1987 animated adventure film adapted from the 1980 novel of the same name by Thomas Disch. The film was directed by Jerry Rees and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is set in a world where household appliances and other electronics have the ability to speak...
.
The song is featured on the California Raisins soundtrack from their first special, Meet the Raisins.
The song is sung by Val Kilmer in Top Secret!
Top Secret!
Top Secret! is a 1984 comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. It stars Val Kilmer , Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough and Jeremy Kemp. The film is a parody of the GDR era and Elvis films...
The song is featured in DJ Hero
DJ Hero
DJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...
mixed with "Beats" by Shlomo.
WWE's Mean Gene Okerlund covered it, and uses it as his entrance tune. It appears on 1985's The Wrestling Album
The Wrestling Album
The Wrestling Album is a music album released by the World Wrestling Federation in 1985. It was the first album released by the WWF. It features mostly theme music of wrestlers on the roster at the time.- Production :...
.
The song is performed in Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever is a 1991 musical comedy film and sequel to the 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School. The film stars Corey Feldman, Mary Woronov, and Sarah Buxton.-Plot:...
.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
did their rendition of the song in their 1990 T.V. documentary special Rockin' Through the Decades
Rockin' Through the Decades
Rockin' Through the Decades is a live-action and animated television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was directed by Steve Karman, produced by Bagdasarian Productions, premiered on NBC in 1990, and released on VHS by Buena Vista Home Video in 1992 as Rockin' with the...
starring Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, and their full version can be heard in their album of the same name.
In the 1991 film Flirting
Flirting (film)
Flirting is a 1991 Australian coming of age film about a romance between two teenagers, written and directed by John Duigan. It stars Noah Taylor, who appears again as Danny Embling, a character from Duigan's 1987 film The Year My Voice Broke. It also stars Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman....
, Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton
Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W....
recites the song lyrics in full at a school debate on the relative importance of the intellectual and physical spheres of human experience.