the twist

Chubby Checker took this dance craze to the top of the charts and then did it again two years later. Hank Ballard wrote 'The Twist' based on a old entendre and recorded it with the Midnighters in 1958. It was relegated to side B because producer Henry Glover wanted his song as side A. Baltimore DJ recommended the song to Dick Clark, who tried to get Ballard to perform it on 'American Bandstand'. When that didn't work out, Clark found Chubby Checker, who sounded like Ballard, to record a new version with Buddy Savitt on sax, Ellis Tollin on drums, and the Dreamlovers on backup vocals. After performing it on the show, Checker's version of 'The Twist' became a national sensation just months after Ballard's peaked at number twenty-eight. Two years later, it became popular with celebrities and again went to the top of the charts. Checker has done several versions of the song since and spinoffs like 'Twistin' U.S.A.', 'Let's Twist Again', and 'Slow Twistin''; but he has never matched the success of his first hit.

Come on baby let's do the twist

Come on baby let's do the twist

Take me by my little hand and go like this

Ee-oh twist baby baby twist

Oooh-yeah just like this

Come on little miss and do the twist

My daddy is sleepin' and mama ain't around

Yeah daddy is sleepin' and mama ain't around

We're gonna twisty twisty twisty

'Til we turn the house down

Come on and twist yeah baby twist

Oooh-yeah just like this

Come on little miss and do the twist

Yeah you should see my little Sis

You should see my my little Sis

She really knows how to rock

She knows how to twist

Come on and twist yeah baby twist

Oooh-yeah just like this

Come on little miss and do the twist

Yeah rock on now

Yeah twist on now

Twist.

Hank Ballard's original.