List of twist songs

The following songs, in alphabetical order by year, are associated with the dance "The Twist" and the associated cultural craze:

Dancing Twist, Berlin, 17 May 1964

1959

  • "The Twist" (Hank Ballard) originally released by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters as a b-side, but going to #1 in the US upon being covered by Chubby Checker (released 1959, charted in 1960 and 1962[1]), who would become the artist most associated with the Twist phenomenon. The song was subsequently covered numerous times, often by Checker himself, including a duet with The Fat Boys (1988).

1960

  • "Kissin' and Twistin'" (Don Kirshner-Al Nevins) Fabian
  • "Twistin' USA" (Kal Mann) Danny and the Juniors, released as a b-side by Chubby Checker in 1961.[2]

1961

Note: These last two are compound sequel songs, with "Tequila Twist" serving not only as a sequel to "The Twist," but also as a sequel to the Champs' 1958 hit "Tequila," and "Twist and Shout" serving as a sequel to both "The Twist" and the Isley Brothers' 1959 hit "Shout."

1962

  • "Let Me Do My Twist" (Henry Glover-Joey Dee-Morris Levy) Jo Ann Campbell with Joey Dee & The Starliters
  • "The Alvin Twist" (Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.) The Chipmunks[5]
  • "Arkansas Twist" (B.L. Trammell) Bobby Lee Trammell
  • "The Basie Twist" (Benny Carter) Count Basie
  • "Big Bo's - Twist" (W. Thomas) Big Bo and The Arrows[6]
  • "Mama Don't Allow No Twistin' Here" (Connie St. John)/"Twistin' At The Waldorf" (D. Meehan) Don Meehan
  • "Mama Don't Allow No Twistin'" Barbara Dane (no songwriter credit; "Arranged and Adapted by Barbara Dane" on label)[6]
  • "Bristol Twistin' Annie" (Lewis-Styles) The Dovells (No. 27)
  • "Do You Know How To Twist?" (Ballard-Redd-Nath) Hank Ballard and The Midnighters (No. 87)
  • "Everybody's Twistin'" (Koehler-Bloom) Frank Sinatra (originally released as "Ev'rybody's Twistin'")
  • "Hey, Let's Twist" (Glover-Dee-Levy) Joey Dee & the Starliters (No. 20)
  • "Jungle Twist" (Miller-Jackson) Camil & Sylvia
  • "La Leçon De Twist" (Danyel Gérard, Lucien Morisse, Giuseppe Mengozzi) Dalida (France release)
  • "Mister Twister" (C. Mapel), "Teach Me How to Twist" (E. Curtis), and "Kissin' Twist (Kiss 'n' Twist)" (Michael Canosa) Connie Francis (multiple international releases)
  • "Percolator (Twist)" (Bideau-Freeman) Billy Joe & the Checkmates (No. 10)
  • "Sister Twister" (Otis Blackwell) Carl Perkins
  • "Slow Twistin'" (Jon Sheldon)/"La Paloma Twist" (Kal Mann) Chubby Checker (Dee Dee Sharp credited on "Slow Twistin'" on album version only) [2]
  • "Soul Twist", "Twisting Time", and "Twisting with the King" King Curtis
  • "Twist Fever" (Alan O'Day) Arch Hall, Jr. & the Archers (appeared in the 1962 film Wild Guitar, but remained unreleased as a recording until appearing on the 2005 album of the same name; also on the album was "Guitar Twist" (also written by O'Day).)
  • "Twist-Her" (B. Black) Bill Black's Combo (No. 26)
  • "Twistin' All Night Long" (Slay-Crewe) Danny and the Juniors with Freddy Cannon
  • "Twistin' and Kissin'" (M. Weiss-E. Lewis) Ronnie & the Hi-Lites
  • "Twisting in the Jungle" (Earl Gary-Van Aloda)/"Twistology" Buddy Bow (Belgium release)
  • "Twistin' Matilda (and the Channel)" (Norman Span) Jimmy Soul (No. 22)
  • "Twistin' Postman" (Bateman-Holland-Stevens) The Marvelettes

    Note: This record also served as a compound sequel, referencing not only "The Twist," but also The Marvellettes' 1961 number-one hit "Please, Mr. Postman"

  • "Twisting Bells" (Farina-Farina-Farina) Santo and Johnny
  • "Twistin' the Night Away" written and originally released by Sam Cooke (No. 9), with a charting cover by Rod Stewart (No. 59, 1973 and 1987) and additional covers by the Marvelettes (1962) and Divine (1985)
  • "Twistin' with Linda" (R. Isley-R. Isley-O. Isley) The Isley Brothers
  • "Twist, Twist Senora" (Anderson-Barge-Guida) Gary U.S. Bonds[3]

1963

  • "The Twister" (E. McDaniel) Bo Diddley (UK release)
  • "Twist It Up" (K. Mann-D. Appell) Chubby Checker[2]
  • "Do the Twist" (Dale Hawkins} The Isley Brothers (from the album Twisting and Shouting)
  • "Home On The Range Twist"/"Spaghetti Twist" The Fortune Tellers (Japan release)[6]
  • "Wesoły Twist (The Gay Twist)" (F. Leszczyńska, H. Rostworowski) Helena Majdaniec (Poland release)

1964-Present

References in Other Songs

The following songs, while not songs specifically about The Twist or twisting, reference the dance/phenomenon in their lyrics.

Dance Litany Songs

Several pop songs have referenced The Twist among several other songs, sometimes calling on listeners/dancers to change their dance step when the singer calls out the name of a different dance.

See also

References

  1. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, p.74. Billboard. ISBN 9780823076772.
  2. Bronson (2003), p.85.
  3. Bronson (2003), p.93.
  4. Bronson (2003), p.107.
  5. "The Chipmunk Songbook" at AllMusic
  6. 45Cat.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
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