Week 7: The Twist

   

    For this weeks blog post, I listened to "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. This song was originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and was a moderate hit. However, when Chubby Checker covered the song in 1960, it reached number one twice. He performed his song on the the popular television dance show, American Bandstand where it was a big hit. Checker's version of "The Twist" sparked an entire dance craze in the sixties and other songs correlating to dances popped up such as "Let's Twist Again" and "Mashed Potato Time". 

    The song "The Twist" has a fun feeling that makes you want to dance. It has the early rick n' roll sound that I sort of associate with Elvis. There are background singers throughout the song forming a sort of barbershop quartet backing. In the middle of the song, there is a fun saxophone solo that really fits well with the rest of the song. The lyrics of the song also encourage dancing. The singer says "Let's do the twist. Take me by my little hand and go like this" and "We're gonna twisty, twisty, twisty 'til we tear the house down". It is not surprising to me after listening to this song that is sparked its own dance craze. It is very fun and upbeat and I enjoyed listening to it.

Comments

  1. Sheridan Walk26 October 2020 at 13:06

    This is such a fun song, and it is so upbeat and happy. It is also so amusing to dance to this song! I love when this plays at weddings or parties because I love to see all the old people dance to it. They get really into it sometimes. I think it shows how much of an impact it had on their generation. Can't wait till we're old and we'll being doing some tiktok dance or something at our grandchildren's wedding lol.

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  2. Allie Pierce26 October 2020 at 15:11

    This was one of two songs I didn't recognize on this weeks list. I gave it a listen and I totally see (or should I say hear) what you mean! It has a really fun energy and I can see why it was so popular during its time. Did this song influence 'Twist and Shout' by the Beatles? Although very repetitive, I think this song is perfect to encourage dancing and that's why it brought such a dance craze. Great post!

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  3. Keri Carter26 October 2020 at 18:13

    This song just has an amazing vibe to it. I love how you actually went into the history of the song. I would have never guessed it aired on a tv show or reached number one twice! I think the history of this song is really important because it is really impressive to reach number one twice and that goes to show how amazing this song truly is! I love how you talked about the barbershop quartet vibe because I totally agree!! Good job!

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  4. Vic26 October 2020 at 19:31

    This really is a song that is just fun to dance too. I almost feel like there is no point in playing the song if you don't end up dancing to it. It compares to how songs like Gangnam Style and Tootsie Slide aren't really songs I would play unless it was for the intention to let loose a little and dance around. I definitely feel like this song created the same type of energy when played in the 60's like those two songs do nowadays.

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  5. Clara Greenwell26 October 2020 at 19:49

    This song is so fun! I understand how it was on the top of the charts and how it has become a classic. It is so upbeat and fun to listen to. It really just makes me want to dance. This is a super awesome song. Great post!

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  6. Meg26 October 2020 at 21:36

    One of my favorite things about older songs are how diverse it all is vocally. They put so much a capella effort into their songs, and they have so many layers to what they're singing. It makes a lot of songs more fun and upbeat when they add different vocals behind the main singer. It's also more catchy that way too!

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