The Wah-Watusi
1962 single by the Orlons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Wah-Watusi" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell and recorded by the Orlons in 1962. It is named for the Watusi, a popular dance style among American teenagers during the early 1960s. The song reached No. 2 on the U.S. pop chart (just behind Bobby Vinton's "Roses Are Red"), No. 5 on the U.S. R&B chart,[1] and No. 12 in Canada[2]. That same year, it was featured on the Orlons' album The Wah-Watusi.[3]
| "The Wah-Watusi" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Orlons | ||||
| from the album The Wah-Watusi | ||||
| B-side | "Holiday Hill" | |||
| Released | May 1962 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Cameo | |||
| Songwriters | Kal Mann, Dave Appell | |||
| The Orlons singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Wah-Watusi" sold over one million copies and was awarded gold disc status.[4]
The song ranked No. 24 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1962.[5]
Other versions
- Dee Dee Sharp, on her 1962 compilation album All the Hits by Dee Dee Sharp.[6]
- Annette, as a single in 1964, but it did not chart.[7]
- The Miracles, on their 1963 album The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey.[8]
- The Ronettes included their version on the 2011 various artists album The Philles Album Collection.[9] Their rendition had originally been released on The Crystals' 1963 album The Crystals Sing the Greatest Hits Volume 1, but The Crystals received credit for the song.
In popular culture
- The Orlons' version was featured in the 2011 film The Help and was included on the soundtrack.
- The Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Massachusetts has adapted the song as a commercial jingle for a number of years.[10]
- In an episode of Mama's Family, Naomi and her friend Luann are singing and dancing to it.
- A variation of The Wha-Watusi dance called, "Wagon Wheel Watusi," is featured in the film Burlesque.
