Musing in Manhattan

     Here is a music trivia question for you:  What song was named the biggest hit of all time on American Billboard’s Hot 100 All Time Songs survey?  Think you know the answer?  If you said:  “The Twist” by Chubby Checker you are absolutely correct.  Yes, Chubby Checker’s 1960 hit “The Twist” still holds the title of the biggest hit of all time by Billboard’s rankings; Which isn’t hard to believe because it seems that just about everyone under the sun (or at least everyone here in the United States) can be seen Twisting their hips to the all-time favorite at wedding after wedding.  What you may not know is this:  Chubby Checker did not write the song, nor was he the first to release it.  “The Twist” was originally written, performed, and released by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a “B-Side” to one of their other songs.  “The Twist” was a minor hit for the group in 1959.  One year later, Chubby Checker (born under the name Ernest Evans) covered and released the track.  Chubby Checker’s version was a hit!   Teens all over the country were “Twisting” their hips to the R&B hit song and the dance sensation was born!  Checker and his new hit were on their way to the top of the charts; it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 19th, 1960. 

     “The Twist” (a 12 bar blues song) was Chubby Checkers first of two #1 hits (the second was “The Pony” which also gave way to a new dance trend called–what else:  “The Pony”.   What exactly was the appeal of the song?  Why didn’t it catch on when it was first released by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters?  One can only speculate that Chubby Checker had the magic pipes to bring it to its true potential.  Add to that the fact that the song is simple in its’ lyrics, snappy in its’ rhythm and so fun and easy to dance to and you have a recipe for success. ”The Twist” is a good, clean, fun and wholesome song; one that every generation can appreciate. It’s the kind of song that your parents didn’t mind you listening to on your phonograph over and over again–a harmless ditty that encompassed innocence and at its core was the idea of being young and just having  good clean fun on the dance floor at the local burger joint.  Not dangerous like Elvis’s thrusting pelvic movements, “The Twist” was considered acceptable behavior.  The most rebellious line in the song is probably this:  “We’re gonna twist, twista, twist, till we tear the house down!”  The song caught on like wildfire and Chubby Checker could be found on variety show after variety show performing “The Twist” for live audiences all over the country.

     Today, your great grandparents, grandparents, your mom and dad, even your kids from toddler to teen, love to get up on the wedding hall dance floor and just twist and shake those hips when they hear Chubby Checker’s invitation: “Come on Baby, Let’s Do the Twist!”  The song is a party-goers favorite, get me up out of my seat prompt.  Even the most stoic of party guests (even if they won’t admit it) feels that stirring inside to get up and dance or to belt out the words from their seats.  The great thing about “The Twist” both as a song and a dance is that it allows even the most rhythmically challenged of souls to be a star on the dance floor.  You just can’t do it wrong!  Even Steve Martin as ”The Jerk” probably could’ve managed to play it off. 

     “The Twist” also spawned a sequel titled: “Let’s Twist Again” (Like we did Last Summer) which although it did not reach number 1 on the charts, did very well in its day and continues to be played very frequently on the airwaves of the oldies stations and at parties today.  Its’ predecessor, though, the original “The Twist” still remains the number one song of all time for over 45 years of the Billboards 100 Hot charts.  How long will it reign last?  What could possibly take it out of the running?  Only the future will tell.

Cheryl Anne Nelson Handley  Sept, 2008

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