60s - The Twist (Chubby Checker)

The Twist

"The Twist" was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side (to "Teardrops on Your Letter") but his version was only a moderate 1960 hit, peaking at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song, and the dance the Twist, was popularised in 1960 when the song was covered by Chubby Checker. His single became a smash hit, reaching #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and then resurfaced and topped the chart again for 2 weeks in January, 1962.

Checker re-recorded the song numerous times. An updated 1982 recording was retitled "T-82", and in the 1990s, he recorded a country version. Checker also recorded variations on the theme, such as "Let's Twist Again (Like We Did Last Summer)" to keep the craze alive (although "Let's Twist Again" was and has remained more popular than "The Twist" itself in the UK).

In 1988, the song "The Twist" became popular once again, due to a new recording of the song by The Fat Boys featuring Chubby Checker. This version reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Germany.

Lyrics:

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's just 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