The Hootchy Kootchy Dance

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The Hootchy Kootchy Dance is the title of a traditional children's folk song common in the USA that is sung to the tune of "The Streets of Cairo". Alternate titles for this song are "The Girls in France", "The Southern Part of France."

Today the phrase "hootchy-kootchy" generally means an erotic suggestive dance.

Businessman and congress member Sol Bloom has claimed that he originally improvised the melody with a piano in 1893 while promoting his exhibition called "A Street of Cairo" that was part of happening that celebrated the discovery of America by Columbus that had happened 400 years earlier. "A Street of Cairo" exhibition featured camel riding, snake charming and belly dancers.

The first five notes of the song are similiar to the beginning of a French song named "Echos du Temps Passé" (1857). This French song in turn is based on Algerian or Arabic song titled "Kradoutja" that was popular in French in 17th century.

The song appears frequently in cartoons when something that is connected with deserts, Arabia, Egypt, belly dancing, snake charming or muslims is being displayed.

Contents

[edit] The use of melody in popular music

Since the piece is not copyrighted, it was used as a basis for several songs in the early 20th century including

  • "Hoolah! Hoolah!"
  • "Dance Of The Midway"
  • "Coochi-Coochi Polka"
  • "Danse Du Ventre"
  • "Kutchi Kutchi"
  • "The Streets Of Cairo"

The song is also quoted by Irving Berlin in his song "Harem Nights" (aka "In the Harem"). The first notes of the song are also heard in "You Scared the Lovin' Outta Me" (1977), a Funkadelic song written by George Clinton and Glen Goins.

[edit] Appearances in cartoons

  • Goofy Goat Antics (1933)
  • Circus Capers (1930)
  • Mighty Mouse: Aladdin's Lamp (1947)
  • Toon Factory Porky: Ali Baba Bound

[edit] Appearances in computer games

From cartoons the song has been adapted to video games. It appears on following computer and videogames:

[edit] Lyrics

As with most children's songs, there are wide variations to the lyrics of what is sung. In Jack Kerouacs' classic novel On the Road he writes about visiting the "hootchy-kootchy joints" on North Clark Street in Chicago "to hear the bop"- probably jazz clubs of the time (1951).

Variant #1

Oh the girls in France
Wear their whiskers in their pants
And the things they do
Would kill a Russian Jew
And the cloths they wear
Would freeze a polar bear.
Do what you mama says
And do what your papa says
But don't split your pants
Doing the Hootchy Kootchy Dance


Variant #2

Oh the girls in France did the hokey Cokey dance
Singing Annie put your fannie close to mine:
Oh the girls in Spain did the very, very same
Singing Nellie put your belly close to mine.


Variant #3

There's a place in France where the naked ladies dance.
There's a hole in the wall where the men can see it all.
The way they shake is enough to kill a snake.
There are alternate endings of the final verse, including:
* But the men don't care 'cause they're in their underwear
* But the men don't care 'cause they like to see them bare
* But the men don't care 'cause they chew their underwear

[edit] See also

An origin of "Hootchy Kootchy"

[edit] References

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