The Clapping Song

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"The Clapping Song" is an American song originally recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Shirley had hit it big with a similar song, "The Name Game". The lyrics of "The Clapping Song" are reminiscent of a nursery rhyme or jump-rope rhyme, and also feature instructions for a clapping game. The song made it to the top ten on the charts, the last of three songs Shirley performed which did so.

The repeated chorus is very memorable:

Three, six, nine

The goose drank wine

The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line

The line broke, the monkey got choked

And they all went to heaven in a little row boat

[edit] Remakes

The song has been remade several times:

• The Belle Stars covered the song in 1982
• Pia Zadora had a minor top 40 hit with a cover in 1983
• Aaron Carter released a cover of the song on his 2000 album Aaron's Party (Come Get It)
• Lil' Kim performed the song (as Shirley Ellis) on an episode of the NBC drama American Dreams
• Gary Glitter covered this song on 3 albums "Glitter" in 1972, "Glam Years" 1991 and "Gary Glitter" in 1995.
• The Rotters Club recorded a cover which was featured on Skins Secret Party Special
• Jack Clayton-Wright then released a cover in 2004 and also performed it live at Aylesford school.
• The Hip-hop gospel Congolese group Makoma has covered the song recently.
• Timbaland protege Izza Kizza samples the chorus in his song "Walk The Dawg" featuring Missy Elliott.
• R&B Singer Cupid did a cover of the song with B.O.B on the Step Up 2 OST

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• A recent Old Navy commercial featured an original song called "The Sky is Blue," which was to the tune and beat of "The Clapping Song"
• The song was used in an advertising campaign for Matalan in the UK.
• The song was featured in the hip hop documentary Scratch as part of a story where Steinski speaks on one of his early encounter with hip-hop DJing. He mentions the song being played at a party, bringing back memories from his childhood, and how he loved the song at the party just the same.
• The song's verse structure is much like that of Tom Waits' song Clap Hands on Rain Dogs (1985)
• Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" quotes the line "And we all went to Heaven in a little row boat."
• Buck65's "1957" quotes the line "we all go to Heaven in a little row boat."
• In "Loco Mosquito"(Soldier,1980) Iggy Pop quotes some lines from The Clapping Song.
• The song 'Red Red Wine' by UB40 also quotes some of the lyrics ("The line broke, the monkey get choke")
• MTN South Africa used the song in a TV advert in 2007. The Advert was created by the Jupitor Drawing Room.