Shang-a-Lang (song)
| "Shang-a-Lang" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bay City Rollers | ||||
| from the album Rollin' | ||||
| B-side | "Are You Ready For That Rock & Roll" | |||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Format | 7-inch single | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Bell | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | |||
| Bay City Rollers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Shang-A-Lang" is a song and single by Scottish band, Bay City Rollers. Written and produced by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, it was first released in the UK in 1974.[1]
Background and chart success
It reached number 2 in the UK charts in 1974 and was in the charts for 10 weeks. It was their third UK chart success and, at the time, their highest placed single in the chart.[2] It was kept from the number 1 position by "Sugar Baby Love" by The Rubettes.[3]
Co-writer Bill Martin described the song as an attempt to combine Brill Building songwriting with the sound of the Glasgow shipyards and was particular influenced by the partly onomatopoeic lines of "Da Doo Ron Ron". He has wanted to use "clang-clang" for the sound of the shipyards but did not do so as it was used in "The Trolley Song". Co-writer Phil Coulter created the clapping sound by hitting two pieces of wood together as he had in their 1970 writing success, "Back Home", by the England football team.[3]
References
- ↑ "Bay City Rollers — Shang-A-Lang". www.45cat.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ↑ "Shang-A-Lang". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- 1 2 "The Bay City Rollers: how we made Shang-A-Lang". The Guardian. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2015.