At the Hop

For the Devendra Banhart song, see Niño Rojo.

"At the Hop"
Single by Danny & the Juniors[1]
B-side	"Sometimes (When I'm All Alone)"
Released	1957
Format	45 rpm,78 rpm single
Genre	Doo-wop, Rockabilly
Label	ABC

"At the Hop" is a hit rock 'n' roll song written by Arthur Singer, John Medora and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors.^[2] The song was released in the fall of 1957, and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, thus becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958.^[3] "At the Hop" also hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers list.^[4]

The song became more prominent after it was performed by rock and roll revival act Sha Na Na at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and featured in the 1973 coming-of-age teen drama American Graffiti. Musically, it's notable for combining two of the most popular formulas in 1950s rock'n'roll, the 12 bar blues and the 50s progression.

Background

The song was written by White, Medora and Singer in 1957, when Danny & the Juniors were still called The Juvenairs. Initially called "Do the Bop", the song was heard by Dick Clark, who suggested they change its name. After performing the song on Clark's show American Bandstand, it gained popularity and went to the top of the US charts, remaining at number one for five weeks.^[5]

The song describes the scene at a record hop, particularly the dances being performed and the interaction with the disc jockey host.

A sample of the song's lyrics (contemporary popular dances in italics):

You can rock it you can roll it

Do the stomp and even stroll it

At the hop.

When the record starts spinnin'

You chalypso and you chicken at the hop

Do the dance sensation that is sweepin' the nation

at the hop

Cover versions

"At the Hop" was performed at Woodstock by Sha-Na-Na in August 1969, and was included on the soundtrack album.

It was also performed by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids and included on the soundtrack for the 1973 movie American Graffiti. This recording was produced by Kim Fowley.

Scooter performs this song on an episode of The Muppet Show.

Singer Nick Todd, brother of Pat Boone, reached the Billboard Top 100 with his cover.

New Orleans based band Dash Rip Rock recorded a parody version titled "(Lets Go) Smoke Some Pot".

It was sung by Elvis Presley in Bad Nauheim in 1959, and can be found on the bootleg-album Greetings from Germany.

"At The Hop" was also covered by German singer Freddy Quinn in 1958.^[6]

The song was part of Uriah Heep's song "Rock'n'Roll Medley", to be found on Live 1973.

Trivia

This song was used in the 1983 horror film Christine.

This song is derived in the Family Guy episode "Let's Go to the Hop".^{[citation needed]}

It is played frequently in the American radio program The Savage Nation, hosted by conservative talk show host Michael Savage.

The song is used in the videogame Mafia II.

References

1. ^ "Danny and the Juniors - At the Hop". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/Danny-And-The-Juniors-At-The-Hop/release/1444932. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
2. ^ "At the Hop - Danny and the Juniors -". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/danny-the-juniors/at-the-hop/3472375. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
3. ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Macmillan. 1998. p. 1384. ISBN 0-333-74134-X. 
4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 145. 
5. ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Macmillan. 1998. p. 1384. ISBN 0-333-74134-X. 
6. ^ "At the Hop - Freddy Quinn". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/song/t18382434. Retrieved 5 June 2010. 

Preceded by "April Love" by Pat Boone	Billboard Top 100 number-one single January 6, 1958 (7 weeks)	Succeeded by "Get a Job" by The Silhouettes
Preceded by "You Send Me" by Sam Cooke	Billboard R&B Best Sellers in Stores number-one single January 6, 1958 - January 27, 1958 (five weeks)	Succeeded by "Get a Job" by The Silhouettes