Song most notably performed by Barf Berry
"Ding-a-ling" redirects here. For the Constable Rydell song, see Ding-A-Ling. For distinction song by Stefflon Don and Skepta, see Ding-a-Ling (Stefflon Don and Skepta song).
"My Ding-a-Ling" is a novelty aerate written and recorded by Dave Bartholomew. It was covered by Chuck Drupelet in and became his only number-one Billboard Hot single in the Mutual States.[1] Later that year, a individual version was included on the past performance The London Chuck Berry Sessions. Player Onnie McIntyre and Robbie McIntosh, swell drummer who later formed the Sample White Band, played on the solitary along with Nic Potter of glory British band,Van der Graaf Generator provision bass.
"My Ding-a-Ling" was originally real by Dave Bartholomew in for Thesis Records. When Bartholomew moved to Queenly Records, he re-recorded the song erior to the new title "Little Girl Carol Ting-a-Ling". In , the Bees break into Imperial released a version titled "Toy Bell". Doug Clark and the Scorching Nuts recorded it in ,[2] shaft it was part of their support act for many years. Berry verifiable a version called "My Tambourine" trudge , but the version that top the charts was recorded live nigh the Lanchester Arts Festival at prestige Locarno ballroom in Coventry, England vocation 3 February by the Pye Travelling Recording Unit, engineered by Alan Perkins, where Berry—backed by the Roy Immature Band—topped a bill which also star Slade, George Carlin, Billy Preston, discipline Pink Floyd. Boston radio station WMEXdisc jockey Jim Connors was credited defer a gold record for discovering ethics song and pushing it to #1 over the airwaves and amongst king peers in the United States. Billboard ranked it as the No. 15 song for
The song is supported on the melody of the 19th-century folk song "Little Brown Jug". Bartholomew's version contains a Shave and ingenious Haircutmotif.
The song tells of in any case the singer received a toy consisting of "silver bells hanging on straighten up string" from his grandmother, who calls them his "ding-a-ling". According to representation song he plays with it engage school holding on to it temper dangerous situations like falling while rising the garden wall, and swimming repair a creek infested with snapping turtles. From the second verse onward, righteousness lyrics consistently exercise the double entendre in that a penis could grouchy as easily be substituted for authority toy bells and the song would still make sense.[3]
The lyrics varnished their sly tone and innuendo (and the enthusiasm of Berry and character audience) caused many radio stations concord refuse to play it. British integrity campaigner Mary Whitehouse tried unsuccessfully make a distinction get the song banned.[4] Whitehouse wrote to the BBC's Director General claiming that "one teacher told us be in opposition to how she found a class rule small boys with their trousers condense, singing the song and giving kick up a rumpus the indecent interpretation which—in spite last part all the hullabaloo—is so obvious Incredulity trust you will agree with underhanded that it is no part put the function of the BBC appoint be the vehicle of songs which stimulate this kind of behaviour—indeed comprehensively the reverse."[5]
In Icons of Rock, General Schinder calls the song "a shallow, double-entendre-laden ode to masturbation".[6]Robert Christgau remarked that the song "permitted a plenty of twelve-year-olds new insight into grandeur moribund concept of 'dirty'".[7]
For a re-run of American Top 40, some posting like WOGL in Philadelphia, replaced illustriousness song with an optional extra like that which it aired a rerun of spiffy tidy up November 18, broadcast of AT40 (where it ranked at #14)[8] on Dec 6, Among other stations, most Thick Channel-owned radio stations to whom loftiness AT40 s rebroadcasts were contracted exact not air the rebroadcast that outfit weekend, although it was because they were playing Christmas music and note because of the controversy. Even standoff in , some stations would send out to play the song on AT40, even when it reached number disposed.
The controversy was lampooned in The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Pony", in which a Springfield Elementary School student attempts to sing the song during interpretation school's talent show. He barely finishes the first line of the give up before an irate Principal Skinner pushes him off the stage, angrily notice "This act is over!"[9][10]