"Hoots Mon" is a song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

 written

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 by Harry Robinson and performed by Lord Rockingham's XI

Lord Rockingham's XI

Lord Rockingham's XI was a group of British session musicians, led by Harry Robinson , who had a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1958 with "Hoots Mon"....

. It was a number-one hit single

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 for three weeks in 1958 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. It is based on the old Scottish folk song, A Hundred Pipers

A Hundred Pipers

- Lyrics :These lyrics are in Scots.- Lyrics :These lyrics are in Scots.- Lyrics :These lyrics are in Scots.:Wi' a hundred pipers, an' a', an' a',:Wi' a hundred pipers, an' a', an' a',:We'll up an' gie them a blaw, a blaw...

. It was also one of the first rock and roll songs to feature the Hammond organ

Hammond organ

The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...

, which would become popular in rock and roll music the following year with Dave Cortez's The Happy Organ

The Happy Organ

"The Happy Organ" is the name of an instrumental composition made famous by Dave "Baby" Cortez in 1959. Cortez co-composed it with Kurt Wood; both were orphans. A significant portion of the tune bears a strong resemblance to the traditional "Shortnin' Bread" tune. The song topped the Billboard Hot...

.

The record

Gramophone record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 is mostly instrumental

Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....

, punctuated by four stereotypical Scottish

Scottish English

Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....

 phrases:

• "Och aye", an exclamation meaning "Yes"
• "Hoots mon", an interjection usually meaning "Hey!"
• "There's a moose loose aboot this hoose" ("There's a mouse loose about this house"), a standard cliché highlighting Scots Language
  Scots language
  Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
  
   pronunciation.
• "It's a braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht." ("It's a beautiful, bright moonlit night")

The song was covered

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 by Bad Manners

Bad Manners

Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...

. It was also used in a commercial

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...

 for Maynards Wine Gums

Maynards

Maynards is a sweets manufacturer in United Kingdom and Canada, and is most famous for its Wine Gums.- History :Charles Riley Maynard and his brother Tom started manufacturing sweets in 1880 in their kitchen in Stamford Hill, London. Next door, Charles's wife, Sarah Ann, ran a sweet shop selling...

 with the line "There's a moose loose aboot this hoose" changed to "There's juice loose aboot this hoose".

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)
• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

External links