The Frug
Encyclopedia
The Frug was a dance craze
from the 1960s that evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pace step while doing the Twist
. As young dancers grew more tired they would do less work, moving only their hips while standing in place. They then started making up arm movements for the dance, which prompted the birth of the Swim, the Monkey
, the Dog, the Watusi
, the Mashed Potato
, and the Jerk
. The Frug is sometimes referred to as the Surf, Big Bea, and the Thunderbird.
A good example of a frug is found in the movie Sweet Charity
, which contains a number called "The Rich Man's Frug", a wildly energetic dance number comprising three "movements" ("The Aloof", "The Heavyweight" and "The Big Finish") that showcases director Bob Fosse
's distinctive choreography
style, particularly his creative use of unusual poses, gestures, and arm movements.
The Frug is mentioned prominently in Allan Sherman
's 1965 song "Crazy Downtown," a parody of Petula Clark's
"Downtown
".
The B-52's
1977 song of 1960s beach party film
references, "Rock Lobster
", contains the line, "Everybody's rockin'; Everybody's fruggin' ".
In a song of the same name, "The Frug" is referenced by the band Rilo Kiley
. It appeared on both their debut album The Initial Friend E.P.
and on the soundtrack to the movie Desert Blue
.
The Frug is one of the dances demonstrated in the Blues Brothers movie
during the "Shake a Tail Feather
" segment featuring Ray Charles
.
Singer Beyoncé Knowles
uses the dance craze as inspiration for the music video of her Dance track, Get Me Bodied
from her 2006 album B'Day
. Similarly, this style was featured in the music video for Emma Bunton's
track Maybe
'
In 2008, Welsh singer Duffy
used this dance in her fourth international single, "Rain on Your Parade
".
The Frug was the inspiration for the name of the band, "The Frug" in Huntsville, TX.
In 1964, in "In the Red Light: A History of the Republican Convention in 1964," published in the November 1964 issue of Esquire
, Norman Mailer
wrote: "The American mind had gone from Hawthorne
and Emerson
to the Frug, the Bounce, and Walking the Dog
, from The Flowering of New England
to the cerebrality of professional football in which a quarterback must have not only heart, courage, strength and grace but a mind like an I.B.M. computer." The piece is collected in Mailer's Cannibals and Christians (1966).
In The Crying of Lot 49
, author Thomas Pynchon
includes a song that makes a direct lyrical reference to the dance ("I may be too fat to Frug,/But at least I ain't too slim to Swim.").
In Mystery Science Theater 3000
episode #1007- Track of the Moon Beast, Crow refers to the dance, while the moon beast is dying, by saying: "The arrow caused him to frug."
On the crime-drama Law & Order
, in the season-two opening episode "Confession," Detective Mike Logan states that his plans for the evening are to review case notes with his (soon to be killed) partner, Max Greevy, and then, he says, "I'm going frugging with Patsy Kelley."
Dance Craze
Dance Craze is a 1981 British documentary film about the English 2 Tone music genre.The film was directed by Joe Massot, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness, who he met during their first US tour. Massot later changed his plans to include the whole 2 Tone movement...
from the 1960s that evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pace step while doing the Twist
Twist (dance)
The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...
. As young dancers grew more tired they would do less work, moving only their hips while standing in place. They then started making up arm movements for the dance, which prompted the birth of the Swim, the Monkey
Monkey (dance)
The Monkey is a novelty dance, most popular in 1963. The dance was popularized by two R&B records: Major Lance's "The Monkey Time", and The Miracles' "Mickey's Monkey" both Top 10 Pop hits released during the summer of 1963....
, the Dog, the Watusi
The Watusi
The Watusi is a solo dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. It was the second-most popular dance craze in the 1960s in the United States, after the Twist...
, the Mashed Potato
Mashed Potato
The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. It was danced to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time". Also referred to as "mash potato" or "mashed potatoes", the move vaguely resembles that of the Twist, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian, Chubby...
, and the Jerk
The Jerk (dance)
The Jerk was a popular dance in the 1960s. The song You're a Jerk written by Nathan Diaz inspired the jerk to become popular.-Description:...
. The Frug is sometimes referred to as the Surf, Big Bea, and the Thunderbird.
A good example of a frug is found in the movie Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
, which contains a number called "The Rich Man's Frug", a wildly energetic dance number comprising three "movements" ("The Aloof", "The Heavyweight" and "The Big Finish") that showcases director Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
's distinctive choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
style, particularly his creative use of unusual poses, gestures, and arm movements.
The Frug is mentioned prominently in Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time...
's 1965 song "Crazy Downtown," a parody of Petula Clark's
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
"Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
".
The B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
1977 song of 1960s beach party film
Beach Party film
Beach party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films created by American International Pictures with their surprise 1963 hit, Beach Party, and copied by virtually every other studio...
references, "Rock Lobster
Rock lobster
Jasus edwardsii, the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. This species is commonly called crayfish or crays in New Zealand and in Māori...
", contains the line, "Everybody's rockin'; Everybody's fruggin' ".
In a song of the same name, "The Frug" is referenced by the band Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
. It appeared on both their debut album The Initial Friend E.P.
The Initial Friend E.P.
The Initial Friend E.P. was the first release put out by Los Angeles based rock band Rilo Kiley. It was initially a self titled release that was put out by the band independently in 1999. They re-pressed it with altered artwork and track-listing in 2000, and then did the same thing again for a...
and on the soundtrack to the movie Desert Blue
Desert Blue
Desert Blue is a 1998 American comedy/drama film directed by Morgan J. Freeman and starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, and John Heard....
.
The Frug is one of the dances demonstrated in the Blues Brothers movie
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
during the "Shake a Tail Feather
Shake a Tail Feather
"Shake a Tail Feather" is a song originally recorded in 1963 by the Chicago-based group The Five Du-Tones...
" segment featuring Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
.
Singer Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
uses the dance craze as inspiration for the music video of her Dance track, Get Me Bodied
Get Me Bodied
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and produced by Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé and Sean Garrett, for Knowles' second solo studio...
from her 2006 album B'Day
B'Day
B'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a...
. Similarly, this style was featured in the music video for Emma Bunton's
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
track Maybe
Maybe (Emma Bunton song)
"Maybe" is a pop song written by English singer-songwriter Emma Bunton and Yak Bondy for Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . It was released in 2003 as the album's second single to moderate success on different record charts, and it entered the top forty on the majority of which it...
'
In 2008, Welsh singer Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
used this dance in her fourth international single, "Rain on Your Parade
Rain on Your Parade
"Rain on Your Parade" is a song by Welsh recording artist Duffy from her debut studio album, Rockferry. Written by Duffy and Steve Booker, the song was released as the first single from the album's deluxe edition, and fifth overall, on 9 February 2009, by A&M Records...
".
The Frug was the inspiration for the name of the band, "The Frug" in Huntsville, TX.
In 1964, in "In the Red Light: A History of the Republican Convention in 1964," published in the November 1964 issue of Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
wrote: "The American mind had gone from Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
and Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
to the Frug, the Bounce, and Walking the Dog
Walking the Dog
"Walking the Dog" is a Rufus Thomas song. It was released on his 1963 album Walking the Dog. It was his signature hit and also his biggest, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1963 and remaining on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks...
, from The Flowering of New England
Van Wyck Brooks
Van Wyck Brooks was an American literary critic, biographer, and historian.- Biography :Brooks was educated at Harvard University and graduated in 1908...
to the cerebrality of professional football in which a quarterback must have not only heart, courage, strength and grace but a mind like an I.B.M. computer." The piece is collected in Mailer's Cannibals and Christians (1966).
In The Crying of Lot 49
The Crying of Lot 49
The Crying of Lot 49 is a novel by Thomas Pynchon, first published in 1966. The shortest of Pynchon's novels, it is about a woman, Oedipa Maas, possibly unearthing the centuries-old conflict between two mail distribution companies, Thurn und Taxis and the Trystero...
, author Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
includes a song that makes a direct lyrical reference to the dance ("I may be too fat to Frug,/But at least I ain't too slim to Swim.").
In Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
episode #1007- Track of the Moon Beast, Crow refers to the dance, while the moon beast is dying, by saying: "The arrow caused him to frug."
On the crime-drama Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, in the season-two opening episode "Confession," Detective Mike Logan states that his plans for the evening are to review case notes with his (soon to be killed) partner, Max Greevy, and then, he says, "I'm going frugging with Patsy Kelley."