Witch Doctor
Encyclopedia
"Witch Doctor" is a song written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., and released in 1958 by Liberty Records
under the name David Seville, a character whom Bagdasarian portrayed.
for advice. The wise witch doctor replies, "Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang" (a phrase which is repeated four times as the chorus of the song). At the middle of the song, the man tells the woman he loves about his asking the witch doctor for advice.
The voice of the "witch doctor" was in fact Bagdasarian's own voice sped up to double speed, a technique he would later exploit to create Alvin and the Chipmunks
(and had also used on at least one other pre-Chipmunk song, "The Bird on My Head"). Because of this, it is often referred to (even in later compilations) as the first song by the Chipmunks; this is not precisely true. For one, only one sped-up "chipmunk-style" voice is featured rather than three such voices singing in harmony. Furthermore, Bagdasarian (as Seville) insisted that it was not technically a Chipmunks song in an episode of The Alvin Show
when he exclaims "I made that record once!" and Alvin responds "But not with us!" The first true song by the "group" was "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
."
. The single was considered a major surprise hit on the chart, where it stayed at number one for two weeks and became Seville's first number-one single. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart and on the Cash Box chart as well. The single sold over one million copies in the United States.
. In The Chipmunk Adventure
, Miss Miller sings this song as she is driving to pick up Dave from the airport at the end of the film. In 2007, DeeTown recorded a hip-hop dance version for inclusion in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks
film.
was recorded in 1958 by the British musician Don Lang and made the UK Top 10.
The song has also been covered by Sha Na Na
and in Spanish
by Manuel "El Loco" Valdés
.
A French-language version, "Docteur Miracle" was recorded by Danyel Gérard
, by Annie Cordy
, and also by Claude Piron.
A modified version was also used in a commercial for Tab
soda, with
"ting tang" being replaced by "Tab taste".
Mickey Katz
recorded a parody called "K'nish Doctor" in which the doctor uses quasi-Yiddish utterances. This track is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records
.
The song was also used in a commercial for the Nintendo
game Dr. Mario
.
In the episode "The Bend in the River" of The A-Team
, Murdock wears a mask, singing the song to himself and B. A. Baracus
.
In the episode "Make Room for Lisa
" of The Simpsons
, Homer Simpson
sings the song to himself while he and Lisa
are in separate water-filled sensory deprivation tanks, with slightly different lyrics.
In the episode "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives" of Family Guy
, Quagmire
sings the song after refusing to sign Brian
's petition.
While not covering the song per se, the American rock band Clutch
references it on the song "Texan Book Of The Dead" from their 1995 eponymous album by using the chorus of the song as a form of incantation, preserving the original intent.
In the TV series "Jonathan Creek
", Jonathan and Maddie grimly recite the lyrics as they remember them, and then have an argument about who sang it, what it was about, and how the chorus went.
A New wave band Devo
, recorded a version for the 1998 film, The Rugrats Movie
, with new lyrics. This version, however, talks about fun-loving monkeys and their carefree lifestyle which ties into a part of the film's plot where the Rugrats encounter a pack of escaped circus monkeys who sing this song to them.
, on their 1998 debut album Toonage. Their version charted well in Europe, reaching the top forty in many countries, as well as peaking at #2 on the UK Singles Chart
. A Spanish
version appears on the album Toontastic, while an Italian version also appears on the album More Toonage.
The Cartoons' cover was also featured in the Dancemania
compilation series and Dance Dance Revolution
game series, starting with DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution 6thMix (A loosely based song interpreted by Banya
was also featured in the Pump It Up
Dancing Game).
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
under the name David Seville, a character whom Bagdasarian portrayed.
Song information
The song tells the story of a man in love with a woman who initially does not return his affections. Longing for her companionship, the man goes to see a witch doctorWitch doctor
A witch doctor originally referred to a type of healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. It is currently used to refer to healers in some third world regions, who use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine...
for advice. The wise witch doctor replies, "Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang" (a phrase which is repeated four times as the chorus of the song). At the middle of the song, the man tells the woman he loves about his asking the witch doctor for advice.
The voice of the "witch doctor" was in fact Bagdasarian's own voice sped up to double speed, a technique he would later exploit to create Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
(and had also used on at least one other pre-Chipmunk song, "The Bird on My Head"). Because of this, it is often referred to (even in later compilations) as the first song by the Chipmunks; this is not precisely true. For one, only one sped-up "chipmunk-style" voice is featured rather than three such voices singing in harmony. Furthermore, Bagdasarian (as Seville) insisted that it was not technically a Chipmunks song in an episode of The Alvin Show
The Alvin Show
The Alvin Show is an American animated television series. It was the first to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks, although a series with a similar concept The Nutty Squirrels Present had aired a year earlier...
when he exclaims "I made that record once!" and Alvin responds "But not with us!" The first true song by the "group" was "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
"The Chipmunk Song " is a song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian , the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictitious singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore...
."
Chart performance
Credited as the character David Seville, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The single was considered a major surprise hit on the chart, where it stayed at number one for two weeks and became Seville's first number-one single. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart and on the Cash Box chart as well. The single sold over one million copies in the United States.
Chipmunk versions
Ross Bagdasarian re-recorded the song in 1960 featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks and included it on their second album, Sing Again with the Chipmunks. This version would eventually be adapted into one of the musical segments featured on The Alvin Show. The Chipmunks would also perform a dance version released in 1996 on Club Chipmunk: The Dance MixesClub Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes is a music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks and was released by Sony Wonder. The album was released on October 6, 1996 and contains cover versions of popular pop/dance songs, oldies and a Spanish version of "Macarena"...
. In The Chipmunk Adventure
The Chipmunk Adventure
The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 American animated film featuring the characters from NBC's Saturday morning cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Chipmunk Adventure was directed by Janice Karman from a screenplay by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr....
, Miss Miller sings this song as she is driving to pick up Dave from the airport at the end of the film. In 2007, DeeTown recorded a hip-hop dance version for inclusion in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 comedy film directed by Tim Hill. Based on the animated series of the same name, the film stars Jason Lee, David Cross, and Cameron Richardson with the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Jesse McCartney. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox and...
film.
Cover versions
The first cover versionCover 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...
was recorded in 1958 by the British musician Don Lang and made the UK Top 10.
The song has also been covered by Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
and in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by Manuel "El Loco" Valdés
Manuel Valdés
Manuel "El Loco" Valdés is a Mexican actor and comedian, member of the Valdés family. He is the brother of Ramón Valdez , from the sitcom "El Chavo", and Germán Valdez...
.
A French-language version, "Docteur Miracle" was recorded by Danyel Gérard
Danyel Gérard
Danyel Gérard is a French pop singer and composer.Gérard was born in Paris to an Armenian father and an Italian mother, but grew up mainly in Rio de Janeiro. In 1953 he returned again to Paris and became a choir boy at Notre Dame. Following this he played in the rock and roll band The Dangers...
, by Annie Cordy
Annie Cordy
Léonie Cooreman known under the stage name Annie Cordy is a Belgian film actress and singer. She has appeared in 50 films since 1954. She has staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coquatrix' famous Paris Olympia...
, and also by Claude Piron.
A modified version was also used in a commercial for Tab
Tab (soft drink)
Tab, stylized as TaB, is a diet cola soft drink produced by the Coca-Cola Company, first introduced in 1963. The soda was created by Coca Cola after the successful sales and marketing of Diet Rite cola, owned by The Royal Crown Company; previously, Diet Rite had been the only sugarless soda on the...
soda, with
"ting tang" being replaced by "Tab taste".
Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz , was an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey.-Family:...
recorded a parody called "K'nish Doctor" in which the doctor uses quasi-Yiddish utterances. This track is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records
The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records
The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1983. It features mostly novelty songs, parodies and cover versions of popular songs, performed very poorly...
.
The song was also used in a commercial for the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
game Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario (video game)
is an action puzzle game designed by Gunpei Yokoi and produced by Takahiro Harada. It was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles and released in 1990 and 1991....
.
In the episode "The Bend in the River" of The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, Murdock wears a mask, singing the song to himself and B. A. Baracus
B. A. Baracus
Sergeant Bosco Albert "B. A." Baracus is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series The A-Team, played by Mr. T. B. A. Baracus appeared on The A-Team from the series beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. He is arguably the breakout character of the series...
.
In the episode "Make Room for Lisa
Make Room for Lisa
"Make Room for Lisa" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 28, 1999. In the episode, while visiting the Smithsonian expedition, Homer Simpson meets a businesswoman who convinces him to build a cell phone...
" of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
sings the song to himself while he and Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
are in separate water-filled sensory deprivation tanks, with slightly different lyrics.
In the episode "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives" of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
sings the song after refusing to sign Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
's petition.
While not covering the song per se, the American rock band Clutch
Clutch (band)
Clutch is an American rock band from Germantown, Maryland, formed in 1990. The band's first release was an EP entitled Pitchfork, which debuted in October 1990. Their first studio album, Transnational Speedway League, was released three years later in 1993. To date, Clutch has released nine studio...
references it on the song "Texan Book Of The Dead" from their 1995 eponymous album by using the chorus of the song as a form of incantation, preserving the original intent.
In the TV series "Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek is a British mystery series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. Primarily a crime drama, the show is also peppered with broadly comic touches...
", Jonathan and Maddie grimly recite the lyrics as they remember them, and then have an argument about who sang it, what it was about, and how the chorus went.
A New wave band Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, recorded a version for the 1998 film, The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998....
, with new lyrics. This version, however, talks about fun-loving monkeys and their carefree lifestyle which ties into a part of the film's plot where the Rugrats encounter a pack of escaped circus monkeys who sing this song to them.
Cartoons version
Another version of the song was by the Danish band CartoonsCartoons (band)
Cartoons, also known as Cartoons DK are a technobilly/glam pop band from Denmark, best known for their 1998 Eurodance cover of the 1958 novelty song, "Witch Doctor" by Ross Bagdasarian, as well as for their outlandish plastic costumes and wigs used in live performances as caricatures of 1950s...
, on their 1998 debut album Toonage. Their version charted well in Europe, reaching the top forty in many countries, as well as peaking at #2 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 ...
. A Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version appears on the album Toontastic, while an Italian version also appears on the album More Toonage.
The Cartoons' cover was also featured in the Dancemania
Dancemania
Dancemania is a series of remix compilation albums by i-DANCE. The series deals primarily with dance music, especially eurodance. Despite its tracks have been made by various musicians from all over the world mainly from the European continent, the albums have been released exclusively in Japan.The...
compilation series and Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
game series, starting with DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution 6thMix (A loosely based song interpreted by Banya
Banya (musical group)
BanYa , sometimes spelled BANYA or Banya, is South Korean Andamiro's musical group responsible for creating original songs for Pump It Up. The style of its music varies greatly, from hip hop to electronic, from rock to classical crossovers....
was also featured in the Pump It Up
Pump It Up
Pump It Up, commonly abbreviated as PIU or shortened to just Pump, is a music video game series currently developed by Nexcade and published by Andamiro, a Korean arcade game producer. The game is typically played on a dance pad with five arrow panels: up-left, up-right, bottom-left, bottom-right,...
Dancing Game).
Track listings
CD single- "Witch Doctor" (Radio Mix) (3.05)
- "Witch Doctor" (Extended Mix) (4.14)
- "Witch Doctor" (Out Of Africa Remix) (5.09)
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
9 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 12 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
22 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 31 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
13 |
| 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 ... |
2 |