Little Bitty Pretty One
| "Little Bitty Pretty One" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Thurston Harris and the Sharps | |
| B-side | "I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me" |
| Released | September 1957 |
| Genre | Rhythm & blues, rock & roll, gospel |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Aladdin |
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Day |
"Little Bitty Pretty One" is a 1957 rock and roll song written and originally recorded by Bobby Day. The same year, the song was popularized by Thurston Harris.[1] Produced by Aladdin Records (located in Los Angeles, Calif.), and featuring the Sharps on backing vocals,[2] Harris' version reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Best-Sellers chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart.[3]
Reception[]
- Bryan Thomas writes that the song "has gone on to become one of the best loved oldies of the late '50s".[4]
Cover versions[]
- Frankie Lymon recorded a version of the tune, reaching No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960.[5]
- Clyde McPhatter returned the song to the top 40 in the US, when his version peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 in 1962.[6]
- In 1972, the Jackson 5 covered the song for their album, Lookin' Through the Windows, and took the song to No. 13 on the Hot 100.[7][8]
- Aaron Carter covered "Little Bitty Pretty One" for the 2001 Disney movie The Princess Diaries.
- In 1994, Huey Lewis and the News did their take on the song on their album Four Chords & Several Years Ago.
"Wiggle, Wiggle"[]
"Little Bitty Pretty One" was the inspiration for the Accents' sole hit "Wiggle Wiggle" in 1958, and though the similarities were evidently not sufficient to warrant a lawsuit, Aladdin Records took the expedient step of covering the song with a group called the Chestnuts.[9]
References[]
- ^ Dave Marsh, The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999), 429.
- ^ The Lamplighters at Allmusic
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 246.
- ^ Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, John Bush, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul (Backbeat Books, 2003), p. 297.
- ^ "Frankie Lymon - Chart history". Billboard. 1960-08-20. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). p. 645.
- ^ Soulsation! (1995), liner notes
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). p. 482.
- ^ "The Great Doo Wop Vocal Groups..." Pinterest.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
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Categories:
- 1957 songs
- 1957 singles
- 1962 singles
- 1972 singles
- Songs written by Bobby Day
- Clyde McPhatter songs
- The Jackson 5 songs
- Checkmates, Ltd. songs
- Aladdin Records singles
- 1950s single stubs