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The Loco-Motion
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"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song is notable for making the American Top 5 three times – each time in a different decade: for Little Eva in 1962 (U.S. #1); for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 (U.S. #1); and for Kylie Minogue in 1988 (U.S. #3).
It is ranked #350 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
song is a popular and enduring example of the dance-song genre: much of the lyrics are devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually done as a type of line dance.
The original recording of the song was sung by Eva Boyd, under the stage name Little Eva, which reached #1 in the U.S.
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Encyclopedia
"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song is notable for making the American Top 5 three times – each time in a different decade: for Little Eva in 1962 (U.S. #1); for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 (U.S. #1); and for Kylie Minogue in 1988 (U.S. #3).
It is ranked #350 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Notable Releases
Original Little Eva version
The song is a popular and enduring example of the dance-song genre: much of the lyrics are devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually done as a type of line dance.
The original recording of the song was sung by Eva Boyd, under the stage name Little Eva, which reached #1 in the U.S. in 1962. Boyd was actually Carole King's babysitter, having been introduced to King and husband Gerry Goffin by The Cookies, a local girl group who would also record for the songwriters. Apparently the dance came before the lyrics; Eva was bopping to some music that King was playing at home, and a dance with lyrics was soon born. It was the first release on the new Dimension Records label, whose releases were mostly penned and produced by Goffin and King. It is sometimes categorized as belonging to the 1960s girl group sound (which Goffin and King helped create), though it was recorded by a solo artist.
A cover version of the song was quickly recorded by British girl group The Vernons Girls and entered the chart the same week as the Little Eva version. The Vernons Girls' version stalled at #47 in the UK, while the Little Eva version climbed all the way to #2 on the UK charts. It re-entered the chart some ten years later and almost became a top ten again, peaking at #11.
The Little Eva version of the song was featured in the 2006 David Lynch film Inland Empire.
Grand Funk Railroad version
American hard rock group Grand Funk Railroad recorded a version of the song in 1974, produced by Todd Rundgren. The song appeared on their album Shinin' On album and, released as a single, reached #1 on the U.S. charts. The Grand Funk version of the song featured guitars, several layers of harmony, and heavy drums.
Kylie Minogue version
- See also: The Loco-Motion (Kylie Minogue song)
"The Loco-Motion" was performed by Australian dance-pop singer Kylie Minogue on her debut album Kylie (1988). It was produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman, and received a mixed reception from music critics. The song was subsequently remixed and released as the third single in the summer of 1988 (see 1988 in music) and was a top five hit in the United Kingdom, debuting at number two, giving Minogue the record for the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist. It also reached number three on the U.S. Billboard charts with sales in excess of 0.5 million and made number one in Canada.
Other versions
The song has inspired dozens of cover versions over the years. Besides those already mentioned:
Serbian/Yugoslav new wave band Elektricni Orgazam recorded an album of covers Les Chansones Populaires in 1983. The first single off the release was "Locomotion". Ljubomir Šukic provided the lead vocals. Other personnel included Ljubomir Šukic (keyboards, vocals), Ivan Stancic Piko (drums), and Jovan Jovanovic Grof (bass). The song was also featured on the first band's live album Braco i sestre ("Brothers and sisters").
Parodies
Orange Range used the melody line of "The Loco-Motion" on their 2004 song "Locolotion" which became the number-one hit on the Japanese singles chart. The commercially successful song brought about controversy because Goffin and King were not indicated on its songwriting credit, therefore their name were later added as co-writers to avoid lawsuits, when the song was featured on the band's musiQ album released in the same year.
External links
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