Witch Doctor (song)

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"Witch Doctor"
Single by Ross Bagdasarian
from the album The Alvin Show
B-side"Don't Whistle at Me, Baby"
ReleasedApril 1958 (1958-04)
Genre
Length2:15
LabelLiberty
Songwriter(s)Ross Bagdasarian
Producer(s)Ross Bagdasarian
Ross Bagdasarian singles chronology
"Witch Doctor"
(1958) 		"The Bird on My Head"
(1958)

"Witch Doctor" is a 1958 American novelty song written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian, under his stage name David Seville. It became a number one hit and rescued Liberty Records from near-bankruptcy.[1]

In the song, the singer asks a witch doctor for romantic advice; the witch doctor responds in a high-pitched squeaky voice with a nonsense incantation which creates an earworm. The technique developed in this song for the voice of the witch doctor was later used for the creation of the voices of the Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Composition and recording[edit]

David Seville wrote the song, inspired by a book titled Duel with the Witch Doctor on his bookshelf. In the song, the narrator asks a witch doctor for advice on what to do because he has fallen in love with a girl, and the witch doctor replies with a gibberish line: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bing-bang, oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bang-bang".[2]

Seville had spent 200 dollars, a significant sum at that time, on a tape recorder,[3] and he conceived of the idea of recording himself at different speed to create a dialogue between him and the witch doctor. He sang in his own voice as normal, and then overdubbed the song with the voice of the "witch doctor", which is in fact Seville's own voice sung slowly but recorded at half speed on the tape recorder, then played back at normal speed (the voice was therefore sped up to become a high pitched squeaky one).[2][4] Seville recorded the music first, and then experimented with the process for creating the singing voice for two months before recording it in the studio.[2][5] It was said that when Si Waronker from the financially-troubled Liberty label heard the resulting song, they released it to reach the shops within 24 hours.[6]

The same technique used for creating the voice of the witch doctor was used in Seville's next song "The Bird on My Head", and then more significantly the highly successful Chipmunks (also known as Alvin and the Chipmunks) beginning with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" released for the Christmas of 1958.[4] Initially released under David Seville alone, "Witch Doctor" was also released under the name of David Seville and the Chipmunks, and re-recorded under the name Alvin and the Chipmunks. The technique was also imitated by other recording artist such as Sheb Wooley in "The Purple People Eater",[5] and The Big Bopper, who parodied both songs on "The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor", which was originally released as a single, but it was its flip-side "Chantilly Lace" that became the hit.[7]

Chart performance[edit]

The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100, the predecessor to the Billboard Hot 100. The single was considered a major surprise hit on the chart, where it became Seville and Liberty Records' first No. 1 single, and stayed in the position for three weeks. The single also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart even though it is not a R&B song – this is due to the R&B chart being a trade category at the time, reflecting the popularity of the song with black radio stations and customers.[8] The single had sold 1.4 million copies in the United States by December 1958.[9] Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1958.[10]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1958) Peak
position
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[11] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 11
US Top 100 Sides (Billboard)[14] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[15] 1

Alvin and the Chipmunks versions[edit]

The song has gained further popularity due to multiple covers performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks, another David Seville creation. The first was for their 1960 album Sing Again with The Chipmunks, which would later be adapted into a musical segment on The Alvin Show. In 1983, they would perform this song on the Alvin and the Chipmunks episode "The Chipmunk Story" and the soundtrack Songs From Our TV Shows. The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) featured the song when sung by Mrs. Miller. The song was used for the opening of the 1990 TV special Rockin' Through the Decades in the style of various artists.

In 2007, a DeeTown remix cover featuring Chris Classic was recorded for the live-action/CGI Alvin and the Chipmunks film.[16] This version reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2008.[17]

Cartoons version[edit]

"Witch Doctor"
Single by Cartoons
from the album Toonage
ReleasedOctober 26, 1998 (1998-10-26)
Length3:07
LabelFLEX, EMI
Songwriter(s)Ross Bagdasarian
Producer(s)Sponge, Toonie, Michael Pfundheller
Cartoons singles chronology
"DooDah!"
(1998) 		"Witch Doctor"
(1998) 		"Yoko"
(1998)
Music video
"Witch Doctor" on YouTube

Danish band Cartoons covered "Witch Doctor" for their 1998 debut album, Toonage. Released on October 26, 1998, their version charted well in Europe, reaching the top 40 in several countries, including peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1999.[18]

An accompanying music video was produced, featuring both live-action and 2D animation, depicting the band members visiting a witch doctor. Lead singer Toonie urges the rest to see him, but they are all reluctant. After the witch doctor gives them the famous nonsense lyric, the group enter the house and follow the witch doctor into a TV and out the back where they all fall off a cliff, but miraculously land unharmed on the ground. The band follow the witch doctor into a ship shaped like a giant microphone and fly through the sky, underwater, and in space. At this point the video starts showing sexual themes, contrasting the cartoon theme. The rod-shaped spaceship flies into a hole, and then bumps into a sphere, appearing to imitate a sperm fertilizing an egg. The witch doctor transforms into Elvis Presley who drops them off atop a building with a sign reading "Toonie-Wood", before he declares his love for the band and says goodbye.[19]

Track listings[edit]

CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Witch Doctor" (radio mix)3:05
2."Witch Doctor" (extended mix)4:14
3."Witch Doctor" (Out of Africa remix)5:09

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Denmark October 26, 1998 CD
[36]
United Kingdom March 22, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 [37]

Other versions[edit]

  • Don Lang recorded a version similar to David Seville's recording. This version reached No. 5 on the UK chart in June 1958.[38]
  • The new wave band DEVO recorded a version for the soundtrack of The Rugrats Movie. Although the title, chorus and tune are the same, the verses were changed to be about how monkeys have more fun than humans, a fitting theme for both the film's monkey characters and DEVO itself.[39]
  • Melinda Marx performed the song on her father Groucho Marx' television program You Bet Your Life.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "How David Seville and The Witch Doctor Rescued Liberty Records". Black Gold Brooklyn. October 11, 2017. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Bronson, Fred (1997). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 36. ISBN 9780823076413.
  3. ^ Kelly, Michael Bryan (1993). Liberty Records: A History of the Recording Company and Its Stars, 1955-1971. McFarland. p. 44. ISBN 9780899507408.
  4. ^ a b The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. Oxford University Press. 2016. p. 132. ISBN 9780199321285.
  5. ^ a b Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the postwar era. Greenwood Press. p. 99–100. ISBN 9780313341915.
  6. ^ Cotten, Lee (1995). Reelin' and Rockin': The Golden Age of American Rock 'N Roll 1956-1959. Pierian Press. p. 274. ISBN 9781560750390.
  7. ^ Cooper, B. Lee; Haney, Wayne S. (1995). Rock Music in American Popular Culture: Rock 'n' Roll Resources. Vol. 1. Haworth Press. p. 258. ISBN 9781560248613.
  8. ^ Ripani, Richard J. (2009). The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496801289.
  9. ^ "Chipmunk: Lighting Can Strike Twice". Billboard. December 1, 1958. p. 11.
  10. ^ "Number One Song of the Year: 1946–2014". Bob Borst's Home of Pop Culture. March 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade, week of April 28, 1958".
  12. ^ "David Seville & The Chipmunks – Witch Doctor" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ^ "David Seville: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Sides". Billboard. May 12, 1958. p. 36.
  15. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 10, 1958".
  16. ^ "Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) - Witch Doctor Scene (5/5)". Movieclips – via Youtube.
  17. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. January 12, 2008. p. 46.
  18. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  19. ^ Witch Doctor - Cartoons (Official Music Video) | Warner Vault. YouTube. Warner Records Vault. December 19, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  21. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 15. April 11, 1999. p. 8. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor" (in French). Les classement single.
  23. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  24. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 25, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  25. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  26. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor". Top 40 Singles.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  28. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor". Singles Top 100.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  30. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  31. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  33. ^ "Yearly Best Selling Singles" (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  34. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media. January 22, 2000. p. 27.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – Cartoons – Witch Doctor". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  36. ^ "Cartoons – Witch Doctor (1998)". Maniadb.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 March, 1999" (PDF). Music Week. March 20, 1999. p. 27. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  38. ^ "Don Lang". The Official Charts Company.
  39. ^ "The Rugrats soundtrack to receive first ever vinyl release". November 27, 2018.
  40. ^ "You Bet Your Life #57-38 Melinda Marx sings "Witch Doctor" (Secret word 'Walk', Jun 12, 1958)". YouTube.
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