MANFRED MANN – "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"

But this is brilliant! Especially the drumming.

You know, I really loved this song back in 1964 (when I was thirteen). But for some reason it has become the most overplayed record on US oldies radio. Thus, over the past forty-two years, I have exceeded my lifetime quota for hearing this recording. I shall simply scream if I hear it again.

You’re quite right that “it’s hard to work out exactly what it’s aiming at,” particularly in light of the fact that the Manfreds struck jazz-snob attitudes–and enjoyed their some of their greatest successes covering US girl group songs. I think it swept to the top as part of the whole “British Invasion” that year, which is ironic because there’s nothing particularly “British” about it other than the musicians’ nationality. (And even then, Manfred himself was from South Africa…..)

Its a really irritating,annoying song..Forced n rubbish-i think your reviews spot on..

B-b-but… this is a Greenwich/Barry song in the Da Doo Ron Ron mould. The Exciters’ original (Do Wah Diddy) version is simply great – driving, and with a really tough vocal. So sassy. She sounds like SO much fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3ep-JvUqyU

This and Herman’s Hermits’ I’m Into Something Good (orig by the Cookies’ Earl Jean) are simplifying pop in a very different way to You Really Got Me. This is closer to the Rollers’ Bye Bye Baby or Undercover’s Baker Street – they puree the original.

I can’t hear any guitar, only ice rink organ, pub piano, and forced jollity. They even added a “diddy” to show how much and how well they loved the song. Slumming pro’s is exactly right.

Paul Jones always sings with a smirk. One of the most slappable records ever made is Manfred Mann’s The One In The Middle. He wrote it?!? And the guy’s a blues snob??? SLAP!!!!

TOTPWatch. Manfred Mann performed Do Wah Diddy Diddy on Top of the Pops on five occasions;

15 July 1964. Also in the studio that week were; Dusty Springfield, The Barron Knights, The Nashville Teens and The Rolling Stones. Pete Murray was the host.

22 July 1964. Also in the studio that week were; Dusty Springfield, The Barron Knights, The Merseybeats and The Searchers. Jimmy Saville was the host.

5 August 1964. Also in the studio that week were; Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas and The Honeycombs. David Jacobs was the host.

19 August 1964. Also in the studio that week were; Dave Berry, The Honeycombs, The Kinks, Dionne Warwick, Brenda Lee and The Bachelors. Pete Murray was the host.

24 December 1964. Also in the studio that week were; Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, Herman’s Hermits, Sandie Shaw, The Animals, The Beatles, The Four Pennies, The Honeycombs, The Kinks and The Searchers. Jimmy Saville, Alan Freeman, Pete Murray & David Jacobs were the hosts.

None of these editions survives.

Comments reportedly made by some of the band members (Tom McGuinness, anyone? Mike Hugg?) a year or two after the event indicated that they were actually reluctant to record “that ‘orrible thing”. Mike H’s expression certainly became more and more morose with every successive appearance on Top Of The Pops.

Me, I really liked it at the time, even bought it. Now, like Doctor Mod, I’ve simply heard it too, too often, and could happily go the rest of my life without ever doing so again. While disagreeing markedly from many of Tom’s assessments, I think 2 for this is pretty much on the money.

Poor, square Keith Fordyce. He always looked like he was flinching whenever he talked to John Lennon – more of a Paul man.

2 is definitely harsh! I guess the track has a tough row to hoe being in the charts with prime early Beatles, and the nonce lyrics do perhaps grate in that context. But, as wichita remarks at #7, notwithstanding various Merseyside touches, it’s the pre-Beatles/Brill Building/girl-group tradition that DWDD emerges out of, and that was a tradition of (among other things) baby-talk/inarticulate joy-talk! Da Doo Run Run is one of them, but so is Breaking Up is Hard to Do (the early ’60s Carol King demo version of which is my actual impetus for posting on this now). BUIHTD has an insistent background refrain of ‘dee-doo-bee dum doo-bee dum-dum cumma-cumma dum doo-bee-doo dum-dum cumma-cumma dum doo-bee-doo dum-dum BUIHTD’- http://youtu.be/DRnAo6A7S98. Now, I don’t think DWDD is nearly as great as BUIHTD (which would be a 9 or 10) but it’s a hell of a lot of fun, great (twice-played) middle eight, just charming really. I guess that DWDD hasn’t been overplayed where I’ve been – I’ve heard it less than the The Police’s much more trying ’80s attempt to continue and comment upon this tradition, De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. – so perhaps that’s the crucial difference here. Anyhow, for me this is a:
7

@16: Probably the only good memory I have of this song was seeing it as army cadence in the movie Stripes. I do prefer the movie’s use of “Da Doo Ron Ron” though 🙂

in my comment on A Hard Days Night I mentioned playground chants and this has something of that quality (something like The Clapping Song). The Exciters’ version has a greater vocal richness but the Manfreds go for a pulsing stomp. It’s dumb but compelling nonetheless with more Sixties sexuality simmering under the surface

I’m shocked at the severity of this mark, but I guess we can blame this on it scoring a _second_ top 10 hit in 2001 for… oh Lord please spare us… DJ Otzi.