The Hokey Pokey

So one of my son's favorite songs is the Hokey Pokey... All the time it's "Hokey Pokey", or "Bus" ("Wheels On The Bus") or "Itsy Bitsy" ("Itsy Bitsy Spider") or "Happy" ("If Your Happy And You Know It")... As a matter of fact he likes a lot of songs. Every time "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen comes on he has to stop WHATEVER he's doing and start dancing right away.

Back to my original story- SO we have a CD with a bunch of songs on it for him (and of course he knows how to turn the stereo on and start his CD now... Why did I ever show him that?) and he loves listening to it. I thought the version of Hokey Pokey on it sounded very 1930's big band... it actually sounded like a bit of a "hit" it was produced so well for such an old song. That started the thinking that led me here...

So the Hokey Pokey is NOT a kids song... well, it's become one. The song either started as an English novelty dance in the mid-1940's (also know as the "Hokey-cokey", "Okey-cokey" or "Cokey-cokey") or as a group activity at a ski resort in Idaho in 1949. Looking through a few different stories and putting 2 and 2 together, I'm guessing the guys running the resort either visited England and adopted the dance for their guests or one of their guests turned them on to it. The lyrics in both versions are exactly the same. In the end the copyright dated to 1950 and is granted to the Americans with their ski resort story. (Later Roy Acuff would buy the rights... must have made a fortune off that!)

There is some speculation that it did have something to do with cocaine. Remember it was called "Cokey-cokey" in parts of England and there's lots of shaking and silly movements. "Do the Hokey-pokey (Cokey-cokey) and you shake yourself about".

So in the mid 1950's Ray Anthony recorded it as a B-side to the "Bunny Hop" and this is the version that most of us hear today. It was a huge hit... and I mean HUGE! Britney Spears HUGE! Pre-child molester Michael Jackson huge! Elvis HUGE! Nickleback..well, that wouldn't take much.

So next time you're listening to kids songs, think twice. Fact is your grandmother (who probably doesn't remember) danced and jigged around the room at some point listening to the Hokey-Pokey thinking it was the greatest thing since the Charleston or Swing dancing. Who knows what stories other songs have?

Gratuitous Hot 1950's Chick (Miss Russell)