Let's Go (Pony) is a 1962 song by

The Routers The Routers were an American instrumental group in the early 1960s. Career Formed in 1961 by Michael Z. Gordon, the Routers' recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who also forme ...

. Its infectious “ lap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clapLet's Go!" chant became a favorite of

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

s and football fans worldwide. The musicians were key members of the famous session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew:

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of all ...

(drums),

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sax ...

(saxophone),

Tommy Tedesco Thomas Joseph Tedesco (July 3, 1930 – November 10, 1997) was an American guitarist and studio musician in Los Angeles and Hollywood. He was part of the loose collective of the area's leading session musicians later popularly known as The Wrec ...

(guitar),

Bill Pitman William Keith Pitman (February 12, 1920 – August 11, 2022) was an American guitarist and session musician. As a first-call studio musician working in Los Angeles, Pitman played on some of the most celebrated and influential records of the r ...

(guitar), and

Jimmy Bond Jimmy Bond is a fictional character in the American Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly ...

(bass).

Background

Although the songwriting credits are given to local singer Lanny Duncan and his brother Robert Duncan, Lanny had previously recorded the original

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film * Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhe ...

of the song in 1961 as a member of the Starlighters (The Standells), featuring Tony Valentino on guitar and Jody Rich on bass. The demo was recorded in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents ac ...

with engineer Eddie Brackett.

Reception and influence

Chartwise, the song charted on No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 27 on Cashbox and No. 32 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. \header \drums \addlyrics The recognizable hand-clapping rhythmic pattern became popular in

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

and as a

football chant A football chant or terrace chant is form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...

worldwide. The rhythm was later used in the

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

hit "

Saturday Night Saturday Night may refer to: Film, television and theatre Film * ''Saturday Night'' (1922 film), a 1922 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille * ''Saturday Nights'' (film), a 1933 Swedish film directed by Schamyl Bauman * ''Saturday Night'' (1950 fil ...

" in 1976, The

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

-produced "

Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones', released as the second single and opening track from the band's fifth studio album ''End of the Century'' (1980). It was released on May 16, 1980. Produced by v ...

" in 1980 (which also quotes the phrase "let's go"), art-rock song "

Mongoloid Mongoloid () is an obsolete racial grouping of various peoples indigenous to large parts of Asia, the Americas, and some regions in Europe and Oceania. The term is derived from a now-disproven theory of biological race. In the past, other terms ...

" by American band

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau ...

, produced by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

in 1977, and in 1982

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song " Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit t ...

's cheerleading anthem "

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

" ("Oh Mickey, you're so fine..."). The Cars' 1979 hit "

Let's Go Let's Go may refer to: Film * ''Let's Go'' (1918 film), a 1918 comedy short starring Harold Lloyd * ''Let's Go'' (1923 film), a silent film written by Keene Thompson * ''Let's Go!'' (film), a 2011 Hong Kong action film Music Albums * ''Let's ...

" not only includes the same rhythm, but also the same title as its antecedent.

Cover versions

*The song was also covered by

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

in 1963 as "Let's Go".

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1962 songs 1960s instrumentals