"Mashed Potato Time" is a 1962 single written by Kal Mann and

Bernie Lowe Bernard Lowe (born Lowenthal, November 22, 1917 – September 1, 1993) was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist and bandleader. Born in Philadelphia, Lowe started Teen Records and in 1955 was working with Freddie Bell and t ...

, and performed by

Dee Dee Sharp Dee Dee Sharp (born Dione LaRue; September 9, 1945, in Philadelphia) is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961. Career Although Sharp had been playing the piano from an early age and directed chur ...

, with backing vocals by

The Orlons The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1960. The group won gold discs for three of their singles. Career The quartet consisted of lead singer Rosetta Hightower (June 23, 1944 – August 2, 2014), ...

, on her debut album '' It's Mashed Potato Time''. The song refers to the

Mashed Potato Mashed potato or mashed potatoes ( American and Canadian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper. It is generally served as ...

dance move, which was a fad. It was one of several songs that at that time that referenced the dance, another being James Brown's "

Mashed Potatoes U.S.A. "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." is a rhythm and blues song by James Brown and his Famous Flames. Released in 1962 as a single by King Records, it reached #82 on the Pop chart and #21 on the R&B chart.White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In ''Star Time'' ...

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who ...

song "

Please Mr. Postman "Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the ...

" is mentioned in the lyrics and is copied in the arrangement. Also mentioned in the lyrics are the songs " The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens and " Dear Lady Twist" by

Gary U.S. Bonds Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his classic hits "New Orleans" and " Quarter to Three". Career Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds lived in Norfolk, ...

. Sharp recorded a sequel to "Mashed Potato Time" called "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)". In 1996 the

Campbell Soup Company Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become ...

featured the song in a $30 million advertising campaign, using a new, more upbeat recording by Sharp. In 2009, the song appeared in the video game Just Dance as a playable track. In

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

, it appeared in a

TV commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

for

AirBNB Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 by ...

Chart performance

The song reached No. 1 on the '' Cashbox'' Top 100 and ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B charts in 1962, as well as No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It was kept from the No. 1 spot by "

Soldier Boy Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series '' Herogasm'' and ''The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced (the second successor to the mantle, made by Vought alon ...

" by

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1962. It became a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

Cover versions

* Dick and Dee Dee released a version of the song on their 1962 album ''Tell Me - The Mountain's High''. *

Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he wa ...

, as Dee Dee King, recorded a hip hop version of the song, with new lyrics, on his 1989 album ''

Standing in the Spotlight ''Standing in the Spotlight'' is the first solo studio album by Dee Dee Ramone released in 1989, under the rap moniker Dee Dee King. The album is sometimes considered to be one of the biggest failures in recording history. Musically, the songs ...

'', with

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

on backing vocals. Bobby "Boris" Pickett's " Monster Mash," released a few months after "Mashed Potato Time", was written in part as a parody of Dee Dee Sharp's record, even copying the "whaa-oo" backing vocal.

References

1962 songs 1962 debut singles Cashbox number-one singles Dee Dee Sharp songs Songs about dancing Songs written by Bernie Lowe {{1960s-R&B-song-stub

Chart performance

Cover versions

See also

References