"Twistin' Postman" is a song recorded by

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

singing group

The Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was ...

, who released it in 1961, and was the follow-up to their smash debut single, "

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 th ...

Background

Like their previous single, the vocals are led by original Marvelette

Gladys Horton Gladys Catherine Horton (May 30, 1945 – January 26, 2011) was an American R&B and pop singer, notable for being the founder and lead singer of the all-female vocal group the Marvelettes, the first successful Motown girl group. Biography Early ...

, and is partially based on the then-current Twist dance move. The song's subject is a sequel of the original "Postman" single and this time the narrator is finally happy that the postman has delivered a letter from the narrator's boyfriend.

Credits

*Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by

Wanda Young Wanda LaFaye Rogers, née Young (August 9, 1943 – December 15, 2021), was an American singer, known for being a member of the Motown all-female singing group the Marvelettes, and after 1965, the lead singer. Biography Early life Young was ...

Katherine Anderson Katherine Elaine Anderson Schaffner (January 16, 1944 – September 20, 2023) was an American singer best known as a member of the Marvelettes. Biography Anderson was born in Inkster, Michigan, United States, and was raised in a housing proj ...

Georgeanna Tillman Georgeanna Marie Tillman Gordon (February 6, 1944 – January 6, 1980) was an American singer and an original member of the Motown girl group the Marvelettes. Life and career Tillman was born and raised in the Detroit suburb of Inkster, Mich ...

and Juanita Cowart *Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

Chart performance

The song became a modest hit for the group reaching number thirteen on the R&B charts, and number thirty-four on the pop singles chart in early 1962. A third single, "

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

", returned the group to the top ten of the pop and R&B charts later that year.

References

Songs about occupations Songs about letters (message) Twist (dance) 1962 singles The Marvelettes songs Tamla Records singles Songs written by Brian Holland Songs written by William "Mickey" Stevenson 1961 songs Songs written by Robert Bateman (songwriter) {{1960s-R&B-song-stub