Little Bitty Pretty One
| "Little Bitty Pretty One" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Thurston Harris and the Sharps | |
| B-side | "I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me" |
| Released | September 1957 |
| Genre | Rhythm & blues, rock & roll, gospel |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Aladdin |
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Day |
"Little Bitty Pretty One" is a 1957 rock and roll song written and originally recorded by Bobby Day. The same year, the song was popularized by Thurston Harris.[1] Produced by Aladdin Records (located in Los Angeles, Calif.), and featuring The Sharps on backing vocals,[2] Harris' version reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Best-Sellers chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart.[3]
Reception
- Bryan Thomas writes that the song "has gone on to become one of the best loved oldies of the late '50s".[4]
Cover versions
- Frankie Lymon recorded a version of the tune, reaching No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960.[5]
- Clyde McPhatter returned the song to the top 40 in the US, when his version peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 in 1962.[6]
- In 1972, the Jackson 5 covered the song for their album, Lookin' Through the Windows, and took the song to No. 13 on the Hot 100.[7][8]
- Aaron Carter covered "Little Bitty Pretty One" for the 2001 Disney movie The Princess Diaries and his third album "Oh Aaron".
- In 1994, Huey Lewis And The News did their take on the song on their album "Four Chords & Several Years Ago"
"Wiggle, Wiggle"
"Little Bitty Pretty One" was the inspiration for the Accents' sole hit "Wiggle Wiggle" in 1958, and though the similarities were evidently not sufficient to warrant a lawsuit, Aladdin Records took the expedient step of covering the song with a group called the Chestnuts.[9]
References
- ^ Dave Marsh, The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999), 429.
- ^ The Lamplighters at Allmusic
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 246.
- ^ Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, John Bush, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul (Backbeat Books, 2003), p. 297.
- ^ "Frankie Lymon - Chart history". Billboard. 1960-08-20. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). p. 645.
- ^ Soulsation! (1995), liner notes
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). p. 482.
- ^ "The Great Doo Wop Vocal Groups..." Pinterest.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
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| Singles on Steeltown Records |
|
|---|---|
| Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969) | |
| ABC (1970) | |
| Third Album (1970) | |
| Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) | |
| Maybe Tomorrow (1971) | |
| Greatest Hits (1971) | |
| Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) | |
| Skywriter (1973) | |
| G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) | |
| Dancing Machine (1974) | |
| Moving Violation (1975) | |
| The Jacksons (1976) | |
| Destiny (1978) | |
| Triumph (1980) | |
| Victory (1984) | |
| 2300 Jackson Street (1989) | |
| Notable collaborations and album tracks | |
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