R&B

The golden oldie “Mashed Potato Time” by Dee Dee Sharp was a song that helped along the mashed potato dance craze in the early 1960s. There were quite a few songs was “mash” in the title, including  “(Do the) Mashed Potatoes” by James Brown (credited due to legal issues to Nat Kendrick and the Swans),  the novelty song “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, and  “Mash Potato Party” by Link Wray and his Ray Men.

In 1962 Dee Dee Sharp recorded and released “Mashed Potato Time” for Cameo Parkway Records. It has fun references to songs you can do the Mashed Potato to:  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens, “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes,  and “Dear Lady Twist” by Gary U.S. Bonds. The song went to #1 on the R&B Chart and  #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold more than one million copies and earned an RIAA gold record. Sharp soon followed this song with  “Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes),” which also charted  at #11 on R&B and #9 on Billboard Hot 100.

How do you do The Mashed Potato? Step backward with heel tilted inward, swivel the heel outward, and repeat as necessary.

Here are the lyrics to “Mashed Potato Time” by Dee Dee Sharp:

“It’s the latest, it’s the greatest
Mashed Potato, ya, ya, ye-e-eah

A Mashed Potato started long time ago
With a guy named Sloppy Joe
You’ll find this dance is so cool to do
Come on baby, gonna teach it to you

Mashed Potato, feel it in your feet now
Mashed Potato, come on get the beat now
Baby, come on honey, come on baby

And then they dance it through and through
They look for records they can do it to
They got a dance was outta sight
Doin’ the lion sleeps tonight

Mashed Potato, ya a weem o wep a weem o wep
Mashed Potato, ya, ya, ya, ya
It’s the latest, aw baby
It’s the greatest, come on honey
Ya, ya, ya, ya

Now everybody is doin’ fine
They dance alone or in a big boss line
And they discovered it’s the most, man
The day they did it to Please Mr. Postman

Mashed Potato, wait a minute, wait a minute
Mashed Potato, deliver de letter
It’s the latest, come on baby
It’s the greatest, oh honey
Ya, ya, ya, ya

Well they got with more and more
Ya ought to see ’em around the floor
The Mashed Potato has a long long list
They even do it to Dear Lady Twist

Mashed Potato, ya, ya, ya, ya
It’s the latest, come on baby
It’s the greatest, oh honey
Mashed potato
Feel the groovy beat now”

For More Golden Oldies Music

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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