The Novelty Friday selection for this week is “Rockin’ In the Jungle” by The Eternals. The group formed during the late 1950s in the Bronx and were originally called The Gleamers. The members included Charles Gerona, Fred Hodge, Ernie Sierra, Arnie Torres, and Alex Miranda.  The song was first a novelty song Gerona wrote for the holidays called “Christmas in the Jungle.” However, it changed into “Rockin’ in the Jungle,” and the group began to call themselves The Eternals. “Rockin’ in the Jungle” has lots of bongos and jungle sound effects — somewhat as a tribute to popular TV shows at the time, such as Tarzan, Jungle Jim, and Ramar of the Jungle.  Anyway, in 1959  it went to #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was in the Top 20 in New York.

The Eternals also had some charting success with another novelty song called “Babalu’s Wedding Day.” The group disbanded in 1962, but a new formation came out in 1972, and they do the oldies circuit today.

Here are the lyrics to “Rockin’ In the Jungle” by The Eternals:

Dancing everywhere
All over the world
Even in  the jungle
Rocking is the word

Ne ne na…

Everyone is dancing
Yes and gay
Cheetah, Boy and Tarzan
Even Jane

Swinging through the trees
With a jungle harmony
Rocking till the morning
With this crazy beat.

Ne ne na…

Here comes Boy
Singing a song
And Cheetah listening
Says he’s kinda slow

Cheetah turns and says
Hey, Boy
Give me rockin’ stuff man
The kind that makes me go

Ah, ah, ah…

They’re trying to get together
Happy for Jane
Jane’s his girl
Jane shakes away

They all get together
Happy in time
They all dance together
Rocking through the night

Ne ne na…

For More Golden Oldies Music

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop music, rock and roll hits, 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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