At the Hop
| "At the Hop" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Danny & the Juniors | |
| B-side | "Sometimes (When I'm All Alone)" |
| Released | 17 June 1957 |
| Format | 45 rpm, 78 rpm single |
| Genre | Doo-wop, rock and roll |
| Label | ABC |
| Writer(s) | Artie Singer, John Medora, and David White |
"At the Hop" is a rock and roll/doo-wop song written by Artie Singer, John Medora, and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957, and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, thus becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958. "At the Hop" also hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers list. Somewhat more surprisingly, the record reached #3 on the Music Vendor country charts.
The song returned to prominence after it was performed by rock and roll revival act Sha Na Na at the 1969 and featured in the 1973 coming-of-age teen drama American Graffiti. Musically, it's notable for combining several of the most popular formulas in 1950s rock'n'roll, the twelve-bar blues, boogie-woogie piano and the 50s progression.
The song was written by White, Medora and Singer in 1957, when Danny & the Juniors were still called The Juvenairs. Initially called "Do the Bop", the song was heard by Dick Clark, who suggested they change its name. After performing the song on Clark's show American Bandstand, it gained popularity and went to the top of the US charts, remaining at number one for five weeks.
The song describes the scene at a record hop, particularly the dances being performed and the interaction with the disc jockey host.
A sample of the song's lyrics (contemporary popular dances in italics):
On the 2008 nationally-televised PBS documentary Wages of Spin: Dick Clark, American Bandstand and the Payola Scandals, Singer claimed that Dick Clark would not play "At the Hop" without receiving half of the publishing proceeds. Singer agreed to make the payments and called the situation "bittersweet" because although he didn't like having to give the money, he credited his success in the music industry to Clark and therefore was grateful to him. Payola was not illegal at the time and Clark sold the song prior to the 1960 payola hearings.
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