Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
| "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Little Richard | ||||
| A-side | "Good Golly, Miss Molly" | |||
| Released | January 1958 | |||
| Format | 7" 45 rpm record | |||
| Recorded | New Orleans, Louisiana, May 9, 1956 | |||
| Genre | R&B, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:02 | |||
| Label | Specialty (Cat. no. 624) | |||
| Writer(s) | Richard Penniman | |||
| Producer(s) | Bumps Blackwell | |||
| Little Richard singles chronology | ||||
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| "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles from the album Beatles for Sale | |
| Released | December 4, 1964 (mono and stereo) |
| Recorded | October 18, 1964 |
| Genre | Rock and roll |
| Length |
2:33 (mono version) 2:38 (stereo version) |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Writer(s) | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller/Richard Penniman |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
The song "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", also known as "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)", was written by Little Richard and recorded in May 9, 1956 at J&M Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana (supervised by Bumps Blackwell).
In 1955, Little Richard recorded two different versions of "Kansas City" by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: one on September, 13 (supervised by Bumps Blackwell), and one on November, 29 (with five vocalists, supervised by Art Rupe). The first version, which adheres closely to the original 1952 recording by Little Willie Littlefield for the first two verses, was not released until November 1970, on the compilation album Well Alright! The second version, which had been substantially re-worked by Little Richard (in particular, it featured a new refrain starting with words, "Hey, hey, hey, hey; Hey baby, hey child, hey now") was released in March 1959 on The Fabulous Little Richard and in April 1959 as single after the success of the Wilbert Harrison hit.
"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" was recorded six months after the second version of "Kansas City", incorporating the same refrain. However, as "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" was released in 1958—with the writing credited solely to Richard Wayne Penniman (Little Richard)—the public perceived it as an earlier recording than "Kansas City".
In 1964, The Beatles released the albums Beatles for Sale (in the UK) and Beatles VI (in the US) featuring a cover of "Kansas City" based on the issued Little Richard version. (They had performed it as early as September 5, 1962 at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and in December of that year at the Star-Club in Hamburg.) Attorneys representing Little Richard's publisher, Venice Music, issued a complaint, claiming the Beatles' record also covered "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey". As a result, the record label was revised to read: "Medley: (a) Kansas City (Leiber/Stoller) (P)1964 Macmelodies Ltd./KPM; (b) Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey (Penniman) Venice Mus. Ltd. (P)1964." This was despite the fact that, when Little Richard recorded "Kansas City" in November 1955, "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" had not yet been written or recorded.
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Wikipedia