"Limbo Rock" is a popular song about limbo dancing written by Kal Mann (under the pseudonym Jon Sheldon) and Billy Strange. An instrumental version was first recorded by The Champs in 1961. The first vocal version was recorded in 1962 by Chubby Checker (on Parkway Records): it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks (held out by Telstar by The Tornados) and at number one on the Cash Box charts. The Chubby Checker recording also made it to number three on the R&B charts.

Checker then released a sequel, Let's Limbo Some More, in 1963, which peaked at #20 in the Billboard chart.

In 1960 session guitarist Billy Strange and a friend were listening to a song on the radio. Strange sneered that he could write a better song in five minutes. His friend produced a one hundred dollar bill from his wallet and bet him he couldn't. Strange pulled out a note pad coming up with the tune in under five minutes with the only lyrics being "What a monotonous melody" for every line, and pocketed the money. Whilst later doing a recording session for Ricky Nelson Strange was asked if he had a song for recording. As a joke he sang the "What a Monotonous Melody" song. A few months later Chubby Checker's manager Kal Mann asked Strange if he could record the song with different lyrics that became "Limbo Rock".

The song was covered by a long list of artists including Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, The Champs, The Ventures, Fozzie Bear (on Muppet Beach Party), Sebastian the crab, Chet Atkins and Hank Snow (on their joint album C.B. Atkins & C.E. Snow by Special Request), The Knickerbockers, Klaus Wunderlich, The Routers, Arthur Lyman, Skiantos, Jaume Sisa. Because the song is literally about limbo, versions of the song by lesser-known cover bands appear on various Latin music, Calypso music and reggae compilation records. It also appears on a number of children's music albums.

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