Double Dutch Bus
| "Double Dutch Bus" | |
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| Single by Frankie Smith | |
| from the album Children of Tomorrow | |
| Released | 1981 |
| Format | 12-inch single, CD single |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Genre | Funk |
| Label | WMOT |
| Writer(s) | Bill Bloom, Frankie Smith |
| Producer | Frankie Smith |
"Double Dutch Bus" is a 1981 funk song by Frankie Smith, made famous for its extensive use of the "izz" infix form of slang.
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[edit] Original version
The song title represents a combination of two institutions in Smith's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhood: the double Dutch jump rope game played by neighborhood kids; and the SEPTA bus system that was a backbone of the local transportation network (and for which Smith had unsuccessfully applied for a bus driving position; the Transpass referred to in the song is an actual SEPTA pass).[citation needed]
Smith and co-writer Bill Bloom persuaded contacts at WMOT Records to finance the song, and it was recorded in early 1981, engineered by Gene Leone. The song rocketed to popularity in a matter of weeks and debuted on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart in February, rising to the top spot by July, where it held at number one for eight weeks. It also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 30 in the summer of 1981.[1]
The record became only the second in history (following the 1979 Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"), and remains one of the few, to receive two separate standard-release Gold certifications from the RIAA: first in June 1981 for sales of the 12" single; and a second Gold record in September 1981 for sales of the 7" edit.[citation needed]
[edit] Sampling
The song was sampled heavily by Missy Elliott for use in the song Gossip Folks.[citation needed]
Girl Talk used the song briefly in his album All Day within a track entitled "Get It Get It".{{Citation needed}
[edit] Raven-Symoné version
| "Double Dutch Bus" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Raven-Symoné | ||||||||||
| from the album Raven-Symoné and College Road Trip (soundtrack) | ||||||||||
| Released | February 9, 2008 (Radio Disney) March 4, 2008 (Digital) |
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| Format | CD single, digital download | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||||||||
| Genre | Funk, R&B | |||||||||
| Length | 3:02 | |||||||||
| Label | Hollywood | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Bill Bloom, Frankie Smith | |||||||||
| Producer | The Clutch & Bill Jabr (additional production) |
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| Raven-Symoné singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Double Dutch Bus" was later covered by Raven-Symoné. The track was released to promote the film College Road Trip and is the first and only single from her fourth studio album, Raven-Symoné. The single was released on February 9, 2008 on Radio Disney[2]. This version has an updated hip hop and R&B sound.
"Double Dutch Bus" was added onto the US iTunes Store on March 4, 2008.[3]
[edit] Music video
The music video premiered on Disney Channel on February 18, 2008. The music video shows Raven and a bunch of people dancing under a disco ball and having a great time on a party bus (known as the "double dutch bus"). The music video also features images from the film College Road Trip. Donny Osmond makes a cameo appearance in the video.
[edit] Track listing
- "Double Dutch Bus" - 3:02
[edit] Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | February 9, 2008 | Hollywood Records | Radio Disney |
| March 4, 2008 | CD single, digital download |
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 535.
- ^ http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/m1twD8wVcKo
- ^ ATRL - Raven-Symone| CD gets critical praise from New York Times! - Page 14
- ^ allmusic ((( Double Dutch Bus > Overview ))) Allmusic
- ^ Double Dutch Bus - Amazon Amazon.com
[edit] External links
- Music video of original, Frankie Smith version at YouTube
- Music video of Raven-Symoné version at YouTube
| Preceded by "Give It to Me Baby" by Rick James |
Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single (Frankie Smith version) July 18, 1981 - August 7, 1981 |
Succeeded by "I'm in Love" by Evelyn King |
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