Witch Doctor (song)

This article is about the song. For the article on practitioners of traditional healing medicine, see Witch doctor. For other uses, see Witch doctor (disambiguation).

"Witch Doctor"
Single by David Seville and The Chipmunks
from the album The Alvin Show
B-side	Don't Whistle At Me, Baby
Released	1958
Format	45 rpm
Recorded	1958
Genre	Comedy
Length	2:15
Label	Liberty
Writer(s)	Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.
Producer	Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.
David Seville and The Chipmunks singles chronology
"Witch Doctor" (1958) "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (1958)

"Witch Doctor" is a song written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., and released in 1958 by Liberty Records under the name David Seville, a character whom Bagdasarian portrayed.

Song information

The song tells the story of a man in love with a woman who initially does not return his affections. Longing for her companionship, the man goes to see a witch doctor for advice. The wise witch doctor replies, "Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang" (a phrase which is repeated four times as the chorus of the song). At the middle of the song, the man tells the woman he loves about his asking the witch doctor for advice.

The voice of the "witch doctor" was in fact Bagdasarian's own voice sped up to double speed, a technique he would later exploit to create Alvin and the Chipmunks (and had also used on at least one other pre-Chipmunk song, "The Bird on My Head"). Because of this, it is often referred to (even in later compilations) as the first song by the Chipmunks; this is not precisely true. For one, only one sped-up "chipmunk-style" voice is featured rather than three such voices singing in harmony. Furthermore, Bagdasarian (as Seville) insisted that it was not technically a Chipmunks song in an episode of The Alvin Show when he exclaims "I made that record once!" and Alvin responds "But not with us!" The first true song by the "group" was "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)."

Chart performance

Credited as the character David Seville, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was considered a major surprise hit on the chart, where it stayed at number one for two weeks and became Seville's first number-one single. The single also peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart and on the Cash Box chart as well. The single sold over one million copies in the United States.

Chipmunk versions

Ross Bagdasarian re-recorded the song in 1960 featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks and included it on their second album, Sing Again with the Chipmunks. This version would eventually be adapted into one of the musical segments featured on The Alvin Show. The Chipmunks would also perform a dance version released in 1996 on Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes. In The Chipmunk Adventure, Miss Miller sings this song as she is driving to pick up Dave from the airport at the end of the film. In 2007, DeeTown recorded a hip-hop dance version for inclusion in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks film.

Cover versions

The first cover version was recorded in 1958 by the British musician Don Lang and made the UK Top 10.

The song has also been covered by Sha Na Na and in Spanish by Manuel "El Loco" Valdés.

A French-language version, "Docteur Miracle" was recorded by Danyel Gérard, by Annie Cordy, and also by Claude Piron.

A modified version was also used in a commercial for Tab soda, with "ting tang" being replaced by "Tab taste".

Mickey Katz recorded a parody called "K'nish Doctor" in which the doctor uses quasi-Yiddish utterances. This track is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records.

The song was also used in a commercial for the Nintendo game Dr. Mario.

In the episode "The Bend in the River" of The A-Team, Murdock wears a mask, singing the song to himself and B. A. Baracus.

In the episode "Make Room for Lisa" of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson sings the song to himself while he and Lisa are in separate water-filled sensory deprivation tanks, with slightly different lyrics.

In the episode "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives" of Family Guy, Quagmire sings the song after refusing to sign Brian's petition.

While not covering the song per se, the American rock band Clutch references it on the song "Texan Book Of The Dead" from their 1995 eponymous album by using the chorus of the song as a form of incantation, preserving the original intent.

In the TV series "Jonathan Creek", Jonathan and Maddie grimly recite the lyrics as they remember them, and then have an argument about who sang it, what it was about, and how the chorus went.

A New wave band Devo, recorded a version for the 1998 film, The Rugrats Movie, with new lyrics. This version, however, talks about fun-loving monkeys and their carefree lifestyle which ties into a part of the film's plot where the Rugrats encounter a pack of escaped circus monkeys who sing this song to them.

Cartoons version

"Witch Doctor"
Single by Cartoons
from the album Toonage
Released	1998
Format	CD single, CD maxi single, Compact Cassette
Recorded	1998
Genre	Eurodance
Label	FLEX
Producer	Cartoons
Cartoons singles chronology
— "Witch Doctor" (1998) "Doodah!" (1998)

Another version of the song was by the Danish band Cartoons, on their 1998 debut album Toonage. Their version charted well in Europe, reaching the top forty in many countries, as well as peaking at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. A Spanish version appears on the album Toontastic, while an Italian version also appears on the album More Toonage.

The Cartoons' cover was also featured in the Dancemania compilation series and Dance Dance Revolution game series, starting with DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution 6thMix (A loosely based song interpreted by Banya was also featured in the Pump It Up Dancing Game).

Track listings

CD single

1. "Witch Doctor" (Radio Mix) (3.05)
2. "Witch Doctor" (Extended Mix) (4.14)
3. "Witch Doctor" (Out Of Africa Remix) (5.09)

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)	9
Dutch Singles Chart	12
French Singles Chart	22
New Zealand Singles Chart	31
Swedish Singles Chart	13
UK Singles Chart	2

References

Preceded by "Twilight Time" by The Platters

Billboard Top 100 number-one single (David Seville version) April 28, 1958 – May 5, 1958

Succeeded by "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers