Tutti Frutti

by

Little Richard

Album: Here's Little Richard      Released: 1955

US Chart: 17     UK Chart: 29

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Long before Richard recorded this, he performed it at his shows as "Tutti Frutti, Loose Booty." It was a very raucous and sexual song and was considered too suggestive for white audiences, so it was cleaned up considerably when he recorded it. The chorus was changed to "Tutti Frutti, aw Rudi."

This was Little Richard's first success after cutting flops for RCA and Peacock Records. His last of the Peacock singles featured the Johnny Otis Trio backing him up.

Producer Bumps Blackwell vetoed the original version with the "racy" lyrics. The released version had lyrics modified by Dorothy LaBostrie, whom Blackwell described as "a girl who kept hanging around the studio to sell songs." She got half the writing credit. (thanks, Brad Wind - Miami, FL, for above 2)

Pat Boone, who had a long career doing sanitized covers of songs by black artists, had a hit with this in 1956. He also covered Richard's "Long Tall Sally" that year.

This contains Little Richard's classic line, "A wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom!" He felt you could express your emotions without singing actual words.

When originally performed, the line "a wop bam boom" was "A good Goddamn."

Like "Long Tall Sally," this song was covered by Elvis. Little Richard once said, "Elvis may be the King of Rock and Roll, but I am the Queen." (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada, for above 2)

Queen played this on their "Magic Tour" in 1986. This is an acoustic (guitar) version of this song. (thanks, Andrew - Moscow)

Little Richard recorded this at J&M Studios in New Orleans, which was the only place to record in the city for many years. Opened in the late '40s, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded there as well. It has since become a laundromat. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

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Comments:

J&M studios New Orleans Sep 1955 – Specialty 561. Perhaps New Orleans’ biggest contribution to the story of rock’n’roll was the recording of Tutti Frutti at Cosimo Matassa's recording studio on Rampart Street. Little Richard had been recording pretty standard R&B fare since 1951 but Art Rupe saw something in him and he sent down Bumps Blackwell to buy up his Peacock contract for just $600. His first sessions for Specialty were held over two days on September 13th and 14th. Chuck Berry’s Maybellene was #1 on the R&B charts and Pat Boone’s lame cover of Ain't That A Shame was #1 on the pop charts, so its no surprise that Richard put down a couple of rockers, including a fine early version of Kansas City. But Tutti Frutti was something else. According to legend, he was just messing around with some bawdy nonsense lyrics towards the end of the session and Blackwell immediately sensed there was a hit in the making. Lyric writer Dorothy Labostrie was quickly brought in to clean up the lyrics. "Good booty" was replaced with "all rooty," and pretty soon the song was deemed acceptable enough for radio. Little Richard was on his way. Earl Palmer: ‘On Tutti Frutti you can hear me playing a shuffle. Listening to it now, it’s easy to hear I should have been playing that rock beat.’ Billboard October 1955: “A cleverly styled novelty with nonsense words delivered rapid-fire. The singer shows a compelling personality and an attractive vocal style.” Nick Duckett http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/
- Nick, london, United Kingdom

"Tutti -Frutti" is a type of mixed fruit flavor often used in candies , sweets and dessert dishes. It tastes somewhat like a combination of "Fruit - Loops" and "Hawaiian Punch".
- Mike, Franklin County, PA

Darn americans, jeez if people only knew what the original song was supposed to be about, it never would have been a hit song to sing in elementary school performances and whatnot. I KNEW it didnt make any sense. Who the hell was rudi. lol
- Chris, Claremont, CA

I never heard of Little Richard saying anybody else was the king of rock and roll. But I know in he is often qouted as saying"I'm the king and queen of rock and roll!"
- Laney, bosont, MA

another thing, anybody who thinks Pat Boone gave Little Richard a run from his money with his cover of long tall sally is crazy!
- Laney, bosont, MA

Little Richard was so incensed by Boone's cover version of "Tutti Frutti", (which out-did his version)he made the follow up too fast for him to sing. Nonetheless, Boone figured out how to adapt it, and gave Little Richard a run for his money.
- Sara, Greenville, AL

"MISS ANN," another Little Richard title, was also a slang for a gay male.
- matthewz, corpus christi, TX

Hello all, Tutti Frutti by Little Richard was on Billboard US R&B placed as Nr.2. Regards Michael, Roskilde, Denmark.
- Michael, Roskilde, Denmark

"Elvis may be the king of rock 'n' roll, but I am the queen." That's really funny!!
- Stefanie, Rock Hill, SC

Wasnt the line 'A wop bop a lu bop' In Grease?
- Amy, Dallas, TX

They do have a film about Little Richar called "Little Richard" TV movie, but it doesn't really give his biography the justice it deserves.
- Zeb, Charlotte, NC

i'm embarrassed to say i HAVE the pat boone cover!
- roxanne, chattanooga, TN

Little Richard already has a film biography. It was a T.V. movie on channel 4 i believe about 6-7 years ago.
- Shannon, CM, CA

Yeah, tutti frutti was slang for a gay male... So its pretty obvious why the origional lyrics were "loose booty" lil richard was an avid homosexual before becoming a Seventh-day Adventist minister.
- Blake, Minden, LA

Little Richard deserves his biography on film - I especially want to seee the Evangelicals run for cover when the black gay side comes out.Jerry lee Lewis, Elvis. Buddy Holly and Ray Charles have had theirs. Its' Little Richard's turn. The true Queen of Rock N' Roll.
- don, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Paul McCartney as a beatle covered alot of LR's songs.
- greg, little river, SC

The original line in the song was "A wop bop a lu bop, a good (deleted)!" This was, of course, before the lyrics were modified for white America. (And have you ever heard Pat Boone's cover of it?)
- Brett, Edmonton, Canada

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