She Wears Red Feathers (And A Huly-Huly Skirt)

Album: The Definitive Guy Mitchell (1952)
Charted: 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • After his suicide in 1998, Bob Merrill was branded the worst songwriter of all time; his 1953 hit "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" undoubtedly bears much responsibility for that unkind epitaph, but the song that Lita Roza famously branded "rubbish" wasn't even his first UK number one of the year.

    Although not as sickening as his doggie song, this is if anything even sillier; "She Wears Red Feathers..." is about a London bank worker who makes out with a South Sea island girl (in his dreams?). Mitchell's recording held the number one spot for four weeks. Prior to that, Merrill had co-written a million seller. Not a bad run for the worst songwriter of all time!
  • The sheet music for "She Wears Red Feathers (And A Huly-Huly Skirt)" is credited Words and Music by Bob Merrill, Recorded by Guy Mitchell, published by Oxford Music Corporation, New York, Copyright 1952 at 40c; it was distributed in the UK by Campbell Connelly of London. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2
  • Mitchell once said, "I've always liked songs that have a story to them and most of all, I like something that people can sing along to."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Howard Jones

Howard JonesSongwriter Interviews

Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?