Album: Hey Little Cobra (1964)

Charted: 4

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Songfacts®:

• The Beach Boys had their 409, but The Rip Chords had a little Cobra, a rocket of a roadster designed by Carroll Shelby. In the song, the Cobra defeats a Corvette Sting Ray by such a wide margin, the driver can coast to the finish line.
  
  The song was written by Carol Connors and her brother, Marshall Connors. Carol had been a singer in The Teddy Bears, who had a #1 hit in 1958 with "To Know Him Is To Love Him" (she was using her real name at the time: Annette Kleinbard). According to her interview with SpectroPop, she wrote "Hey Little Cobra" at the request of Carroll Shelby, who told her that if she wrote a hit song about the car, he would give her one. He kept his promise and Connors got a Cobra of her own.
• "Hey Little Cobra" was produced and sung by Terry Melcher and Bruce Johnston - The Rip Chords had no part of it (studio musicians played the instruments). Melcher was the son of actress Doris Day; he went on to produce albums for The Byrds and Paul Revere And The Raiders. Johnston became a member of The Beach Boys. The Rip Chords were a vocal group that had two minor hit at this point - "Here I Stand" (#51) and "Gone" (#88) - so they had a bit of name recognition.
  
  Johnston explained to Songfacts: "The voices of Phil Stewart, Rich Rotkin, Arnie Marcus, and Ernie Bringas [The Rip Chords] were not a part of the single release of 'Hey Little Cobra.' Terry Melcher and I are the co-producers of 'Hey Little Cobra' and wrote and sang every single vocal part on the released version.
  
  We sent The Rip Chords members home because of an ultimatum from Columbia Records West Coast Vice President Irving Townsend for us to finish recording 'Hey Little Cobra' by midnight or the tapes would be scrapped. The reason for this was that we were over budget. The guys in The Rip Chords were very nice guys and they did nothing wrong.
  
  We knew that the contractually signed two Rip Chords (Ernie Bringas and Arnie Marcus) could not sing in this Beach Boys vocal style, and after they departed from the studio, Terry and I sang every vocal part we wrote that is heard on the 'Hey Little Cobra' single release. 'Hey Little Cobra' went to #4 on the Billboard chart and sold 1 million singles - a Gold record in 1964."
• The song's co-writer, Carol Connors, has yet another claim to fame: She came up with the "gonna fly now" lyric for the Rocky theme and is a writer on that song.

Comments: 12

• Lis from TorontoAccording to Ernie Bringas, one of the original duo, touring memberes Rich Rotkin & Arnie Marcus did not sing on any actual recordings: https://ripchords.info/
• SharonI just found this album in a box of my house. When my parents moved they gave it to me twenty years ago. Anyone know how much I can sell it for? I just found these comments. I remember some songs.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 2nd 1964, "Hey Little Cobra" by the Rip Cords peaked at #4 (for 2 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on December 8th, 1963 and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100 (and for 6 of those 14 weeks it was on the Top 10)...
  The group's last charted record was "One Piece Topless Bathing Suit"*; it stayed on the Top 100 for one week at position #96...
  *(Warning: if you go on You Tube to hear the song, you will get a memorial video to porn stars who have passed away).
• John from Lukeville, AzI would very much like to have a copy of "Hey Little Cobra" for a friend of who has a cobra. If anyone out there has one and would be kind enough to cut a CD for me I will gladly cover the coast that you incure. Thank you.
• Dennis from Kinston, NcI'm fortunate enough to have both the "LP" and "45" of this song. It's definitly one of the "Hot Rod" classics!!
• Myra from Spring, TxI have the album with the cobra on the cover. All the songs are great.
• Tersia from Pretoria, South AfricaBrutus Wynyard, please contact me urgently. I have been looking for a copy of the Rip Cords Album with the song Hey, Little Cobra. My boyfriend races a cobra and i want to surprise him. I will pay all costs. My email add is tersiap@tshwane.gov.za
• Lupe from Los Angeles, Careferencing Dr Roberts comment:
  
  Phil Spector wrote and produced (and sang in?) the Teddy Bear's "To Know Him Is To Love Him" - apparently a song written to honor Spector's departed father.
• Brutus from Wynyard, Australiai still have the albumn, even an actual model made by brimm models in italy of the cobra on the cover. love the albumn i now have put it on cd so i can play it in my car, my personal favourite is 40 ford time. i've had the albumn for some 35 years now nicked it from elder brother
• Elvis from Philadelphia, PaI was former musical director the The Rip Chords. Doris Day came up with the group's name. Written by Carol Connors (nee Anette Kleinbard) and her brother, both formerly of The Teddy Bears ("To Know Him is to Love Him") - Dr. Robert, Phillytown
• John from St. James, Li, NyTerry Melcher also performed Custom Machine, a very early car song.
• Howard from St. Louis Park, MnThis was one of the earliest car songs to have a Beach Boys like sound. A great song from the early 60s.

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