Album: Hang On Sloopy (1965)

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• Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  
  Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  And everybody, yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  Sloopy, I don't care what your daddy do (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  'Cause you know, Sloopy, girl, I'm in love with you (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  And so I say now
  
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
  Give it to 'em (yeah)
  
  Sloopy, let your hair down, girl
  Let it hang down on me (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  Sloopy, let your hair down, girl
  Let it hang down on me, yeah, yeah (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
  
  Come on, Sloopy (come on, come on)
  Well, come on, Sloopy (come on, come on)
  Well, come on, Sloopy (come on, come on)
  Well, come on, Sloopy (come on, come on)
  Well, it feels so good (come on, come on)
  You know, it feels so good (come on, come on)
  Oh, shake it, shake it, shake it, Sloopy (come on, come on)
  Oh, shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah (come on, come on)
  Ohh
  
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on
  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
  Hang on, Sloopy
  Sloopy, hang on Writer/s: Bert Russell, Wes Farrell
  Publisher: Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., MORRIS MUSIC, INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 49

• Superblondedotorg from Los AngelesThe nickname "Sloopy" seems to have no meaning or cultural reference. It is an odd nickname. Bert Berns, the renowned songwriter, spent early formative years in Cuba's musical scene. "Lupe", short for "Lupita", is a common Latino name/nickname, and is phonetically a match to "Sloopy": simply pronounce "Es Lupe" and it sounds like "Sloopy".
  
  Released on 1968-03-01, the Mexican band, Los Johnny Jets, released an official recording, "Es Lupe (Hang on Sloopy)", credited to "Composer: Bert Russell" (a pseudonym for Bert Berns) and "Lyricist: Wes Farrell". Based on this, a possible earlier history can be seen that, in order to "cross-over" the song from the Latin American race records market to the North American white market, Bert Berns "whitewashed" the words of an original Latino/Cuban song which he stole ("borrowed") from a Cuban/Latino group of musicians, featuring a girl named "Lupe" with song title "Es Lupe", into the white-ism "Sloopy".
  
  Thesis: 1. "Es Lupe" was the original song title; 2. "Lupe", short for "Lupita", is the original name of the girl, not "Sloopy", and Lupita means coyote/wolf, a very fitting Latino nickname for a charismatic yet underprivileged ranch girl; 3. The first popular recording, Vibrations "My Girl Sloopy", has a distinctively Cuban percussion flavor; 4. Bert Berns borrowed/stole the song from Latin American musicians in Cuba, later claiming that he wrote it himself, which was common during that era, and still is common today (changing some words in an existing song written by non-famous musicians, changing the song title, and retaining the underlying music was considered "songwriting"); 5. Bert Berns changed the name of the girl and title of the song from "Es Lupe"/"Lupita" to "Sloopy" to appeal to North American white audiences (very common in that era, the era of a clear racial/segregation split between white audiences and "race records"); 6. The sad situation is that, in the 1960's, and even today in 2026, the music market is still highly segregated between what is called the "mainstream audience", a euphemism for White U.S. music consumers, and the rest of the music market which is now termed "Urban audience", a euphemism for Non-white music consumers; the hit song "Despacito" just a few years ago is an example of this: even now, songs must "cross over from the race records into the white charts by being performed by a white artist" (Justin Bieber). 7. There is an additional verse to the song, as stated by Rick Derringer in a live concert to have been removed by the producers during his popular cover recording, and much later sung by Rick Derringer live, which says the girl wears a red dress "as old as the hills"; this is a type of lyric imagery fitting to a Latino songwriter, not typical of a suburban North American white kid's experience ("Sloopy wears a red dress yeah, as old as the hills / But when Sloopy wears a red dress yeah, you know it gives me the chills, oh, oh." 8. There are numerous other songs of this dance-hit-single-oriented early R&B/Rock 1950's/1960's era which reuse nearly identical bass line and rhythm of "Es Lupe", fundamentally reusing the music itself, with slightly different song forms, and modified lyrics yet with the same lyrical themes, listed as written/produced by Bert Berns, such as Johnny Thunder's 1968 "Everybody Do The Sloopy", etc, as Bert Berns tried to create large profit windfalls via a hit dance single; modifying songs in this way (stealing, repurposing, whitewashing aka "attempt to cross over" to the profitable market) was, and still is, considered part of the "music business": in many ways, a very underhanded business.
• Fred from Ferona VirginiaHowdy... Sloopy is not as endowed as Parton, but I had to close the window or tab playing the video because her features were bouncing around more than I should be seeeing.....
• Susan from TennesseeI am so glad to see your updates on the Sloopy Dancer! Anyone who did just a little bit of looking could find Liz Derringer married to Rick and Liz Brewer having nothing to do with the videos or the Derringers at all. It is also wonderful to see you gave Lisa Leonard Dalton credit for dancing, since she finally found a professional to help her get her true story out.
  Thank You Song Facts! You Rock!
• Zatara from By The Water, Running Water;some here have quite an imagination;
  
  this song had little to do with sex save what others have glommed onto it;
  
  it’s simply a story about a boy in love with a poor but beautiful girl;
  
  Zit was typical genre of the era, from ‘El Paso’ to ‘Only In America’ to ‘Rag Doll ‘ (Four Seasons) to ‘Jack and Diane’;
  
  you want sex in a song?
  
  go to ‘Work With Me, Annie’, ‘Love To Love You, Baby’, ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’, ‘Let’s Get It On’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘Blitzkrieg Baby (You Can’t Bomb Me)’, ‘Bang Bang Lulu’;
  
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 10, 1968, the McCoys performed "Hang On Sloopy" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand', it was also the show's 11th anniversary...
  Exactly three years earlier on August 10th, 1965 "Hang On Sloopy" was in it's first week on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #99, seven weeks later it would peak at #1 {for 1 week} and it spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
  It reached #5 on the United Kingdom's Singles chart...
  Between 1965 and 1968 the Indiana group had nine records on the Top 100 chart, two made the Top 10,besides "Hang On Sloopy", their other Top 10 record was a covered version of Little Willie John's 1956 song "Fever", it peaked at #7 {for 2 weeks} later in 1965 on December 19th...
  Lead singer Rick Derringer, as a solo artist, charted four times on the Top 100, his biggest hit was "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo", it peaked at #23 {for 1 week} on March 17th, 1974.
• Howard from St. Louis Park, Mn More than 50 years after its release, Hang on Sloopy is a very popular song at professional sporting events in Cleveland. The Indians play the song in the top of the 8th inning and the Browns and Cavaliers play it after the third quarter. Even more common is for thousands of fans to chant "O-H-I-O!" after the chorus.
• Andy from NottinghamFor the real info on the song watch this vid of rick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6yAMuaPHNo
• Mark from SeattleI can't for the life of me understand how most of the free world has not figured this song out! It's not about a girl giving a guy a blow job...ewww! But it is most definitely about sex.
  
  It's about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who falls in love with the guy singing the song. He has her get on top (a most excellent position, I highly recommend it)...uh, anyway. He says, let your hair down, let it HANG DOWN ON ME! How can anyone miss that. She's on top...she let's down her long hair and it falls down on him while they are makin' sweet love! It's awesome. And of course, "shake it, shake it, shake it baby" is double meaning...as in shake your hair AND shake your body as they have an orgasm. Ok, if you're a prude this might offend you, but I don't know why it's really kind of sweet if you ask me.
  
  But I think the folks who went and made it Ohio's State song would never want to acknowledge what the McCoys were really singing about.
  
  Oh Sloopy, let your hair hang down on me...as Austin Powers would say, YEAHHH BABY YEEAAAHHHH!
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On August 8th 1965, two versions of 'Sloopy' entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; "(My Girl) Sloopy" by Little Caesar and the Consuls entered at position #86 while the McCoy's "Hang On Sloopy" debut at #99...Little Caesar & the Consuls' version would peaked at #50 {for 1 week} on September 12th, 1965; the McCoy's version was at #7 for that week and two weeks later it would reached #1 {for 1 week}.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 27th 1966, the McCoys performed "Hang On Sloopy" on the ABC-TV program 'Where The Action Is'...
  One year earlier on August 8th, 1965 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #99; and on September 26th, 1965 it peaked at #1 (for 1 week) and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
  Ramsey Lewis released an instrumental covered version later in 1965; his version reached #11 on the Top 100...
  The Lettermen covered it in 1970; their version stayed for 2 weeks on the Top 100, peaking at #93 (#18 on the Adult Contemporary chart)...
  And the McCoys' lead singer/guitarist Rick Derringer released his own covered version in 1975 and took it to #94 on the Top 100.
• Denny from Columbia Falls, MtGrew up in Springfield, Ohio in the 60's and music was a major part of our lives. If there wasn't a sporting event going on we were dancing at Forest Park, The Coconut Lounge or at one of the Wampler venues. I remember the seeing the McCoy's many times starting when they were the Rick Z Combo. Great history of the song, loved it!
• Rotunda from Tulsa, OkBack in '65 I bought this record when I was at the Univ. of Kansas in Lawrence Ks. Then some time in '66 I think is when The McCoys played a concert at The Red Dog there. I had a crush on Rick Derringer. I always wondered why he had tired bags under his eyes at such a young age. I always liked the intro on this song.
• David Alvis from Lexington, KyMy brother snuck me in to the Caverns of Forest Park in Dayton Oh when I was 14, and it was an awesome to see the likes of Rick and the Raiders and Vicki and the Rest in one of the hottest venues in the Midwest for pure music and dancing with nothing more served than sodas and chips and no tables just one gigantic dance floor with literally hundreds and people dancing and enjoying the battle of the bands every fri and sat
• Chuck from Fairfield, Ohmy freshman year in liberty indiana high school (1964) was the first year for the consolidation of multiple schools. the admin felt like it would be a good idea to have a freshman dance to get everyone acquainted with each other. they hired a local band from union city, indiana - rick and the raiders. so since then i have been a follower of rick derringer's career. so in 1964 i got to hear a soon to be released "hang on sloopy" by a band soon to be called the mccoys. it was great and in two days i will be seeing rick derringer here in fairfield ohio some 48 yrs later. rock on rick !!!
• David from Zanesville, OhThe unanswered question is why choose Dorothy Sloop as a symbol? In 1964 Dorothy was 51 years old. Not a likely sexual fantasy. My first thought was her carreer ambitions as a jazz singer could be symbolic of the rock band, the rock singer, the rock culture ambitions for success. Then symbolicly transferring that ambition to sexual success. Not an uncommon thing to do in that era. Buy then I stumbled upon the definition of sloopy at urban dictionary.com that set me to another level of symbolosim. Is Sloopy the low life, slothful, counter culture lifestyle/ philosophy of rock muscians? Or, is it just a song about sloppy sex or worse. It is from the wrong side of town. He loves it anyway. Make ME feel good Sloopy. Hang on. This life style can work. Hence it would have nothing to do with Dorothy Sloop at all, unless it would refer to the life style of a jazz muscian of her time. And then it wouldn't be about Dorothy at all but about her suppossed lifestyle. Dorothy could have sued for defamation of character. Interestingly she became a teacher. She didn't hang on. So, Sloopy is symbolic of a philosophy, a not uncommon tactic for that era either. Of course there are different levels of seriousness to interpreting a song like this. Any object of success could be the meaning of this song. To the pure, to the innocent, all things are pure. But the State of Ohio and the Ohio State University might want to review their fascination with this song. And perhaps Dorothy's family could sue.
  
• The from Tampa Bay, FlThe song describes more than a boy's love for a girl in a different soci0-economic class. In the mid-60s, references to the taboo subject of sexual activity were still often veiled in euphemism. "Hang on Sloopy" is a classic example. The first stanza speaks to the boy's love and concern for a self-conscious girl from the "poor side of town." He comforts her, telling her he doesn't care what her daddy "do," that he's in love with her and to hang on, things will get better. The second stanza speaks to the strong sexual attraction between the two, and is a veiled reference to the act of fellatio while the boy lays on his back. He delights in her beauty, especially her long, tied-back hair, and coaxes her to "let your hair down, girl, let it hang down on me." Backed by the chorus, he urges her to "come on, come on." He tells her "it feels so good" and "you know it feels so good." Suggestive of his quickening breathing and the movement of her head, the song quickens in tempo and he yells "shake it, shake it, shake it, Sloopy." He lets out a "yeah!" before the song creschendos with a long howl, symbolizing the ecstasy of orgasm.
  
  
• Pat from Williston, ScThis song was going good when I was in the jungles of South Vietnam. Brought back memories of one I left behind. We had a sargent who while we were on perimiter guard would sing the lyrics and we would all sing backup!
• Hyungh from San Francisco, CaBernard Purdie was the studio drummer for this song. Here are his comments when asked "What was your worst gig?"
  
  "Not too many people have ever asked me that. I can't call it the worst, but it was the one I tried to mess up. I was angry. They asked me to play like I was a 14 year old. I was upset. Here I am the number one drummer in New York and around the country, and they want me to sound like a 14 year old. So I tried to mess up the song. That song has haunted me for 45 years. That song is 'Hang On Sloopy.' They wanted me to sound like a beginner. They wanted it to be a trash band, a garage band. It was embarrassing. What made it even worse was the producer and a couple of the guys in the band had been smokin' and drinkin'. It made me very, very upset. So I tried putting fills in every place but where I was supposed to. Once I've told the story around, then people listen to the song differently and say, 'Oh yeah, you would never normally put a fill here.' But I was trying to mess it up. And when we finished, they were like, 'That's it! That's perfect!' I said to myself then that as long as I live, if you don't like something or don't want to do it with somebody, then don't take the job. You cannot go in with the wrong attitude to do a job when somebody is paying you. If you don't want to do the job, then don't accept the job. That has been my motto for my career."
  
  — Bernard Purdie
• Nancy from Baltimore, Mdthis is a fun song to dance to or play when you are feeling a little low
• Tom from Springfield, OhI remember the night that "Red" (the DJ) announced at the Coconut Lounge in Urbana, Ohio, that the next group from Indiana, Called "The Rich Kids" were Singing their New song Hang on Sloopy, but under their new name The McCoys. The Coconut Lounge at Lakewood Beach, Urbana Ohio north of Springfield had about every popular group at the time four seasons, beach boys, dianna ross and the supremes, ike and tina turner, etc. It was a teen club no booze. I have a pretty good memory, but not a perfect one. Any one else remember the talent at the coconut lounge, like The McCoys?
• Michael from Bridgeport, CtThe vibrations were one of the greatist groups that,i ever saw period.this group was a very exciting act,they could sing,dance, and had great choreography.the vibrations had many hits like the watusi,cindy,sloopy and misty.why doenst this group get any credit for what its done?its a shame after all these years,the vibrations are still being taken for granted.i truly hope that this type thinking changes towards this group soon.sincerely yours,michael mcgehee
• Lynn from Huntington Beach, CaDon West was the DJ at the Fun Run in Kingman, AZ last night (May 1, 2009). He sang HANG ON SLOOPY and said that he was 17 when he recorded it.
• Sam from Hipsville, CaThose that have the 45rpm. of this song should flip it over and play "I Can't Explain It" -----------a great little tune in it's own right.
• Lester from New York City, NyJoe, couldn't find anything saying Don West was ever a member of the McCoys.
• Roggie from Fairborn , OhOne of my all time faves--went to High School in the Dayton area in the 60's----what a fantastic time--w i n g radio playing the weekly top 40 and hearing "hang on sloopy" when it was number one! Great Era to grow up in!!!
• John from Cincinnati, OhIn case anyone is wondering about Jackie's above reference to the "red dress", oldies stations now sometimes play a long version of the McCoys' Sloopy with an added 2nd verse about Sloopy wearing a red dress. Thus, the "YEAH-yeah" call and response in this version comes at the end of the chorus after the second rather than the first verse.
• Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, Caan enjoyable 3 chord song....
  "sloopy, I don't care what your daddy do..."
  heh,...love that line.
• Joe from Golden Valley, AzI was told that Don West was a member of the Mc Coys ,when Hang On Sloopy was recorded.can someone put some light on this for me?
• Doug from Cambridge, OnDon't see it mentioned but Rick Derringer had a smash solo hit with "Rock n Roll Hootchie Koo" in '73.
• Fred from Laurel, MdDavid, NYC--Thanks, this supports something I heard long ago. I was in college when this song was current and heard the DJ remark once that the drummer in this band was really young at the time it was recorded--16, or maybe even 14, I don't remember. I think that was the first time I felt really OLD, because here was an actual Rock Star who was younger than me! I guess I was so much older then, but I'm younger than that now. ;-)
• Andrew from Birmingham, United StatesThis has roughly the same story line as the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll". The protagonist is a guy in love with a lady from a poor dwelling area. This guy loves her for who she is; everyone else puts her down for being poor and outcast. We are to follow the example of these guys. Not necessarily an obligation to fall in love with just anyone in the outcast class; but at least to love everyone equally and not alienate anyone who's not in the "in-crowd".
• David from New York, NyI grew up in Dayton in the early 60s and saw these guys a number of times at Forest Park Plaza. The drummer for the McCoys was Rick's little brother Randy who played standing up. First and only time I ever saw that.
• Doug from Oakland, CaHang on Sloopy was real popular in the Mexican American community.I even knew a girl whose nickname was Sloopy,probably from the Vibrations version of the tune,
  Also,the Mc Coys version of Fever is fantastic also.
• Cliff from Amelia, Vaah, so I wasn't going crazy last week. Driving to Florida listening to XM radio's Just #1's on the Sixtys station and I heard the version with the Red Dress lyrics. NEVER heard it before and I am a big fan of 50's & 60's music. Kind of freaked me out!
• Wes from Miami, FlWhile this is an amazing song i would hope that this website would credit the other writer of the song Wes Farrell, the person who actually wrote the lyrics! He is my father, so forgive the frustration.
• Ray from Palm Bay, Idwhen this song came out, Soupy Sales was popular and as a 10 year old kid i thought they were singing "hang on Soupy". Rick was part of the band "Johnny Winters And" killer live album. - ray. palm bay, fl
• Marissa from Is This Optional?, OhWhen Ohio State played Michigan a while back, they played this song in a zillion different versions and a zillion different mixes on the morning show on one of the local radio stations. I got sick of it after a while but it sure got me pumped and I even ended up wearing scarlet and gray to the speech tournament that Saturday -- and I don't even like football!
• Fyodor from Denver, Codon, I have that same Great Shakes record! What a gas!!
• George from Richmond, Vaahh, heard this at a "sock" hop at my high school. Loved it
• Alan from Grande Prairie, Alberta, CanadaThe Dave Clark Five wanted to record this song but were beat to the punch by the McCoys. I believe they covered it but never put it into single release.
• Howard from St. Louis Park, MnOne of my favorite songs of the mid 60s. Who would want to name their daughter Sloopy? The opening drumbeat was also used on the McCoys remake of the Peggy Lee hit Fever.
• Nathan from Defiance, OhThis song is the non-official fight song for The Ohio State University, and is played at every sporting event at least 100 times.
• Jackie from Mansfield, , OhSLOOPY AND THE REAL McCoys Just returned to Ohio after living for five years in Iowa. The version that the oldies Des Moines radio station plays is really different. What's the story on this and the "Red Dress" lyrics?
• Don from New York, NyWhen I was 7 or 8 (around 1965), I purchased a 4- song 7" by mail from this long defunct company that made "Great Shakes" shake mix. The songs included Simon & Garfunkel "Got a Groovy Thing", The New Christy Minstrels "This Land is Your Land", Dave Clark 5 "Catch Us if You Can" (which is really what I got it for cause my big sister had just got the DC5's "Weekend in London" LP, and The Yardbirds "My Girl Sloopy" which for the longest time I thought was a rip-off of the McCoys! Never heard of the Vibrations till you mentioned it...thanks for the background. DK, Ithaca, NY
• Chris from Bluffton, ScThis song is most commonly available in an edited version that runs approximately 3 minutes. However, if you look hard enough you can find the unedited version which runs about a minute longer. And no, they didn't cut anything out because it was dirty. There was a verse cut out to fit the 3 minute rule of radio stations in the 60s.
• Mercedes from Poop, InThe McCoy's played at my aunt's prom back in the sixties when they were not famous and my mom and friend met them and hung out with them and took all these pictures and the last thing they said before they left was " We'll remeber you when your famous." How wild is that?
• Bob from Cincinnati, OhOur school won a "Heartbeat Hop" contest in 1966 and the prize was a concert with The McCoys. I'll always rememberthem playing "Sloopy" and the whole school singing along.
• Jennifer from Santa Barbara, Ca"Sloopy" was inspired by a lady named Dorothy Sloopy from Steubenville Ohio who used sloopy as her stage name.. So OSU adopted it and used it for their purposes. Go to Http.//members.aol.com/sloopyo/song.html to see the rest of the story behind this. and see www.netstate.com/states/symb/song/oh_hang_on_sloopy.htm-14k with or without 14k in address. hope this helps
• Aj from Ontario, CanadaThis is an excellent song!, one of my favorites, but has anyone ever wondered where the name Sloopy came from?

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