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Rockin' Robin (song)

1958 rock and roll single

Field	Value
name	Rockin' Robin
cover	Bobby Day - Rockin' Robin.jpg
type	single
artist	Bobby Day
album	Rockin' with Robin
B-side	Over and Over
released	June 27, 1958
* Rock and roll<ref>{{cite web	first	John	last= Bush	title= Rockin' Robin – Song Review	website= AllMusic	access-date= June 17, 2014	url= https://www.allmusic.com/song/rockin-robin-mt0009194219}}
* doo-wop<ref name	"Marsh 1989"
* novelty<ref name	"Breihan 2018"
length	2:31 (single version)
label	Class
writer	Leon René
producer	Jimmie Thomas
next_title	Over and Over
next_year	1958
misc

| B-side = Over and Over

Rock and roll
doo-wop
novelty "Rockin' Robin" (originally released as "Rock-In Robin" on the Class Records 45 single) is a song written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, and recorded by American singer Bobby Day in 1958. It was Day's biggest hit single, becoming a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent one week at the top of the R&B sales chart. Michael Jackson recorded his own version of the song in 1972, which also achieved success.

Personnel

Bobby Day – vocals
Plas Johnson – piccolo
Earl Palmer – drums
Barney Kessel – guitar

Copyright status

"Rockin' Robin" is in the public domain, as the owners never renewed the copyright.

Charts

Chart (1958)	Peak
position	Australia (Kent Music Report)	Canada (CHUM Charts)	US Billboard Hot 100	US Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
9
3
2
1

Michael Jackson version

| B-side = Love Is Here and Now You're Gone Post-Nuclear Families: Bubblegum|page= 23|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=031214704X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMPCAwAAQBAJ}} In 1972, Michael Jackson released a cover of "Rockin' Robin". It was the second single from his debut solo album Got to Be There, after the title track. It was the most successful single from the album, hitting number one on the Cash Box singles chart, and peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (the same highest position as the original), behind "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. It also peaked at number two Billboard soul singles chart, behind "In the Rain" by the Dramatics.

Record World said that "little Michael rocks in with a revival of the big Bobby Day hit of the rockin' 1950s".

Track listing

A. "Rockin' Robin" – 2:30
B. "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" – 2:51

Chart performance

Chart (1972)	Peak
position	Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)	Australia (Kent Music Report)	New Zealand (Listener)	Swedish Singles Chart (Kvällstoppen)	US Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles	US Billboard Hot 100	US Cash Box Top 100
23
16
16
1
2
2
1

Certifications and sales

Lolly version

In 1999, English singer Lolly released a cover of "Rockin' Robin" as a double A-side single with "Big Boys Don't Cry". It was a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 10 in December of that year and remaining on the chart for a total of 11 weeks.

References

Bush, John. "Rockin' Robin – Song Review".
Marsh, Dave. (1989). "The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made". [[Plume (publisher).
Breihan, Tom. (August 22, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Dave Clark Five's "Over And Over"".
Whitburn, Joel. (2004). "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004". Record Research.
de Heer, Dik. (September 2015). "Plas Johnson".
Scherman, Tony. (1999). "Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story". Smithsonian Institution Press.
"Barney Kessel – Credits".
"U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System".
"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 3". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
"CHUM Hit Parade - August 11, 1958".
"Bobby Day – Awards".
(2018). "Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track". [[Cassell (publisher).
(April 22, 1972). "The Hot 100".
(April 15, 1972). "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs".
Record World staff. (March 4, 1972). "Hits of the Week".
(July 22, 1972). "Go-Set Australian charts".
"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989, part 2". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=1193#n_view_location search Listener
"Kvällstoppen 18 Juli 1972 - Hela topplistan, se videos, lyssna på låtarna - NostalgiListan".
"Got to Be There – Awards".
"CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending APRIL 15, 1972".
Joseph Murrells. (1978). "The Book of Golden Discs". Barrie and Jenkins Ltd..
"LOLLY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1958-songs 1958-singles 1972-singles 1999-singles bobby-day-songs michael-jackson-songs lolly-(singer)-songs songs-written-by-leon-rené motown-singles cashbox-number-one-singles songs-about-birds songs-about-fictional-male-characters public-domain-music

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