Wooly Bully
"Wooly Bully" is a song originally recorded by novelty rock and roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1964. A reworking of the 1962 tune "Hully Gully Now" by Big Bo & The Arrows (which was itself based on Junior Parker's "Feelin' Good"), the song's composition was credited to the band's frontman, Domingo "Sam" Samudio.
It was released as a single on the small Memphis-based XL label in 1964 and was picked up in 1965 by MGM. It became a worldwide success, selling three million copies and reaching No. 2 on the American Hot 100 chart on June 5–12, 1965, kept off the top by The Beach Boys' "Help Me, Rhonda" and The Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again". "Wooly Bully" also went to No. 31 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. The song also reached No. 2 on the Canadian CHUM Charts.
The song was the first American record to sell a million copies during the British Invasion and was influenced by the British rock sound, mixed with traditional Mexican-American conjunto rhythms. The lyrics were hard to understand, and some radio stations banned the song. It stayed in the Hot 100 for 18 weeks, the longest time for any song in 1965, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. It was named Billboard's number-one song of the year despite never reaching No. 1 on a weekly Hot 100. On August 5, 1965, the single was certified as gold by the RIAA. It was later included on the band's 1965 album Wooly Bully.
In the mid-1970s, a cover of the song was recorded by The Residents during sessions for their third studio album The Third Reich 'n Roll, however the song was not included on the final version of the album. The Residents' version (which consists mostly of a simple synthesizer overdub) has not seen an official release, but has been included on at least two known bootlegs.
Lyrics
Original version
Uno, dos, one, two, trés, quatro! Ay Wooly bully Watch it now, watch it Here it comes Watch it, he'll get you
Matty told Hatty About a thing she saw Had two big horns And a wooly jaw
Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully
Matty told Hatty "Let's don't take no chance Let's not be L-seven Come and learn to dance"
Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully (watch it now) (Watch it, watch it, watch it)
Drive, drive, drive
Matty told Hatty "That's the thing to do Get you someone really To pull the wool with you"
Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully (watch it now) (Watch it, watch it, watch it)
You got it, you got it, you got it
