Beep Beep (song)

"Beep Beep" is a novelty single by the Playmates, released in 1958 by Roulette Records (catalog number 4115) as the B-side to "Your Love".[1] The song describes an unintended road race between two mismatched cars.

For other similarly-titled songs, see Beep, beep (disambiguation) § Music.

"Beep Beep"
One of side-A labels of original 1958 US single
Single by The Playmates
A-side"Your Love"
Released1958 (1958)
GenreNovelty
LabelRoulette
Songwriter(s)
  • Carl Cicchetti
  • Donald Claps
The Playmates[1] singles chronology
"While the Record Goes Around"
(1958)		 "Beep Beep"
(1958)		 "Star Love"
(1959)

Production

"Beep Beep" was written by Carl Cicchetti and Donald Claps,[2] also known as Chic Hetti and Donny Conn,[3] the band's arranger/pianist and drummer, respectively.[4]

The song is built around accelerando: The tempo of the song gradually increases commensurate with the increasing speed of the drivers.[5] In his book The Guide to United States Popular Culture, Ray B. Browne lists "Beep Beep" as an example of "motoring music [...] in the chase mode".[6] It is a tortoise-and-the-hare race,[3][1] substituting the drivers of two unequal cars, originally a Nash Rambler and Cadillac, respectively.[1]

Roulette Records did not want to release the song as a single, because the song changed tempo, it explicitly named contemporary products on the market, and was not danceable; when disc jockeys began playing it off the album, it forced the label's hand, and Roulette released the 45 single.[3] Because of a contemporary BBC directive that prohibited songs with brand names in their lyrics, a UK version of "Beep Beep" was recorded for the European market, replacing the Cadillac and Nash Rambler with the generic terms limousine and bubble car; this recut version was also released in the US for radio stations with similar policies about product placement.[7]

Reception

"Beep Beep" began charting with Billboard on November 3, 1958; it charted for 15 weeks, peaking at number four.[8] After the single sold one million copies (The Playmates' only), it was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.[9] The Playmates were scheduled to perform their song on the December 3, 1958 episode of The Milton Berle Show.[10]

In December 1958, Time credited the popularity of "Beep Beep" with helping American Motors Corporation break sales records. In November 1958, the company doubled its previous year's production record with 26,782 cars; Ramblers accounted for 9.2% of October 1958's automobile sales in the United States; and though "total U.S. exports slid 16% in 1958, Rambler's climbed 10.3%."[11] "Beep Beep" was also popular with the workers building Ramblers on AMC's assembly lines in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[12]

In 1994, a "near-mint commercial copy" of the single was valued at US$8 (equivalent to $15.8 in 2022).[8]

References
  1. Warner, Jay (2006) [1992]. "The 1950s". American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. pp. 278–279. ISBN 0-634-09978-7. LCCN 2006922018.
  2. Belz, Carl (1969). "Selected Bibliography: 1953–1963". The Story of Rock. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 230. LCCN 75-83059.
  3. Bronson, Fred (1995). "The Top 100 Songs of 1958". Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits. Broadway: Billboard Books. pp. 242–244. ISBN 0-8230-7646-6.
  4. Bolstad, Helen (August 1961). Mosher, Ann (ed.). "Hey! Look Us Over". Radio TV Mirror. Vol. 56, no. 3 (Midwest ed.). Manhattan: Macfadden Publications. pp. 17–29.
  5. Pica, Rae (2008). "Elements of Movement". Physical Education for Young Children: Movement ABCs for the Little Ones. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7360-7149-9.
  6. Ackerman, Paul, ed. (December 1, 1958). "Playmates 'Beep' Sans Ad Plugs". The Billboard. Vol. 70, no. 48. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (1994). "Artist Section". Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1993 (seventh ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 465. ISBN 0-89820-104-7.
  8. Murrells, Joseph (1978) [1974]. "1958". The Book of Golden Discs: The Records That Sold a Million. London: Barrie and Jenkins. p. 106. ISBN 0-214-20480-4.
  9. Rolontz, Bob (December 1, 1958). Ackerman, Paul (ed.). "Music as Written". The Billboard. Vol. 70, no. 48. p. 7. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. Alexander, Roy; Fuerbringer, Otto, eds. (December 8, 1958). "Rambler in High Gear". Time. Vol. LXXII, no. 23. pp. 95–96. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479.
  11. Giles, Diane (May 21, 2013). "Little Nash Rambler". That's Entertainment. Kenosha News. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
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