Mouldy Old Dough

"Mouldy Old Dough" is an instrumental single, which was a hit for Lieutenant Pigeon.

"Mouldy Old Dough"
Single by Lieutenant Pigeon
from the album Mouldy Old Music
B-side"The Villain"
ReleasedFebruary 1972 (1972-02)
RecordedWinter 1971[1]
GenrePub rock[2]
Length2:45
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)
  • Nigel Fletcher
  • Robert Woodward
Producer(s)Stavely Makepeace
Lieutenant Pigeon singles chronology
"Mouldy Old Dough"
(1972)		 "Desperate Dan"
(1972)

It was written by Nigel Fletcher and Rob Woodward and first produced by them under the name of their other band, Stavely Makepeace.[3]

Recorded in the front room of Woodward's semi-detached house in Coventry, it featured his mother Hilda Woodward on piano,[4] in a boogie-woogie, honky-tonk, ragtime style. The only lyrics are the growled title "Mouldy Old Dough" and "Dirty Old Man" by Fletcher. When Fletcher asked what they meant, their author, Rob Woodward, said he had no idea.[5]

It is the only British number one single to feature a mother and son.[4]

Originally released in early 1972, it flopped on its first release. It was picked up in Belgium and used on a current affairs programme, and became a hit there, reaching number one in the Belgian singles chart. Decca, encouraged by this success, re-released it and with the backing of then BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds, it finally became a hit in the UK, spending four weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in October 1972.[6] It sold 790,000 copies. In New Zealand, the song was number one for five weeks.[7] The song also reached number one in Ireland and reached the Top 10 in Canada and Australia, but did not chart in the United States.

"Mouldy Old Dough" (the title being an adaptation of the 1920s jazz phrase, "vo-de-o-do")[3] became the second biggest selling UK single of the year, behind The Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace".

The tune was also used by LOTTO New Zealand as an advertising routine.

As of April 2019, Hilda Woodward's piano is an exhibit at Coventry Music Museum,[8] where other artefacts belonging to the band are also on display.

Chart history

It was one of the choices of Jarvis Cocker when he appeared on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, Desert Island Discs.

In a 1990 interview, Norman Cook revealed it was the first record he ever bought.[24]

Since 1972, the track has played over the PA system at the beginning of Oldham Athletic A.F.C. home games, which coincided with the club rising from the fourth Division to the second Division.

The song was covered by British group Shades of Green, and featured on their first album Rockin' Poppin' Ravin', released in 1973 by Windmill Records, London (WMD 164 stereo).

The song is widely regarded as the 'theme song' for the sport of Banger racing, where it is played at the start of races during the 'rolling lap'.[25][26]

It also became popular in New Zealand in the early 1990s, due to its use in a television advertisement for Instant Kiwi scratchcards.

See also

References
  1. "Mouldy Old Dough (Lieutenant Pigeon)". Jon Kutner. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. Ewing, Tom (3 June 2007). "Lieutenant Pigeon – "Mouldy Old Dough"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 147. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  4. Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 43. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
  5. Gittins, Ian (2007). Top of the Pops: Mishaps, Miming, and Music. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-84607-327-4.
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 321. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. Flavour of New Zealand, 5 February 1973
  8. "From the home of Lieutenant Pigeon ... MOULDY OLD DOUGH", Coventry Music Museum, n.d., (exhibit item description), archived from the original on 23 October 2022
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW, Australia: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. OCLC 38338297; ISBN 9780646119175.
  10. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  12. "Item Display — Page image: RPM Weekly, p. 28 of 3 February 1973 issue; 'Adult Contemporary 100'". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Library and Archives Canada. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  13. "Item Display — Page image: RPM Weekly, p. 15 of 27 January issue; 'Singles 100'". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Library and Archives Canada. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  14. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mouldy Old Dough". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Lieutenant Pigeon" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough". VG-lista.
  19. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  20. "Lieutenant Pigeon – Mouldy Old Dough". Swiss Singles Chart.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  22. South Africa's Top 20 Hit Singles of 1972
  23. 1972 in British music#Best-selling singles
  24. McCready, John. "Beats International are a Pop Group of Their Time (interview in The Face, November 1990)". Rock's Back Pages. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  25. "How Mouldy Old Dough was big hit. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  26. danielmoorey (8 December 2020). "BANGER RACING I Foxhall Stadium. Ipswich, Suffolk, England". The Coracle. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
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