Number One Songs -- Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Number One Songs—Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Brian Hyland - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Ahh, the infamous bikini! It was born at the Paris fashion show in 1946, right after World War II. It exploded in popularity in the late 1950s when bombshell actress Brigitte Bardot created a sensation by wearing one in the 1958 film And God Created Woman. But who first sang the immortal anthem to the bikini, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"?

That would be Brian Hyland.

In 1960, Hyland hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Itsy Bitsy," his first and biggest single, penned by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss.

Hyland hit it big again in 1962 with the "back to school" anthem, "Sealed with a Kiss," written by Peter Udell and Gary Geld. ("Sealed with a Kiss" charted again in 1968 when covered and released by Gary Lewis and the Playboys.)

"Brian [Hyland] was born November 12, 1943, in Brooklyn/Queens, New York City, where his first musical experience ranged from church choir at nine, to clarinet and guitar, to his first local harmony group, the Delfis. In 1959, they cut a demo record and made the rounds of New York City record labels. Finally, with much persistence, after many closed doors, Brian was signed as a solo artist to a management contract, where he cut demos for band leader Sammy Kaye's publishing company. Kapp Records heard a demo and signed Brian at age 16. That became his first record 'Rosemary' and was followed that summer of 1960 by the now infamous 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,' which got a nod from Brian's cousin by marriage, Larry, of The Three Stooges, on their local New York TV Show Three Stooges Fun House, although they wouldn't meet until eight years later in Hollywood. In 1961, the song was used as a successful brainwashing technique in the classic Billy Wilder movie comedy, 'One,Two,Three' starring James Cagney. It was Brian's first Gold Record, selling millions world wide and racing to #1 in the U.S., briefly edging ahead of Elvis' all time biggest hit, 'It's Now Or Never,' as well as reaching the top of the charts in Japan, where he toured and performed in a TV special." —BrianHyland.com

In 1966, while recording for Philips Records, Hyland recorded an album produced by music legends Snuff Garrett, Leon Russell and JJ Cale, yielding the top twenty singles, "The Joker Went Wild" and "Run, Run, Look And See."

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie" may be one of the most known songs in the world, in part due to the lasting popularity of its subject, its nursery rhyme-like* flavor, and continued use of the theme by advertising agencies. Nearly fifty years after first becoming a hit, it was popular again in 2007 with a new generation of teens as a result of a major Yoplait yogurt TV promotional campaign.

Remember this?

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini Lyrics
(Words and Music by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss)

She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was as nervous as she could be
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was afraid that somebody would see
One, two, three, four, tell the people what she wore

It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today
An itsy bitsy teentie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
Two, three, four, stick around we'll tell you more

She was afraid to come out in the open
And so a blanket around she wore
She was afraid to come out in the open
And so she sat bundled up on the shore
Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore

Now she is afraid to come out of the water
And I wonder what she's gonna do
Now she is afraid to come out of the water
And the poor little girl's turning blue
Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore

REPEAT CHORUS

So in the water she wanted to stay
From the locker to the blanket
From the blanket to the shore
From the shore to the water
Yes there isn't any more

Brian Hyland - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Sheet Music (Digital Download)

SIDEBAR: "On September 6, 2006, a man named Paul van Valkenburgh of Ormond Beach, Florida died from complications of lung cancer. An obituary published in The News-Times of Danbury, Connecticut repeated Van Valkenburgh's claim that he had written the song 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini' under the pen name of Paul Vance, but that he had sold his rights to the song decades earlier. The report was picked up by the Associated Press, which ran a short obituary of Vance based on both the News-Times obituary and information received from Van Valkenburgh's widow. The [story] was picked up by newspapers and other media outlets worldwide...The real Paul Vance, who currently resides in Coral Springs, Florida, contacted local media after viewing a report of his death on a local television news broadcast. He announced that he was still alive and was able to prove his identity to reporters with a stack of royalty checks from ASCAP for his songwriting. He told a reporter for the New York Times that his relatives and friends, shocked by the AP report, had called to check on him after the media reports, and that two racehorses he owns had been scratched from races based on the reports. Vance also told the Times that he was considering legal action, since licensees outside the United States might be confused by the false report of his death and discontinue making royalty payments. He was quoted as saying, 'Believe me, if they think you’re dead, they ain’t going to send the money.'" —Wikipedia

In a separate report published by the BBC, van Valkenburgh's widow and the alleged source of the erroneous "Itsy Bitsy" credit, Rose Leroux, said she had had no reason to doubt her late husband's claim to fame and was "devastated."

See the NPR story.

Learn more about "the bikini."

*Looking for the "Itsy Bitsy Spider"?

According to Wikipedia:

"Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "Incy Wincy" or "Eency Weency Spider") is a popular nursery rhyme that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends and reascends the downspout or "waterspout" of a gutter system (or, alternatively, the spout of a teapot). It is usually accompanied by a sequence of gestures that mimic the words of the song. The most commonly referenced first published version was in 1962. However, numerous earlier references can be found by searching full text book search in Google; for example, in Western Folklore, by the California Folklore Society, 1947., and The Growing Family - A Guide for Parents by Maxwell Slutz Stewart, 1955, Harper.

In the US this rhyme is known as Itsy Bitsy Spider. In the UK it is known as Incy Wincy Spider. It is often chanted rather than sung. Recitation of the rhyme is often combined with actions representing the words. For the first (and last) line, alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other. For "Down came the rain" hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as you lower the hands. For "washed the spider out" sweep the hands to the side. For the third line bring both hands up and then to the sides to sweep out a semi-circle (the sun). Then wiggle the fingers upwards (to show the rain drying in the sun), and repeat the thumb/index finger movement to indicate the spider climbing up the spout.

There are various versions of the lyrics:

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
(Some versions have went instead of climbed.)

Another version:

Incy wincy spider climbing up the spout.
Down came the rain, and washed poor Incy out.
Out came the sunshine, and dried up all the rain
So Incy wincy spider climbs up the spout again.

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