Beep Beep (song)

"Beep Beep"
	One of side-A labels of original 1958 US single
Single by The Playmates
A-side	"Your Love"
Released	1958
Genre	Novelty
Label	Roulette
Songwriter(s)	C. Cicchetti; D. Claps;
The Playmates[1] singles chronology

"Beep Beep" is a novelty song by The Playmates, released in 1958 by Roulette Records (catalog number 4115) as the B-side to "Your Love".[1]

Production

"Beep Beep" was written by C. Cicchetti and D. Claps.[2]

The song is built around accelerando: the tempo of the song gradually increases commensurate with the increasing speed of the drivers.[3] 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".[4] It is a tortoise-and-the-hare story, substituting the drivers of two unequal cars: a Nash Rambler and Cadillac, respectively.[1]

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.[5]

Reception

"Beep Beep" began charting with Billboard on November 3, 1958; it charted for 15 weeks, peaking at number four.[6] After the single sold one million copies (the Playmates' only), it was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2] At the height of the song's popularity, The Playmates appeared on the December 3, 1958 episode of The Milton Berle Show.[7][8]

In December 1958, Time credited the popularity "Beep Beep" with helping Nash Motors break 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%."[9] The "Beep Beep" song was also popular with the workers building Ramblers on AMC's assembly lines in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[10]

In 1994, a "near-mint commercial copy" of the single was valued at US$8 (equivalent to $13.8 in 2019).[6]

References

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.
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.
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.
Browne, Ray B.; Browne, Pat (2001). "A". The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-87972-821-3.
Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. December 1, 1958. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
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.
Rolontz, Bob (December 1, 1958). "Music as Written". Billboard. 70 (48): 7. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
"Milton Berle and the Texaco Star Theatre". Thomas Film Classics. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
Alexander, Roy; Fuerbringer, Otto, eds. (December 8, 1958). "Rambler in High Gear". Time. Vol. LXXII no. 23. James A. Linen. pp. 95–96. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479.
Giles, Diane (May 21, 2013). "Little Nash Rambler". That's Entertainment. Kenosha News. Retrieved August 29, 2019.

External links

"Beep Beep" at AllMusic
"Beep Beep" at Discogs (list of releases)

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[2006_American_Singing_Groups-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.

[1978_Book_of_Golden_Discs-2] 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.

[2008_Physical_Education-3] 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.

[2001_Guide_to_United_States_Popular_Culture-4] Browne, Ray B.; Browne, Pat (2001). "A". The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-87972-821-3.

[1952-12-01_NBM-5] Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. December 1, 1958. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.

[1994_Top_Pop-6] 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.

[7] Rolontz, Bob (December 1, 1958). "Music as Written". Billboard. 70 (48): 7. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[8] "Milton Berle and the Texaco Star Theatre". Thomas Film Classics. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[1958-12-08_Time-9] Alexander, Roy; Fuerbringer, Otto, eds. (December 8, 1958). "Rambler in High Gear". Time. Vol. LXXII no. 23. James A. Linen. pp. 95–96. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479.

[2013-05-21_That's_Entertainment-10] Giles, Diane (May 21, 2013). "Little Nash Rambler". That's Entertainment. Kenosha News. Retrieved August 29, 2019.