'Polka Dot Bikini' songwriter dies at 68 (2-3-4 tell the people what she wore...)

Associated Press ^ | 09/27/06

[Liberty Valance]

Good morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fiji Hill]

The follow up hit was Short Shorts!

Short Shorts, from early 1958, antedated Bikini, and may have been inspired by Bermuda Shorts by the Rob Roys, from the summer of 1957. In any case, Short Shorts apparently inspired a number of songs follow-ups, including Crew Cuts by the Debs, sung to the same tune. Nineteen fifty-eight also saw a number of songs about sack dresses, including Sack Dresses by the Sad Sacks, No Chemise, Please by Jerry Granahan, and Roll On by the Future Tones. One of the best songs in this genre is Black Knee Socks by Tommy Palm.

[Dajjal]

UPDATE: Still alive.

Itsy-Bitsy Bikini, Big Mistake: Paul Vance Is Alive and Well

Real `Itsy Bitsy' Songwriter Still Alive

[bert]

This is a total error. I saw the man this morning on Fox and Friends

He is not dead. The wife of a person with the same name reported her husband died. He lied to her that he wrote the song.

The real author, alive and kicking related that he wrote the song about his 11 year old daughter who actually wore the yellow polka dot bakini and wouldmn't come out of the bath house becaquse a boy was staring at her.

[exit82]

He's NOT dead, Jim.

C'mon--someone had to say it!

[Riverman94610]

Short Shorts came out a year or so earlier,sung by the Royalteens,of whom Al Kooper was a member.
They also had the moderate size hit,Believe Me.

[Riverman94610]

You trumped me on Short Shorts,Fiji.
Was I right about The Royalteens,tho?

[Dajjal]

The wife of a person with the same name reported her husband died.

Not quite. The late Paul Van Valkenburgh had lied to his wife that in the 60s he had used "Paul Vance" as a pen name. When Van Valkenburgh died the wife reported her husband's false bio to the media.

[bd476]

Riverman94610 wrote: "You trumped me on Short Shorts,Fiji. Was I right about The Royalteens, tho?"

'Scuse me for butting in, yes, Riverman, "Short Shorts" was a hit for The Royal Teens.

Another bit of trivia for you. Al Kooper, session musician songwriter, known for founding, producing and naming Blood Sweat & Tears, organist for Bob Dylan, co-founder of Blues Project with Mike Bloomfield, producer of Lynrd Skynrd, including "Sweet Home Alabama", etc. was in the Royal Teens at age 14.

[Riverman94610]

Thanks,bd,for the info.

[bd476]

You're welcome, Riverman. :-)

[Fiji Hill]

You were right about the Royal Teens. Short Shorts debuted in January, 1958, and rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I have never heard Believe Me, a chart hit from the fall of '59, but I have a recording of Big Name Button, a silly novelty tune that they waxed in '58, but which failed to chart.

[Fiji Hill]

Bikini inspired a number of answers, including Four Shy Girls by the Girlfriends (sung to the same tune), Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Honolulu Strand Bikini by Club Honolulu, a German-language version, and even one entitled Yogi Man's Bikini, an answer to both Hyland's opus and the Ivy Three's Yogi, another smash hit from the summer of 1960.

[Riverman94610]

Believe Me is a very simple but perfect song in its own way,replete with plenty of the era's"ooh,wahoo,wahoo"moans and a great spoken word intro that goes
"As I go wandering along this road of tears
I think about the love we shared througout our teenage years"
Don't sleep on this one,Fiji.

[Fiji Hill]

Thanks for posting the lyrics of Believe Me. As it turns out, I have, indeed, heard this song--played by Jim Pewter on his "Oldies" program over the Armed Forces Network station in Kaiserslautern, Germany.