The Loco-Motion
"The Loco-Motion" (or "Locomotion") is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down.
| "The Loco-Motion" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
A-side of U.S. vinyl release | ||||
| Single by Little Eva | ||||
| from the album Llllloco-Motion | ||||
| B-side | "He Is the Boy" | |||
| Released | June 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 1961 | |||
| Genre | Pop, rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:27 | |||
| Label | Dimension 1000 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gerry Goffin, Carole King | |||
| Producer(s) | Gerry Goffin | |||
| Little Eva singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "The Loco-Motion" on YouTube | ||||
The song is especially notable for making three appearances in the American Top 3, each in a different decade: in 1962 by Little Eva (U.S. No. 1); in 1974 by Grand Funk Railroad (also U.S. No. 1); and in 1988 by Kylie Minogue (U.S. No. 3).
The song is an enduring example of the dance-song genre; much of the lyric is devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually performed as a type of line dance. However, the song pre-dates the dance.
"The Loco-Motion" was also the second song to reach No. 1 by two different musical acts in America. The earlier song to do this was "Go Away Little Girl", also written by Goffin and King. It is one of only nine songs to achieve this feat.