(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)
Chubby Checker - "Pony Time"
Hit Number 1: February 27, 1961
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
Chubby Checker was all about making the country get up and dance. He showed everyone in 1960 how to do "The Twist", and he was at it again with a different kind of dance in 1961. This dance was called "The Pony", which was a dance where the dancer tries to look like they are riding a horse. I could only wish I was making this up, and I would pay good money to anyone to do this dance in person. People must have looked very ridiculous doing this dance! However, the song was not an original Chubby Checker recording. Two dudes named Don Covay and John Berry were the ones to write the song and they recorded their version in 1960, but it went nowhere. Suddenly, when Checker got his hands on it and recorded it himself, the song blew up and hit #1 for 3 weeks.
The song is okay, as it's pretty upbeat and energizing. But the dance that accompanied the song is so ridiculous, that it makes me kind of want to forget "Pony Time" ever even existed. I mean, the dancer is TRYING TO LOOK LIKE THEY ARE RIDING A HORSE. That's not even dancing, that's just embarrassing the hell out of yourself, and looking like a complete moron. If I try to disregard the dance, and just think about the song, it's a little bit better. But it's certainly not great either. It's a song that just had its reign of terror for 3 weeks in 1961, that made people get up and dance, because it truly is a somewhat fun song. The dance that went with it is a gigantic head scratcher though. Checker will not appear in this blog again, but he would hit #1 for a second time with "The Twist" in 1962, when the whole country was in the big twist craze. At least "The Pony" is stuck in 1961 for eternity. Hopefully.
GRADE: 5/10
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