(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.)
Joey Dee and the Starliters - "Peppermint Twist (Part 1)"
Hit Number 1: January 27, 1962
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
In early 1962, there was an epidemic going around America. This is something that you might hear called the "Twisting Craze", where everyone in the country was obsessed with doing dances that involved twisting. In fact it was so popular, that Chubby Checker's "The Twist" hit #1 for a second time, and stayed there for 2 weeks until a new dance song involving twisting hit #1 for 3 weeks. That was "Peppermint Twist". "Peppermint Twist" is a song in the popular blues format, and it was split into 2 parts, with just the first part being the #1 record. The second part of the song is mostly an instrumental, and since it was determined that the song was too long to be released on a 45 anyway, they took that instrumental part out and only released the first part with vocals.
Joey Dee himself performed in a nightclub that was called the "Peppermint Lounge". So he came up with the bright idea of capitalizing on the twisting craze in America and giving a little shoutout to his nightclub, and coming up with the "Peppermint Twist". Looking at videos comparing "The Twist" and "Peppermint Twist", they look almost identical. I can not for the life of me figure out what sorts of differences these twisting dances were supposed to have from one another, besides obviously being different songs. Maybe that IS the only difference. Maybe it's not. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it. But I'm not here to judge dances, only for the songs. And I'm probably going against the grain here, but I kind of like "Peppermint Twist" more than "The Twist".
There isn't much to "Peppermint Twist", it's just a song in blues format wanting you to get up and do the "Peppermint Twist". Just like other dance songs, it commands you on what to do, and how to do it. I think why I might give the slight edge to "Peppermint Twist", other than "The Twist", is the blues format. There's a pretty fun little guitar solo that was thrown in there too. You would think that this song would only be something for the Starliters, and after 1962, "Peppermint Twist" would barely even exist. However, Bill Haley & His Comets had a version of their own that they did the same year, but it wasn't released until 2000. (Bill Haley & His Comets of course were the ones that did "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock". It's a 10) And then in 1974, glam rock band Sweet covered the song, and their version topped the charts in Australia. (Sweet has had several good hits, but will not show up in this blog. Their best song is, without a doubt, "Ballroom Blitz". That's another 10) But for the most part, once the twisting craze was over, "Peppermint Twist" was rarely heard from again.
GRADE: 7/10
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