♫ Do Wah Diddy Diddy ♫

Posted on by under music

I thought perhaps something a bit silly, a bit fun, might fit the bill tonight, and I was trying to put myself into silly mode.  A Day in the Life of a Fool?  Um, hardly.  Sad Eyes?  Nope.  The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore?  Oh, come on, Filosofa … you can do better than that!  And then I hit on this.  Maybe not so much silly as just … fun, upbeat.  And so …

This song, released in 1964, was written by the songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, already known for the gibberish lyrics of The Crystals hit Da Doo Ron Ron.  Originally released by girl band The Exciters, it got the attention of the British group Manfred Mann, who started performing it at their shows.  Wait … “their” shows?  I always thought Manfred Mann was a “he”, not a “they”.  Sigh … culturally illiterate is what I am.  Oddly, The Exciters version of the song tanked, but Manfred Mann’s hit the #1 spot in both the UK and the U.S.

Now that I’ve discovered Manfred Mann is a group, and not an individual, I must learn a bit about them.  They began their career as an R&B and jazz-inflected group.  It was this very song that sent them to the top of the charts in the UK and U.S.  Turns out the group was named after their keyboardist, Manfred Mann.  Who knew?

It isn’t my favourite song in the world, but it’s got a cool rhythm to it and, like I said, I was looking to play something fun and lighthearted tonight.

Do Wah Diddy Diddy
Manfred Mann

There she was just a-walkin’ down the street, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
Snappin’ her fingers and shufflin’ her feet, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
She looked good (looked good), she looked fine (looked fine)
She looked good, she looked fine and I nearly lost my mind

Before I knew it she was walkin’ next to me, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
Holdin’ my hand just as natural as can be, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
We walked on (walked on) to my door (my door)
We walked on to my door, then we kissed a little more

Whoa-oh, I knew we was falling in love
Yes I did, and so I told her all the things I’d been dreamin’ of

Now we’re together nearly every single day, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
A-we’re so happy and that’s how we’re gonna stay, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
Well, I’m hers (I’m hers), she’s mine (she’s mine)
I’m hers, she’s mine, wedding bells are gonna chime

Whoa-oh, I knew we was falling in love
Yes I did, and so I told her all the things I’d been dreamin’ of

Now we’re together nearly every single day, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
A-we’re so happy and that’s how we’re gonna stay, singin’ “Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do”
Well, I’m hers (I’m hers), she’s mine (she’s mine)
I’m hers, she’s mine, wedding bells are gonna chime

Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh yeah
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, we’ll sing it
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

Songwriters: Ellie Greenwich / Jeff Barry
Do Wah Diddy Diddy lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management

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21 thoughts on “♫ Do Wah Diddy Diddy ♫”

  2. The original group was a fun band, singing mostly happy songs. I always thought Pretty Flamingo was their best, but Doo Wah Diddy Diddy always put a smile on my face. In the early 70s, I think, the band changed directions and had hits like Quinn the Eskimo and Blinded by the Light as Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, but further changes didn’t suit my taste at the time. I have not listened to them for years, much preferring the 60s sound. Maybe it is time to check out their later stuff again. My tastes have changed, a little.

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    • Quinn the Eskimo! I haven’t heard that in ages … I used to like it … I’ll have to check it out and see if I still do, for as you say, our tastes do change with time and age.

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  3. It was one of my all-time favourite tunes! I didn’t know the band took their name from their keyboardist. Learn something every day. BTW, it was #! in Canada too… just sayin…

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  6. I will have that song stuck in my head now! We did actually see Paul Jones – from Manfred Mann a few years ago at our local little theatre. For years he was hosting a Blues show on BBC Radio 2. Anyway back to our musical evening, it was a good group playing and while Jones’ hair looked a little unreal he was a good host, spoke nicely and was funny.

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  7. Oh Jill, you brought back a fun memory with this song. Back to my HS days and 2 guy friends of mine started loudly singing this song as I started walking down the street towards them . Yes, you could say my cheeks were flushed!

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