Ya Ya

1961 Lee Dorsey song

For the film, see Ya Ya (film). For song by 6ix9ine, see Yaya (song).

"Ya Ya"

Single by Lee Dorsey
from the album Ya Ya
Released| 1961
Genre| Soul, rock and roll
Label| Fury
Songwriter(s)| Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson, and Morris Levy

"Ya Ya" is a song by Lee Dorsey. The song was written by Dorsey, C. L. Blast, Bobby Robinson, and Morris Levy. Levy's participation in the writing has been called into question; the Flashback release of the single lists only Dorsey and Blast as writers, as do the liner notes to the American Graffiti soundtrack.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Chart performance
* 3 Cover versions
* 3.1 Beatles connection
* 3.1.1 Track listing for Ya Ya by Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers
* 3.2 Other covers
* 3.3 Johnny Hallyday (French version)
* 3.3.1 Track listing
* 3.3.2 Charts
* 3.4 Other French language covers
* 3.5 Covers in other languages
* 4 Notes
* 5 References

## Background[edit]

The song was inspired by a children's nursery rhyme, and includes session guitar player Jimmy Spruill on it.[2]

## Chart performance[edit]

The song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B singles chart in 1961.[3]

## Cover versions[edit]

### Beatles connection[edit]

According to author Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Chronicles (p. 365), the Beatles regularly performed "Ya Ya", live from 1961 to 1962 in Hamburg, Liverpool and elsewhere. John Lennon was always the lead vocalist on this number but no recorded version is known to exist.

Ya Ya

EP by

Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers

Released| October 1962
Recorded| 1962, Hamburg
Genre| Rock and roll
Label| Polydor
Producer| Bert Kaempfert

However, Tony Sheridan, the Beatles' close associate, recorded a live version of the song for Polydor Records which was released in October 1962 on the A-side of a German extended play[4][nb 1]. This 45RPM is credited to Tony Sheridan & "The Beat Brothers" who are often wrongly believed to be the Beatles. But the fledgling British group had no involvement in recording this track although "Sweet Georgia Brown", included on this disc, is indeed recorded by them.[5]

#### Track listing for Ya Ya by Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers[edit]

7" EP Polydor – 21 485 (1962, Germany.)

A1. / A2. "Ya Ya Part 1 & 2"
B1. "Sweet Georgia Brown"
B2. "Skinny Minny" (sic)[4]

In 1964, "Ya Ya" (Part 1) was included as filler on the German compilation album "The Beatles' First!" and the complete recording can be heard on The Early Tapes of the Beatles, the 1984 CD reissue of this album.[6]

In 1974, John Lennon included a snippet of the song on the album Walls and Bridges with himself on vocals and piano, credited as "Dad", and his 11 year old son Julian on the snare drum.[7] Lennon covered the song fully on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.[8]

### Other covers[edit]

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* In 1966, Tommy James and the Shondells released a version as the B-side to their song "It's Only Love"
* Mouse and the Traps recorded "Ya Ya" as the B-side of their 1967 single "Cryin' Inside".
* The Hombres included a cover on their only album Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out), in 1968.
* Trio recorded and released it on their 1981 eponymous first album and their live album Live im Frühjahr 82.
* Lee Michaels covered the song on his 1971 album 5th.
* Ike & Tina Turner covered the song in the early 1970s but their version was not released until 2004 on the album His Woman, Her Man: The Ike Turner Diaries.
* Steve Miller covered the song on his 1988 album Born 2 B Blue.

### Johnny Hallyday (French version)[edit]

"Ya ya twist"

Single by Johnny Hallyday
from the album Retiens la nuit
Released| 1962 (1962)
Label| Philips
Songwriter(s)| French adaptation: Lucien Morisse, Georges Aber
Johnny Hallyday singles chronology
| "Viens danser le twist"
(1961)  | "Retiens la nuit" / "Ya ya twist"
(1962)  | "Serre la main d'un fou"
(1962)

|
|

French singer Johnny Hallyday covered the song in French. His version, titled "Ya ya twist", reached No. 1 in Wallonia (the French speaking part of Belgium) in 1962.[9]

#### Track listing[edit]

7" EP Philips 432.739 BE (1962, France etc.)

A1. "Retiens la nuit" (2:54)
A2. "Sam'di soir" (3:00)
B1. "Ya ya twist" (2:27)
B2. "La faute au twist" (1:50)[10][11]

#### Charts[edit]

Chart (1962)  | Peak
position

|

Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] | 1

### Other French language covers[edit]

* Petula Clark recorded the song (released in February 1962, #1[12]) almost simultaneously to Hallyday's version.
* Malika et les Golden Stars released it on a Philips record in January 1963.[13]
* Sylvie Vartan recorded a cover for her album Nouvelle Vague in 2007[14]
* In 1964, Joel Denis covered the song in Québec as "Yaya", which was rerecorded in 1994 by Mitsou.[15]

### Covers in other languages[edit]

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* In 1962, Dalida covered the song in German under the title "Ya Ya Twist".
* In 1980 a Norwegian retrorock band Vazelina Bilopphøggers released the song as "Gi Meg Fri i Kveld".
* Toni Montano covered it on his first album "Tonny Montano" as "Svi se sada njišu i ubrzano dišu" in 1985
* Goran Bregović covered the song as "Ringe ringe raja" in his soundtrack for the 1995 film Underground.

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ According to Bill Harry in his liner notes for 1984's The Early Tapes of the Beatles, the musicians involved are Tony Sheridan (guitar and vocals), Rikki Barnes (saxophone), Roy Young (piano), Peter Wharton (bass) and Johnny Watson (drums).

## References[edit]

1. ^ 41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti (CD Booklet). MCA. 1973.
2. ^ Spruill, Jimmy, Scratchin’ the Wild Jimmy Spruill Story, Great Voices of the Century (GVC) Recordings, Surrey, UK, 2014, liner notes
3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 169.
4. ^ a b "Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers– Ya Ya at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
5. ^ "Sweet Georgia Brown". 12 October 2017.
6. ^ "The Beatles / The Beatles With Tony Sheridan / Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers – The Early Tapes Of at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
7. ^ Walls and Bridges (Booklet). John Lennon. Apple Records. 1974.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. ^ "Ya Ya". 16 August 2010.
9. ^ a b "Johnny Hallyday – Ya Ya Twist" (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. ^ "ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - Retiens la nuit". Ultratop. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
11. ^ "Johnny Hallyday - Retiens La Nuit at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
12. ^ "Petula Clark in the French charts". Petulaclark.net. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
13. ^ "Malika Accompagnée Par les Golden Stars – Ya Ya Twist (1963, Vinyl)". Discogs.
14. ^ "Sylvie Vartan – Nouvelle Vague (2007, CD)". Discogs.
15. ^ "Québec Info Musique | Joël Denis".

* v
* t
* e

Johnny Hallyday

Studio albums|

* Salut les copains
* Les Bras en croix
* Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime
* Derrière l'amour
* Hamlet
* Solitudes à deux
* Hollywood
* À partir de maintenant
* En pièces détachées
* Quelque part un aigle
* La Peur
* Rock'n'Roll Attitude
* Gang
* Cadillac
* Ça ne change pas un homme
* Rough Town
* Lorada
* Ce que je sais
* Sang pour sang
* À la vie, à la mort !
* Ma vérité
* Le Cœur d'un homme

Singles|

* "T'aimer follement"
* "Souvenirs, souvenirs"
* "Itsy bitsy petit bikini"
* "Kili watch"
* "Viens danser le twist"
* "Retiens la nuit"
* "Ya ya twist"
* "Elle est terrible"
* "Tes tendres années"
* "Les Bras en croix" (c/w "Quitte-moi doucement" and "Dis-moi oui" on the EP)
* "Da dou ron ron"
* "Ma guitare"
* "Pour moi la vie va commencer"
* "Le Pénitencier"
* "Un ami ça n'a pas de prix"
* "Quand revient la nuit"
* "Cheveux longs et idées courtes"
* "Noir c'est noir"
* "Si j'étais un charpentier"
* "Hey Joe"
* "Petite fille"
* "San Francisco"
* "À tout casser"
* "Cours plus vite Charlie"
* "Que je t'aime"
* "Ceux que l'amour a blessés"
* "Jésus Christ"
* "Deux amis pour un amour"
* "Essayez"
* "Oh! Ma jolie Sarah"
* "Comme un corbeau blanc"
* "J'ai un problème" (with Sylvie Vartan)
* "Noël interdit"
* "Prends ma vie"
* "Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime"
* "Johnny Rider"
* "La Fille de l'été dernier"
* "La Terre promise"
* "Requiem pour un fou"
* "Derrière l'amour" (c/w "Joue pas de rock'n'roll pour moi")
* "Gabrielle"
* "Ne me quitte pas" (live)
* "Quelque chose de Tennessee"
* "L'Envie" (live)
* "Que je t'aime" (live)
* "Mirador"
* "Je ne suis pas un héros"
* "Diego libre dans sa tête"
* "Ça ne change pas un homme"
* "Tous ensemble"
* "Marie"
* "Mon plus beau Noël"
* "Ça n'finira jamais"

Films|

* Tales of Paris
* D'où viens-tu Johnny?
* Cherchez l'idole
* À tout casser
* The Specialists
* Point de chute
* L'aventure, c'est l'aventure
* L'Animal
* Détective
* Terminus
* The Iron Triangle
* Why Not Me?
* The Man on the Train
* Crime Spree
* Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse
* Quartier V.I.P.
* Jean-Philippe
* Vengeance
* The Pink Panther 2
* Titeuf
* Salaud, on t'aime
* Rock'n Roll
* Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction

Family|

* Sylvie Vartan
* David Hallyday
* Laura Smet

Related articles|

* Johnny Hallyday discography

Authority control |

* MusicBrainz work

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