Peak
2
Weeks
18
Score
3,796
Chart Year
1965
The title is pure nonsense, but of course a few theories sprouted up to explain what the phrase "Wooly Bully" means. Our favorites: - An expression people used as a way of congratulating each other. - Sam's pet cat. There aren't many lyrics in this song that don't contain the words "Wooly" or "Bully," but one line managed to capture a fleeting piece of '60s slang. In the line, "Let's not be L-7, come and learn to dance," "L-7" was an unhip person - someone just not with it. More literally, it means let's not be squares. If you put an L and a 7 together you get, more or less, a square. That's how the all-female punk band L7 got their name. >> The song starts off with Sam the Sham counting off the tune, "one two three four," in Spanish ("Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro"). U2 appropriated this concept when they used a Spanish count-in on their song "Vertigo." This song was popular during the Vietnam War and was a favorite among troops. It was featured in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which was set during this time period. Other movies to use the song include: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Baby It's You (1983) Splash (1984) The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) Back to the Beach (1987) Scrooged (1988) Encino Man (1992) Happy Gilmore (1996) Rollerball (2002) Religulous (2008) My All-American (2015) Spinning Gold (2023) It was also used in two episodes of The Simpsons ("Homer the Moe" in 2001; "Half-Decent Proposal" in 2002) and in these shows: Moonlighting ("And the Flesh Was Made Word" - 1988) Melrose Place ("Leap of Faith" - 1992) The Wire ("Ebb Tide" - 2003) Cobra Kai ("Nature vs. Nurture" - 2021) "Sam," who also wrote this song, is Domingo Samudio. The term "Sham" mean jive talk. His backup group The Pharaohs wore strange Egyptian outfits. They had five more Top 40 US hits, including the #2 song "Lil' Red Riding Hood." Samudio recorded solo for Atlantic Records in 1970, reformed The Pharaohs in 1974 and later became a street preacher in Memphis. Report this ad The Mexican rhythm helped bring that sound into the mainstream. Songs like "Tequila" and "La Bamba" did so in the '50s, but this may have been the bridge between those songs and "Macarena." A sequel to the song titled "Wooly Bully Again" was recorded in 1966 by a Winston-Salem, North Carolina group The Soul Brothers. Domingo Samudio was contacted, but showed no interest in it. >> "Wooly Bully" didn't make it to #1 in America (it spent two weeks at #2, held off first by "Help Me, Rhonda" and then by "Back in My Arms Again"), but Billboard named it the top song of 1965 in their year-end chart. This was the first American record to sell a million copies during the British Invasion. The song was recorded at Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, which was owned by Sam Phillips. Built in 1958, the studio replaced Sun Studio, where Phillips recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. Phillips Recording Service had some success, also recording "Lonely Weekends" by Charlie Rich, but Sam Phillips withdrew from the business and sold Sun Records in the late '60s.
Uno dos, one two tres quatro Ay, wooly bully Watch it now, watch it Here he comes, here he comes Watch it now, he get 'cha Matty told Hatty About a thing she saw Had two big horns And a wooly jaw Wooly bully Wooly bully, yeah drive Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Hatty told Matty Let's don't take no chance Let's not be L-seven Come and learn to dance Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Watch it now, watch it watch it watch it Ay, ay, drive, drive, drive Matty told Hatty That's the thing to do Get you someone really Pull the wool with you Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Watch it now, watch it, here he comes You got it, you got it
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 3, 1965 | 87 | 39 |
| 2 | Apr 10, 1965 | 82 | 44 |
| 3 | Apr 17, 1965 | 61 | 65 |
| 4 | Apr 24, 1965 | 45 | 81 |
| 5 | May 1, 1965 | 24 | 102 |
| 6 | May 8, 1965 | 14 | 112 |
| 7 | May 15, 1965 | 10 | 116 |
| 8 | May 22, 1965 | 8 | 118 |
| 9 | May 29, 1965 | 5 | 121 |
| 10 | Jun 5, 1965 | 2 | 124 |
| 11 | Jun 12, 1965 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Jun 19, 1965 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | Jun 26, 1965 | 3 | 123 |
| 14 | Jul 3, 1965 | 4 | 122 |
| 15 | Jul 10, 1965 | 5 | 121 |
| 16 | Jul 17, 1965 | 11 | 115 |
| 17 | Jul 24, 1965 | 17 | 109 |
| 18 | Jul 31, 1965 | 36 | 90 |