Song of the Day 11/26: The Rivingtons, “The Bird’s the Word”

Gotta make it quick today due to Thanksgiving prep, including picking up the bird and getting it brined, which made me think of “Surfin’ Bird,” the 1963 No. Billboard 4 hit by surf-rock Minnesotans the Trashmen. I never realized it was a cover of a song released earlier in 1963 by the Rivingtons, the doo-wop group that had a hit with “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” the year before. The Rivingtons’ original didn’t make the Top 40, stalling at No. 52.

The Trashmen didn’t realize it either. They first heard the song in a bar where another band covered it as a medley with “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,” which is pretty much the same song, so that’s how they played it. When they released their single they credited the composition to Steve Wahrer, their singer and drummer, until the lawyers got wind of it. The four members of the Rivingtons were credited on later pressings.

The Trashmen’s version is the one that entered the rock canon, covered by many, particularly punk bands, including the Ramones. The tempo tells you why – this is the only cover by the Ramones that they didn’t have to speed up.