The music Witch Doctor is a catchy song that was popular in the 1950s. It was written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who is also known for his creation of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The song tells the story of a man who visits a Witch Doctor in hopes of finding a remedy for his broken heart. The Witch Doctor prescribes a series of strange and humorous treatments including ooh-ee-ooh-aah-aah, ting-tang, walla-walla-bing-bang. These nonsensical phrases became a hallmark of the song and are still recognizable today.
We will be posting on the last Monday of each month and will announce our song choice for the following month at the end of each post.
For his parts, he sang in his normal voice, but for the witch doctor lines, he overdubbed the song with his own voice recorded at half speed then played back at normal speed which created the high pitched squeaky voice. My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to say My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to do I know that you ll be mine when I say this to you.
These nonsensical phrases became a hallmark of the song and are still recognizable today. The music Witch Doctor became a commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard charts and selling over a million copies. It has since been covered and parodied by various artists, cementing its place in popular culture.
♫ Witch Doctor ♫
Every now and then, I like to just have a bit of fun with the music posts here on Filosofa’s Word, and I thought it was about time for a fun oldie … and I do mean oldie … probably older than some of you! The year was 1958 … I was 7 years old, but I remember it well.
Now … how many of you remember Alvin & the Chipmunks? They were three adorable animated chipmunks named Alvin (the ringleader), Simon, and Theodore. Their creator was a man named Ross Bagdasarian who went by the stage name David Seville.
Seville got the vocal effect by recording his voice into a tape recorder that was slowed to half speed and then playing it back at normal speed. Today’s song, Witch Doctor, was his first song to use the technique, and at that point there were no “Chipmunks.” (The squeaky voice was the witch doctor and had no physical form – Seville hadn’t created the characters yet and used his own name for the recording).
Seville was a successful songwriter by the time he released this track as his first single – he had written the Rosemary Clooney hit Come on-a My House and a popular instrumental called Armen’s Theme.
Witch Doctor was a huge hit, going to US #1 in April 1958 and staying for three weeks. Soon after, Seville created three distinct voices and branded his act “The Chipmunks.” Later that year, he released The Chipmunk Song which went to #1 for four weeks and became a Christmas favorite. Alvin And The Chipmunks got their own TV show (The Alvin Show) in 1961, again in 1983 (Alvin and the Chipmunks), and once again in 2015 (ALVINNN. and the Chipmunks). Several movies have also appeared, starting with The Chipmunk Adventure in 1987.
This song is the story of a gentleman seeking some help from a witch doctor in order to impress a woman he has fallen in love with. The wise witch doctor offers some words of advice in order to help the gentleman win the woman’s heart by saying, “Oo ee, oo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bing bang.” It was said to be a call for love.
Seville got the idea for this song from a story called Duel with a Witch Doctor, which was written by Jan de Hartog and published in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books in 1957. It reached #1 in the U.S. and #11 in the UK.
Witch Doctor
Ross Bagdasarian (aka David Seville)
I told the witch doctor I was in love with you
I told the witch doctor I was in love with you
And then the witch doctor he told me what to do
He said that
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
I told the witch doctor you didn’t love me true
I told the witch doctor you didn’t love me nice
And then the witch doctor he gave me this advice
He said that
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
You’ve been keeping love from me just like you were a miser
And I’ll admit I wasn’t very smart
So I went out and found myself a guy that’s so much wiser
And he taught me the way to win your heart
My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to say
My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to do
I know that you’ll be mine when I say this to you
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
You’ve been keeping love from me just like you were a miser
And I’ll admit I wasn’t very smart
So I went out and found myself a guy that’s so much wiser
And he taught me the way to win your heart
My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to say
My friend the witch doctor he taught me what to do
I know that you’ll be mine when I say this to you
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla, bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang.
Come on, oo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang
Writer/s: ROSS BAGDASARIAN
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
You’ve been keeping love from me just like you were a miser
And I’ll admit I wasn’t very smart
So I went out and found myself a guy that’s so much wiser
And he taught me the way to win your heart
The main idea of the song is the journey of a man seeking a cure for his heartbreak from a Witch Doctor, and the silly treatments he receives..
Reviews for "The Art of Channeling Energy Through Music: Insights from a Witch Doctor"
1. Jane - 1/5 - I found "The Music Witch Doctor" to be incredibly disappointing. The story was convoluted and lacked any depth or nuance. The characters were one-dimensional and I couldn't connect with any of them. The writing style felt amateurish and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. Overall, I was bored and uninterested throughout the entire book. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written novel.
2. Mark - 2/5 - I had high hopes for "The Music Witch Doctor" based on the intriguing synopsis, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it took forever for the story to really get going. The plot twists were predictable and there wasn't much originality to be found. The world-building was lacking depth, leaving many unanswered questions. While the concept had potential, the execution left a lot to be desired. I was left feeling unsatisfied and unsure of what the author was trying to achieve with this book.
3. Sarah - 1/5 - I struggled to finish "The Music Witch Doctor." The writing style was pretentious and overly flowery, which made it a chore to read. The characters were uninteresting and lacked development. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow. The author seemed more focused on showcasing their writing skills than creating an engaging story. I found myself constantly skimming over paragraphs to get to the point, but even then, the story failed to captivate me. I would not recommend this book to anyone.