Barry Mann - Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) (1961)

Barry Mann has written over six hundred thirty-five songs. Out of them, forty-six have been played more than a million times on the radio. He co-wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (for The Righteous Brothers); “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” (for The Animals); numerous songs for movies (Top Gun, Christmas Vacation, etc.); and many, many others.

Despite his accomplished career as a songwriter, Mann sometimes took the spotlight and sang songs, as well. In 1961, he sang the song heard below, which he had co-written with Gerry Goffin. The lyrics of this novelty song tell the somewhat true tale of how doo-wop music led his girl to fall in love with him. In a sense, this was true, as Mann and his future wife/songwriting partner, Cynthia Weil, had worked together writing doo-wop songs for groups of the time.

The song was released the same month that Mann and Weil got married, August 1961, and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Songs referenced in this track, via various onomatopoeias, include The Marcels’ “Blue Moon,” The Diamonds’ “Little Darlin’,” Chubby Checker’s “Pony Time,” and The Edsels’ “Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong.”



Barry Mann - Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) (1961)

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Lyrics:

I’d like to thank the guy
Who wrote the song
That made my baby fall in love with me

Who put the “bomp”
In the “bomp ba bomp ba bomp”?
Who put the “ram”
In the “rama-lama-ding-dong”?
Who put the “bop”
In the “bop shoo bop shoo bop”?
Who put the “dip”
In the “dip-da-dip-da-dip”?
Who was that man?
I’d like to shake his hand
He made my baby fall in love with me
(Yeah)

When my baby heard
“Bomp ba ba bomp”
“Ba bomp ba bomp ba”
Every word went right into her heart
And when she heard them singin’
“Rama lama lama lama”
“Lama ding dong”
She said we’d never have to part

So
Who put the “bomp”
In the “bomp ba bomp ba bomp”?
Who put the “ram”
In the “rama-lama-ding-dong”?
Who put the “bop”
In the “bop shoo bop shoo bop”?
Who put the “dip”
In the “dip-da-dip-da-dip”?
Who was that man?
I’d like to shake his hand
He made my baby fall in love with me
(Yeah)

Each time that we’re alone
“Boogity boogity boogity”
“Boogity boogity boogity shoop”
Sets my baby’s heart all aglow
And every time we dance to
“Dip da dip da dip”
“Dip da dip da dip”
She always says she loves me so

So
Who put the “bomp”
In the “bomp ba bomp ba bomp”?
Who put the “ram”
In the “rama-lama-ding-dong”?
Who put the “bop”
In the “bop shoo bop shoo bop”?
Who put the “dip”
In the “dip-da-dip-da-dip”?
Who was that man?
I’d like to shake his hand
He made my baby fall in love with me
(Yeah)

Darling, bomp ba bomp ba bomp ba bomp bomp. And my honey, rama lama ding dong forever. And when I say, “dip da dip, da dip, da dip,” you know I mean it from the bottom of my boogity boogity boogity shoop.