Willie and the Hand Jive

"Willie and the Hand Jive"
Single by Johnny Otis
B-side"Ring-a-Ling"
Released1958
Recorded1958
GenreRock and roll
Length2:32
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Johnny Otis
Producer(s)Tom “Tippy” Morgan
Johnny Otis singles chronology
"Bye Bye Baby"
(1958)
"Willie and the Hand Jive"
(1958)
"Crazy Country Hop"
(1958)
"Willie and the Hand Jive"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album 461 Ocean Boulevard
B-side"Mainline Florida"
ReleasedOctober 1974
Recorded1974
GenreBlues, rock
Length3:31
LabelRSO
Songwriter(s)Johnny Otis
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"I Shot the Sheriff"
(1974)
"Willie and the Hand Jive"
(1974)
"Swing Low Sweet Chariot"
(1975)
Official audio
"Willie And The Hand Jive" on YouTube

"Willie and the Hand Jive" is a song written by Johnny Otis and originally released as a single in 1958 by Otis, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on the Billboard R&B chart.[1][2] The song has a Bo Diddley beat and was partly inspired by the music sung by a chain gang Otis heard while he was touring. The lyrics are about a man who became famous for doing a dance with his hands, but the song has been accused of glorifying masturbation,[2] though Otis always denied it.[3] It has since been covered by numerous artists, including The Crickets, The Strangeloves, Eric Clapton, Cliff Richard, Kim Carnes, George Thorogood, The Bunch, and in live performances by The Grateful Dead.[4][5] Clapton's 1974 version was released as a single and reached the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 26. Thorogood's 1985 version reached No. 25 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart.

  1. ^ Dean, M. (2003). Rock 'n' roll: Gold rush : a singles un-encyclopedia. Algora Publishing. pp. 330, 429. ISBN 978-0-87586-207-1.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference midnight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Otis, Johnny, Johnny Otis: The Capitol Years, COL CD 2773, Collectables Records, Narberth PA, 2000, liner notes.
  4. ^ "Willie and the Hand Jive". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-01-21.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Trager, O. (1997). The American book of the Dead: the definitive Grateful Dead encyclopedia. Simon & Schuster. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-684-81402-5.