Hang On Sloopy

"My Girl Sloopy"
Single by the Vibrations
B-side"Daddy Woo Woo"
Released1964 (1964)
Recorded1964
GenreR&B
Length2:53
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)

"Hang On Sloopy" (originally "My Girl Sloopy") is a 1964 song written by Wes Farrell and Bert Berns. Rhythm and blues vocal group the Vibrations were the first to record the tune in 1964. Atlantic Records released it as a single, which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] The song is associated with Ohio State University and is Ohio's official rock song.

The song became standard fare for garage bands and, in 1965, it became one of the first songs recorded by the Yardbirds with guitarist Jeff Beck. A version by the rock group the McCoys was the most successful, when it reached number one in the singles chart.[2] Recordings by additional artists also reached the charts, including versions in Spanish and Portuguese.

By one account, the inspiration for the song was Dorothy Sloop, a jazz singer from Steubenville, Ohio, and a student at Ohio University.[3]

  1. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 425.
  2. ^ Hicks 2000, p. 37.
  3. ^ Joy, Kevin (September 26, 2013). "Mystery surrounds Steubenville native who inspired 'Hang On Sloopy'". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.