Edit for headphones, January 2023. Source of the edit is the song on cd three of the 1993 four discs box set "Train Kept A-Rollin' – The Complete Giorgio Gomelsky Productions" (Alfa International – ALCD 896-899).
In 1965 this Yardbirds song charted #5 in the UK, released as the EP "Five Yardbirds" with two other songs.
"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 it in 1964. Atlantic Records released it as a single, which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song became standard fare for garage bands and 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. Recordings by additional artists also reached the charts, including versions in Spanish and Portuguese.
Supposedly the inspiration for the song was Dorothy Sloop, a jazz singer from Steubenville, Ohio, and a student at Ohio University.
* Bertrand (Bert) Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967) was an American songwriter and record producer during the 1960s. He is the author or co-writer of several major pop and soul hits, including "Here Comes the Night", "Piece of My Heart", "Hang on Sloopy" and "Twist and Shout" - yes, the Beatles'. As a producer he has worked with many of the big names in pop and soul music, including Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Lulu, The Drifters, Solomon Burke, Erma Franklin and Ben E. King. He died at the age of 38 of heart failure. Early in his career he wrote under the name Bert Russell. He also did some recordings as Russell Byrd.
MY GIRL SLOOPY
(Wes Farrell/Bert Berns)
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town
all the little girls there are trying to put poor Sloopy down
Sloopy, I don't care what you're daddy do
you know little girl, I'm in love with you
all together now
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
Sloopy lets her hair down every time she's out on the town
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy lets her hair down every time she's out with me
hang on Sloopy
come on Sloopy
come on, come on
come on girl
come on, come on
say yeah, yeah, yeah
yeah, yeah, yeah
good, good, good, good
good, good, good, good
good, good, good, good
good, good, good, good
I want to say
hang on Sloopy
mmmm, baby don't you know
you thrill me so
I love you so
oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, baby
love the way that you dance
give me one chance
and I'll sweep you away
I want to say
hang on Sloopy
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
all together now
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
a little bit quieter
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
all down
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
psss, whisper it
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
very, very quiet
hang on Sloopy
Sloopy, hang on
come on Sloopy
come on, come on
ye
