What was the number one song in the UK on 28th November 1958?
By Hayley Beasley Dye
A British group of session musicians, led by Harry Robinson, came together to become Lord Rockingham’s XI. They were number one for 3 weeks with Hoots Mon.
YESSSS! I love this track. It’s completely nonsensical. The random Scottish phrases occasionally uttered throughout the song just add to its madness. It’s a crazy instrumental track that would have made it impossible not to get up to and dance to during the 50s and dare I say it, even now you’d struggle to keep still. Now all together, “there’s moose loose aboot this hoose”!
Wikipedia
“Hoots Mon” is a song written by Harry Robinson, and performed by Lord Rockingham’s XI. It was a number-one hit single for three weeks in 1958 on the UK Singles Chart. It is based on the old Scottish folk song “A Hundred Pipers”. It was also one of the first rock and roll songs to feature the Hammond organ, which would become popular in rock and roll music the following year with Dave “Baby” Cortez’s “The Happy Organ”.
Lyrics
The record is mostly instrumental, punctuated by four stereotypical Scottish phrases:
“Och aye”, an exclamation meaning “Oh yes.”
“Hoots mon”, an interjection usually meaning “Hey man!”
“There’s a moose loose aboot this hoose” (“There’s a mouse loose about this house”), a standard cliché highlighting Scots language pronunciation.
“It’s a braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht.” (“It’s a fine, bright moonlit night”).
The Playlist
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