"Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" is a doo-wop style hit song from 1961 co-written (with Gerry Goffin) and recorded by Barry Mann. He was backed up by The Halos, who had previously backed up Curtis Lee on the song "Pretty Little Angel Eyes". The song was originally released as a single on the ABC-Paramount label (10237). In this song, Mann sings about the frequent use of nonsense lyrics in Doo-Wop music, and how his girl fell in love with him after listening to several such songs. (More from Wikipedia)
The name of the Greg Shaw magazine called Who Put the Bomp is taken from "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)", a Top-40 hit by Barry Mann. This was basically a one-hit wonder, but Mann always concentrated mostly on his songwriting, and he is well known for numerous songs that were co-written with his wife Cynthia Weil – "Blame it on the Bossa Nova" by Eydie Gorme, "Hungry" and "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders, "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton, "Looking through the Eyes of Love" by Gene Pitney originally, etc. Others that he co-wrote with others include two hit duets by Linda Ronstadt, "Don't Know Much" (with Aaron Neville) and "Somewhere out There" (with James Ingram); "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers and also Daryl Hall and John Oates; and "On Broadway" by the Drifters and later by George Benson. Barry Mann's songwriting credits include an astounding 635 songs.
"Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" – which was co-written by Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin (an even more famous songwriter who co-wrote numerous 1960's classics with his then-wife Carole King) – parodied and also honored the doo-wop songs of early rock and roll. The singer is thanking the authors of these songs who helped his girl fall in love with him. The "bomp bomp bomp" itself comes from the Marcels' marvelous, over-the-top version of "Blue Moon"; another famous nonsense chorus, "rama lama ding dong" is also referenced, from "Rama Lama Ding Dong" by the Edsels.
(May 2013)
