The song was originally recorded in 1956 by
Vince Martin and
the Tarriers, and quickly
covered by
Eddie Fisher. Both versions made the charts that year; for Fisher, it was the last top-40 single of his career. For Martin, it was his only top 40 entry, peaking at number nine, and he teamed with the Tarriers to record the tune by the artists' label, Glory Records. "We arranged it in a calypso style and sang behind this guy, Martin," Tarriers member
Erik Darling told Wayne Jancik in
The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders. "That was issued first before any stuff we'd do, much to our chagrin... We didn't wanna sing with a Vince Martin. He wasn't a folksinger, in any manner or form." The song was also covered by the American
rock band The Beach Boys in 1962, although the song remained unreleased for many years. The song was eventually released on the re-release of the ''
Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.'' albums in 1990. Other versions have been recorded by
Chubby Checker 1963,
Tony Brent 1956,
Perry Como,
the Highwaymen 1960,
Waylon Jennings 1969, and in German by
Margot Eskens 1956. == References ==