'Yeah, Man, Swinging': 'Be-Bop-a-Lula' by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps

‘100 Greatest 50s Rock, Pop & Doo Wop Songs’ Book Excerpt

Frank Mastropolo

Magic Records

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded “Be-Bop-a-Lula” in 1956. Like many songs of the era, there are several versions of how “Be-Bop-A-Lula” was written. “I started composing ‘Be-Bop’ when I was in the Navy, and on my final trip back to the US,” Vincent told Disc magazine in 1959.

“We had been in Naples, and I had gotten the idea from a jukebox which was blaring out some sort of Italian song.

“All the people kept asking about bebop, and someone said something to the effect of bebop being a lulu. We kicked it about on board the ship, and when I arrived home, I had a song, a guitar, but I knew no one.”

In another version circulated by Capitol Records, Vincent wrote “Be-Bop-a-Lula’ at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia while recovering from a motorcycle accident; others say Vincent injured his leg trying to go AWOL as he jumped from a boat to a dock.

In Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004, Vincent recalled he wrote the song with Donald Graves while they were recovering at the hospital.

“I come in dead drunk and stumble over the bed. And me and Don Graves were looking at this bloody book; it was called Little Lulu. And I said, ‘Hell, man, it’s ‘Be-Bop-a-Lulu.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, man, swinging.’ And we wrote this song.”

Blue Caps drummer Dickie Harrell told Mojo that Vincent bought the song at the hospital from Graves.

“The song was written by a guy from Portsmouth named Donald Graves. Vincent and his manager at the time, Bill ‘Sheriff Tex’ Davis, bought the song from Graves for 25 dollars. It happened a lot in those days. Guys would take the sure money.”

Vincent recorded a demo, and Capitol Records, which sought a young singer like Elvis Presley, signed him. Capitol first released “Be-Bop-a-Lula” as the B-side to “Woman Love.” When “Woman Love” flopped, Capitol released “Be-Bop-a-Lula” as the A-side and it was a №7 hit, selling 200,000 copies in its first month.

Frank Mastropolo is the author of 100 Greatest 50s Rock, Pop & Doo Wop Songs, part of the Greatest Performances series. For more on our latest projects, visit Edgar Street Books.