Ohio Express – Yummy Yummy Yummy (1968)
Description
| “Yummy Yummy Yummy” | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover of the German release
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| Single by Ohio Express | ||||
| from the album Ohio Express | ||||
| B-side | “Zig Zag” | |||
| Released | April 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Buddah | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine | |||
| Producer(s) |
Engineer: Bruce Staple |
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| Ohio Express singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| “Yummy Yummy Yummy” on YouTube | ||||
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” is a song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached No. 4 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart in June and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of the “official” members appear on the record. Joey Levine sang lead vocals.
Time magazine included it in its 2011 list of songs with silly lyrics. It ranked No. 2 in Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs.
The single’s flip-side, titled “Zig-Zag”, is an instrumental version of the 1910 Fruitgum Company‘s “(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen” played in reverse.
Later uses
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” has been used in the films Super Size Me, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
In television, the song has been used on The Simpsons in the episodes “Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie” and “The Heartbroke Kid“; in the Monty Python’s Flying Circus episode “How Not to Be Seen” (credited to the fictional band “Jackie Charlton and the Tonettes”); in the Futurama episode “Saturday Morning Fun Pit“; and a short musical segment of Timon and Pumbaa, where it is sung by the titular characters with modified lyrics.
The Beatles borrowed the introduction of the Ohio Express single for their 1968 White Album opener “Back in the U.S.S.R.” New wave band The Cars would borrow the opening guitar chords for their 1978 hit “Just What I Needed“. Pop rock band Fountains of Wayne would then in turn borrow the riff for their 2003 hit “Stacy’s Mom“, with their opening riff being based on “Just What I Needed”.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions
- Labelmates The 1910 Fruitgum Company recorded their own vocals over the same backing track for their album 1, 2, 3 Red Light.
- Giorgio Moroder – as single A-side in 1968 (as Giorgio).
- Baccara recorded a Euro Pop version in the 1970s.
- Julie London – for her album Yummy, Yummy, Yummy in 1968.
- The Residents – for their album The Third Reich ‘n Roll in 1975.
- L7 included it on their album Fast & Frightening in 2016.
