Song Lyric Sunday: The Chordettes, “Pink Shoelaces”

Song Lyric Sunday, Song of the Day 2 Minutes

Last week was "boy bands," this week is girl groups. I’m picking one from the distant past. Well, okay, not that distant.

The Chordettes were a quartet of female singers that organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin after World War II. They started as a folk group in the style of The Weavers, but after a while got into close harmony. They got their big break in 1949 when they won on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. They were popular through the 1950’s, with two hit singles, "Mr. Sandman" in 1954, which reached #1 in 1955, and "Lollipop", which reached #2 in 1958. You can read more about them on Wikipedia.

"Pink Shoelaces" was a hit for Dodie Stevens in 1959 and was covered by The Chordettes later that year, but evidently not released as a single.

Now I’ve got a guy and his name is Dooley
He’s my guy and I love him truly
He’s not good lookin’, heaven knows
But I’m wild about his crazy clothes

He wears tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

He takes me deep-sea fishing in a submarine
We go to drive-in movies in a limousine
He’s got a whirly-birdy and a 12-foot yacht
Ah, but that’s-a not all he’s got

He’s got tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Now Dooley had a feelin’ we were goin’ to war
So he went out and enlisted in a fightin’ corps
But he landed in the brig for raisin’ such a storm
When they tried to put ’em in a uniform

He wanted tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
He wanted tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

Now one day Dooley started feelin’ sick
And he decided that he better make his will out quick
He said
“Just before the angels come to carry me
I want it down in writin’ how to bury me.”

A’wearin tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Give me tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

And a big Panama with a purple hat band!

Source: Genius

And that’s Song Lyric Sunday (and Song of the Day) for May 14, 2023.

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

26 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: The Chordettes, “Pink Shoelaces””

  1. Pingback: The International Tea Day Week That Was – The Sound of One Hand Typing

  7. I remember this song on the old 96.3 here in Nashville in the 80s….thats where I learned about 50s and early 60s.

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