Mouldy Old Dough Contents Chart history Uses of "Mouldy Old Dough" See also References Navigation...
1972 singlesUK Singles Chart number-one singlesIrish Singles Chart number-one singlesNumber-one singles in New ZealandLondon Records singlesDecca Records singlesInstrumentals
instrumentalLieutenant PigeonStavely MakepeaceCoventrysemi-detached housepianoboogie-woogiehonky-tonkragtimelyricsnumber one1972BelgiumhitchartDeccaBBC Radio 1DJNoel EdmondsUKUK Singles ChartjazzRoyal Scots Dragoon GuardsbagpipeAmazing Grace
"Mouldy Old Dough" is an instrumental single, which was a hit for Lieutenant Pigeon.
It was written by Nigel Fletcher and Rob Woodward and first produced by them under the name of their other band, Stavely Makepeace.[1]
Recorded in the front room of Woodward's Coventry semi-detached house, it featured his mother Hilda Woodward on piano,[2] in a boogie-woogie, honky-tonk, ragtime style. The only lyrics are the growled title "Mouldy Old Dough" and "Dirty Old Man" by Fletcher. When Fletcher asked what they meant, their author, Rob Woodward, said he had no idea.[3]
Despite initial disapproval from their long-term manager and friend, David Whitehouse, they went ahead with its release. It is the only British number one single to feature a mother and son.[2]
Originally released in early 1972, it flopped on its first release. It was picked up in Belgium and used on a current affairs programme, and became a hit there, reaching number one in the Belgian singles chart. Decca, encouraged by this success, re-released it and with the backing of then BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds, it finally became a hit in the UK, spending four weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in October 1972.[4] It sold 790,000 copies. In New Zealand, the song was number one for five weeks.[5] The song also reached number one in Ireland and reached the Top 10 in Canada and Australia, but did not chart in the United States.
"Mouldy Old Dough" (the title being an adaptation of the 1920s jazz phrase, "vo-de-o-do")[1] became the second biggest selling UK single of the year, behind The Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace".
The tune was also used by LOTO New Zealand as a successful advertising routine.
Contents
1 Chart history
1.1 Weekly charts
1.2 Year-end charts
2 Uses of "Mouldy Old Dough"
3 See also
4 References
Chart history
|
| Chart (1972-73) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 5 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[7] | 11 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[8] | 8 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[10] | 1 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[11] | 2 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1972) | Rank |
|---|---|
| South Africa [13] | 15 |
| UK [14] | 2 |
| Chart (1973) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (KMR)[6] | 33 |
Uses of "Mouldy Old Dough"
- It was one of the choices of Jarvis Cocker when he appeared on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, Desert Island Discs.
- In a 1990 interview, Norman Cook revealed it was the first record he ever bought.[15]
- Since 1972, the track has played over the tannoy at the beginning of Oldham Athletic A.F.C. home games which coincided with the club rising from the fourth Division to the second Division.
- The song has been covered by British group Shades of Green and features in their first album Rockin' Poppin' Ravin', released in 1973 by Windmill Records, London (WMD 164 stereo).
- The song has since become almost a 'theme song' for the sport of British banger racing, where it is played at the start of many races at tracks across Great Britain, as the racers begin their 'rolling lap'. The song is also used during parade laps of banger races in the Netherlands.
- It also became popular in New Zealand in the early 1990s due to its use in a television advertisement for Instant Kiwi scratchcards. [1]
See also
Winifred Atwell — had repeated number one hits with a similar boogie-woogie style of piano-playing.- Russ Conway
References
^ ab Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 147. ISBN 0-85112-250-7..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 43. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
^ Ian Gittins (2007), Top of the Pops: Mishaps, Miming, and Music, p. 78, ISBN 978-1-84607-327-4
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 321. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ Flavour of New Zealand, 5 February 1973
^ ab Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc)|format=requires|url=(help). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-02-03. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-01-27. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mouldy Old Dough". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
^ Flavour of New Zealand, 5 February 1973
^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ South Africa's Top 20 Hit Singles of 1972
^ 1972_in_British_music#Best-selling_singles
^ McCready, John. "Beats International are a Pop Group of Their Time (interview in The Face, November 1990)". Rock's Back Pages. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
