I remember being a bit intimidated when I first heard “The Name Game,” Shirley Ellis‘s big tongue twister of a hit — half fearing I would never be able to break the code behind the rhyming game (fortunately, with persistence, I one day did). “The Name Game,” it is worth noting, was released three separate times on 45: in 1964, 1966, and 1973.
45 picture sleeve
Nov. 1964
Note: parents may want to test-drive certain names (e.g., Chuck)
How intriguing then to discover another tongue twister – “B-A Bay” from The Limeliters – that is just as fun and challenging and whimsical … and yet a relative unknown in the collective pop consciousness as represented on the information superhighway:
[Pssst: Click on the triangle above to play ”B-A Bay” by The Limeliters]
This song was issued on an album – Through Children’s Eyes (Little-Folk Songs for Adults) – that was originally performed live and recorded December 1961 in Berkeley, California.
Musician & Production Credits
Alex Hassilev – Vocals
Glenn Yarbrough – Vocals
Lou Gottlieb – Vocals
Earl Palmer – Drums
Allan Reuss – Guitar
Engineer – Al Schmitt
Producer – Neely Plumb
Liner Notes – Ralph J. Gleason
Would you be surprised to learn that The Limeliters derived the song’s inspiration directly from The Three Stooges?
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LINK to Musical Tongue Twisters
LINK to Humor +/- Satire
LINK to Musical Fights
