The Loco-Motion – Little Eva | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop(#1) and R&B ( #1 for 3 weeks); 1962
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Maid In Manhattan‘s fictionalized fairy tale story notwithstanding, dreams do sometimes come true. Brill Building songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King were already aware of their babysitter’s vocal talent when time came to record a demo of their latest tune, The Loco-Motion.
Her name was Eva Narcissus Boyd and she gave it her all. When Dee Dee Sharp of Mashed Potato Time fame rejected the song, music publisher Don Kirshner put his money behind Eva’s demo version.
Re-christened Little Eva on the label, Loco chugged it’s way to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts. Bruce Springsteen later cited the opening notes of The Loco-Motion as inspiring for the rousing intro to his musical anthem Born To Run.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Gerry Goffin
Lyrics Written by:
- Gerry Goffin
- Carole King
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).