Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song

Year Released: 1965
Genre: Soul / Pop / R&B

Description:
A defining moment of 1960s rhythm & rhyme, “The Clapping Song” was Shirley Ellis’s signature hit, written by Ellis and produced by Charles Calello. Built around a playground chant and a handclap rhythm that doubled as percussion, the track fuses call-and-response vocals, childlike rhyme schemes, and tight R&B grooves into something both innocent and irresistible.

Reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song bridged pop and soul in a way few others did — playful yet deeply rooted in Black rhythmic tradition. Its syncopated claps and singalong structure would later become a sampling staple, with its percussive vocal patterns referenced or lifted in tracks by:

Deee-Lite – “What Is Love?” (1990)

Aaron Carter – “Clapping Song” (2000, direct cover)

Belle Stars – “Clapping Song” (1982, UK hit cover)

Decades later, “The Clapping Song” remains a cultural touchstone, uniting generations through rhythm, movement, and joy — a timeless link between street games and the soul stage.