Haley was born William John Clifton Haley (some sources append "Junior" to … Read Full Bio ↴Haley was born William John Clifton Haley (some sources append "Junior" to his name, but his eldest son states that this is erroneous) in Highland Park, Michigan and raised in Pennsylvania. Many sources (almost universally predating his death in 1981) state that Haley was born in 1927, which is due to Haley knocking two years off his age for publicity purposes in the 1950s. A few recent sources erroneously give a birth year of 1924.

Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.

In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called The Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.

After gaining experience with the Down Homers, Haley set out on his own, forming several groups such as the Range Drifters and the Four Aces of Western Swing. With the Four Aces, he made a number of regionally successful country music singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and later a radio DJ at WPWA. (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death.) After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records, Haley's first exposure to a major national record company. In 1951, Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records and began to change musical styles, recording cover versions of "Rocket "88"" (previously recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label.) The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) convinced Haley that his new and as-yet officially unnamed hybrid of country and rhythm and blues could be a commercial success.and some of his family lives in oklahoma and there is a road named after his family.

Let's Twist Again
Bill Haley Lyrics

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Come on everybody clap your hands
Now you're looking good
I'm gonna sing my song and you won't take long
We gotta do the twist and it goes like this

Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Do you remember when things were really hummin'

Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here

Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again
Oh baby make me know you love me so then
Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here

Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Do you remember when things were really hummin'
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here

Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again
Oh baby make me know you love me so then

Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bill Haley's "Let's Twist Again" invite listeners to get up and dance along to a style of dance that was popular in the early 1960s. The song urges people to clap their hands and join in the fun, creating a lively and upbeat atmosphere. It's clear that the singer is drawing upon nostalgia when he suggests that everyone should "twist again like we did last summer" and "remember when things were really hummin'." In doing so, he's calling forth memories of a time when life was carefree and playful, encouraging listeners to let loose and have fun.

The structure of the song is quite simple, with a series of verses and a repeated chorus that emphasizes the importance of twisting. The lyrics focus on the physical act of twisting, encouraging people to "round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again" and to make their dance partner feel loved. Overall, "Let's Twist Again" is a song that captures the essence of a particular moment in time and celebrates the joys of youth, carefree living, and the power of music to bring people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Come on everybody clap your hands
Encouraging everyone to join in and participate.

Now you're looking good
Complimenting the audience's appearance, trying to make them feel good.

I'm gonna sing my song and you won't take long
Assuring the audience that the song is easy to follow and will be fun to dance to.

We gotta do the twist and it goes like this
Explaining that the dance they'll be doing is called 'the twist' and demonstrating it for the audience.

Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Inviting the audience to enjoy the same activity they did in the past summers again.

Yea, let's twist again like we did last year
Reemphasizing the need to reminisce and repeat the fun activity they did in the past year.

Do you remember when things were really hummin'
Prompting the audience to remember a time when everything was exciting and lively.

Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Suggesting that summer time is here again and it's time to twist again.

Yeah round 'n around 'n up 'n down we go again
Referring to the twisting dance moves they'll be doing.

Oh baby make me know you love me so then
Adding a romantic element to the song and asking the partner to show affection while dancing.

Come on let's twist again like we did last summer
Repeating the invitation to twist again and bring back the memories from the past summer.

Yea, let's twist again, twistin' time is here
Reemphasizing once again that it's time to twist again.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: Dave Appell, Kal Mann

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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