Freeman was born in Alameda County and raised in San Francisco, California. He attended Mission High School. He started singing in a doo-wop group, the Romancers, in his early teens, and first recorded with them for Dootone Records in 1956. Their recordings included "House Cat", included on several later rock and roll compilations. However, the group soon fell apart, and Freeman started a new group, the Vocaleers (not to be confused with an earlier group of the same name who recorded "Is It a Dream").
When asked by a local DJ if he had written any songs, he wrote several and recorded them as solo demos. These included "Do You Want to Dance", which were heard by a visiting record label executive, Mortimer Palitz of Jubilee Records. He signed Freeman to the label and had the original recording overdubbed in New York by session musicians including guitarist Billy Mure. Released on the Jubilee subsidiary label Josie, "Do You Want to Dance" quickly rose to number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the R&B chart in early 1958, when Freeman was still only 17. The song was covered later (as "Do You Wanna Dance") by Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, the Beach Boys, Johnny Rivers, Bette Midler, John Lennon, Cliff Richard, Marc Bolan & T.Rex, the Mamas & The Papas and the Ramones.
Freeman appeared on American Bandstand and toured with such musicians as Fats Domino, the Coasters, and Jackie Wilson. Several of his follow-ups on Laurie, including "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" and "Need Your Love", a ballad, also made the pop charts. He left Laurie in 1960 and signed with King Records, reaching the charts again with "Shimmy Shimmy".[6] However, several of Freeman's later recordings for King in the early 1960s went unreleased, for unexplained reasons. He did not return to the charts again until 1964, after signing for the Autumn label, when he had his second top ten hit with "C'mon and Swim". The song was co-written by label owner and radio DJ Tom Donahue (credited under his birth name, Thomas Coman), and 20-year-old Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone, and was produced by Stewart. Freeman's final hit was "S-W-I-M", later in 1964.
In 1964, Bobby Freeman played nightly at the Condor Club in San Francisco where Carol Doda performed her topless go-go dancing shows. Mainly supporting himself as a singer in clubs by the late 1960s, he continued to release singles on various small local labels through to the mid-1970s but met with little commercial success. He performed at the Bay Area Music ("Bammy") Awards in later years.
He died of natural causes on 23 January 2017.
Discography
Notable singles
1958 "Do You Want to Dance" (#5 Pop, #2 R&B)
1958 "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" (#37 Pop, #20 R&B)
1958 "Need Your Love" (#54 Pop, #29 R&B)
1959 "Mary Ann Thomas" (#90 Pop)
1959 "Ebb Tide" (#93 Pop)
1960 "(I Do the) Shimmy Shimmy" (#37 Pop)
1961 "Mess Around" (#89 Pop)
1964 "C'mon and Swim" (#5 Pop)
1964 "S-W-I-M" (#56 Pop)
1974 "Everything's Love" (Uncharted)
Albums
1958 Do You Wanna Dance (Jubilee)
1959 Get in the Swim (Josie)
1960 Lovable Style of Bobby Freeman (King)
1964 C'mon and Swim (Autumn)
Bibliography
The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Pareles, Jon & Romanowski, Patricia, eds., Summit Books 1983
Shimmy Shimmy
Bobby Freeman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
Shimmy shimmy, shimmy shimmy
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
When I walk down the street
Cause that good music
Gives me the creeps
I do the shimmy
Even when I walk
My baby does the shimmy
When she talks that talk
Shimmy shimmy
Ah, ooh, wa, wee
You can do the shimmy
By watching me
The shimmy shimmy
Is the dance of today
The shimmy shimmy
Is here to stay
The shimmy shimmy's
For old folks too
You go backwards and forwards
Then you're in the groove
Shimmy shimmy
Ooh, my soul
The shimmy shimmy
Will never grow old
I did the shimmy
With Betty Lou
She sure can shimmy
With her brand new shoes
I did the shimmy out on a date
My girl looked at me and said
You're staying in taste
Shimmy shimmy
Ah, ooh, wa, wee
The shimmy'll go down
In history, hey
The shimmy shimmy
Is the dance of today
The shimmy shimmy
Is here to stay
The shimmy shimmy's
For old folks too
You go backwards and forwards
Then you're in the groove
Shimmy shimmy
Ooh, my soul
The shimmy shimmy
Will never grow old
I did the shimmy
With Betty Lou
She sure can shimmy
With her brand new shoes
The shimmy shimmy out on a date
They look at you and say
You're staying in taste
A shimmy shimmy
Ah, ooh, wa, wee
The shimmy'll go down
In history
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro (oh, yeah)
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro (hey now)
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro (oh, yeah)
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Oh, yeah (shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Shimmy shimmy
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Shimmy shimmy
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Shimmy shimmy
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Shimmy shimmy
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Come on, baby
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Come on, baby
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Come on, baby
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Come on, baby
(Shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
Yeah, shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy)
Shimmy shimmy (shimmy shimmy, to and fro)
The lyrics to Bobby Freeman's song "Shimmy Shimmy" is a fun and upbeat celebration of the dance craze that was sweeping the nation during the time it was released. The repetitive use of "shimmy shimmy, to and fro" creates a catchy rhythm that is easy to dance to. The song encourages people to join in on the fun and do the shimmy dance regardless of their age. Freeman sings about how he does the shimmy even as he walks down the street because the good music gives him the creeps, and how his girl does the shimmy when she talks that talk.
The shimmy dance is described as going backwards and forwards, and once you're in the groove, you'll never grow old. The song also talks about doing the shimmy with a partner, specifically Betty Lou, and how she can really shimmy with her brand new shoes. The repetition of the words "ah, ooh, wa, wee" adds to the playful and energetic nature of the song. Overall, the lyrics to "Shimmy Shimmy" evoke a sense of joy, community, and dance-ability that makes it an enduring party classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Shimmy shimmy, to and fro
Moving my body back and forth, in a rhythmic motion
Shimmy shimmy, shimmy shimmy
Repeating the back and forth movement, known as the shimmy
I do the shimmy
I perform the shimmy dance
When I walk down the street
Even during my daily activities
Cause that good music
Because of the upbeat and catchy music
Gives me the creeps
Makes me feel excited and energized
Even when I walk
During any movement, not just dancing
My baby does the shimmy
My significant other also performs the shimmy dance
When she talks that talk
Because of the way she speaks and expresses herself
You can do the shimmy
Anyone can perform the shimmy dance
By watching me
Simply by observing my movements
The shimmy shimmy's for old folks too
The shimmy dance is not just for young people
You go backwards and forwards then you're in the groove
After performing the back and forth movement, you are in the rhythm of the dance
The shimmy shimmy will never grow old
The shimmy dance will always be popular and enjoyable
I did the shimmy with Betty Lou
I performed the shimmy dance with a specific person named Betty Lou
She sure can shimmy with her brand new shoes
She is a good dancer, especially in her new shoes
They look at you and say you're staying in taste
People admire your dancing ability and style
The shimmy'll go down in history
The shimmy will be remembered for a long time
Come on, baby
Encouraging someone to join in the dance
Yeah, shimmy shimmy
Expressing enthusiasm for the shimmy dance
Contributed by Caden C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
frdjr252
Never heard this song! I like it! Bobby Freeman dancin' up a storm like he always did.
jimmy128100
Good one. The Orlons also do an outstanding cover.
David Clark
There are some shorter versions of this floating around. Another YouTube post has what is clearly vinyl playing, and it is long like this, but my version comes from the Ace CD "Land Of 1000 Dances Volume 2" and it fades earlier around 2:34. Wonder if the UK 45 faded early?
Howie Karpe
I'm throwing out my old copy.. Thanks Prof
Condy Love
This rocks
Jim Hilliker
Okay, interesting. Never heard this song, and didn't know about the dance.
louis hubbard
freakin'