He was born in Spring Gulley, SC, USA, and raised in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended South Philadelphia High School with Frankie Avalon and Fabian. The wife of American Bandstand's host Dick Clark suggested the name "Chubby Checker" to Evans as a take-off on then-popular singer Fats Domino. In 1964, he married Catharina Lodders, a Dutch girl who had been Miss World in 1962.
His material during his 1960s heyday was recorded for Cameo-Parkway Records and along with the label's other material, became unavailable after the early 1970s because of the company's internal legal disputes. For decades, almost all compilations of Checker's hits consisted of re-recordings.
Twenty Miles
Chubby Checker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twenty miles and I walk it all the way
Twenty miles when you're in love is nothin'
And I got to see my baby every day
[Chorus]
I walk along
I sing a song
But I got to see my baby every day
Lots of girls are ridin' near to my house
Pretty girls they keep passin' by all day
Lots of girls but I don't even see ‘em
Cause the girl I love is twenty miles away
[Chorus]
Oh ho
[Chorus]
Twenty miles is a long long way
But I got to see my baby every day
Oh hey Twenty miles
Chubby Checker's song Twenty Miles High talks about the distance and the length of the journey the singer has to make in order to see his beloved. He reveals that it is a twenty-mile walk from his house to his lover's, and he makes that journey every day in order to see her. He mentions that twenty miles, even though it is quite a distance, is nothing when you are in love. The singer emphasizes that love is one of the few things that can make traveling twenty miles daily seem easy.
In the chorus of the song, the singer emphasizes his devotion to his love by singing that he walks along and sings a song despite the long trek he has to make. He further reveals that since he is in love, the twenty-mile journey doesn't weigh him down much because he gets to see his beloved every day. The song indicates that there are many other beautiful and attractive girls nearby, but the singer ignores them and puts all his attention and energy into reaching his beloved.
In the end, the song reiterates the idea that twenty miles might be a long way, but the singer is willing to do it every day just to be with his beloved. He seems to suggest that true love makes anything possible and that no journey is too long or too hard when you have love driving you.
Line by Line Meaning
Twenty miles from my house to your house
The distance between our homes is twenty miles apart.
Twenty miles and I walk it all the way
I walk the entire twenty miles to see you.
Twenty miles when you're in love is nothin'
The distance becomes irrelevant when you're in love.
And I got to see my baby every day
I make sure to see my loved one every day.
[Chorus] I walk along / I sing a song / Twenty miles is a long long way / But I got to see my baby every day
Even though the journey is long, I use music to keep me company and motivated because seeing my loved one is worth it.
Lots of girls are ridin' near to my house
Many girls ride by my house frequently.
Pretty girls they keep passin' by all day
Attractive girls keep passing by, but I barely notice them.
Lots of girls but I don't even see ‘em
Even though there are many girls around, I only have eyes for my loved one.
Cause the girl I love is twenty miles away
I only have feelings for the girl who is twenty miles away.
[Chorus] Oh ho
Same as the first chorus
[Chorus] Twenty miles is a long long way / But I got to see my baby every day / Oh hey Twenty miles
The journey is a long distance to travel, but I will do it every day just to be with my loved one.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Abkco Music Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNIE LOWE, KAL MANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ooi Hock Khai
perhaps the most beautiful song from chubby checker
Derek Levine
One of only a handful of his hits that was not a dance craze song. This love song hit #15 in 1963.
sandalioable
One of several song I heard for the first time in 1963, when I was on my basic training at Fort Jackson, SC...Another one was "I need your love tonight", by Elvis...Darn good memories...
Joe Postove
Chubby could have transitioned very well from the Twist to be a great folk singer. But then came the British. Great song!
byron stevens
South Carolina's very own Ernest Evans known as Chubby Checker with the hit sound Twenty Miles.
John Robertson
Under rated , he was more than just the twister
Joe Postove
Absolutely!
Daniel Léo Simpson, Composer
I bought the 45rpm (B-side of Let's Limbo Some more) but could swear there whistling, not "na na na na" in the chorus at 0:27
이진걸
Oh, it's All The Best version!
Alonzo Garbanzo
This is a re-recording, not the original single. This one seems a bit more produced; nice but less funky, especially the backup singers. You can find the real original on Spotify.