In 1950, McPhatter joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes, and was present for the recording of "Sixty Minute Man", which was a huge hit in 1951, and was one of the earliest rock and roll records. After several more hits, McPhatter quit the group in 1953 because he made little money and gained virtually no fame, in spite of his voice being the lead on most of the group's songs. McPhatter then signed to Atlantic Records after forming a group, The Drifters. "Money Honey", "Such a Night", "Honey Love", "White Christmas" and "Whatcha Gonna Do" became huge hits.
In 1954, McPhatter was drafted but was assigned in the U.S., allowing him to continue recording. He soon left The Drifters and launched a solo career. His first solo hit occurred just after being discharged - "Love Has Joined Us Together" (with Ruth Brown). He released several R&B hits in the next few years, but only made one serious dent in the pop charts with the Brook Benton penned song "A Lovers Question", which made it to #6 in 1958. White groups usually covered his best compositions and achieved more widespread mainstream success. In spite of this, McPhatter became one of the most popular black musicians among white listeners. His 1956 recording of "Treasure of Love" saw him enjoy just one week in the UK singles chart. The lack of any subsequent entry gave him the unenviable tag there of being a one hit wonder
McPhatter soon signed to MGM Records, and released several more hits. "I Told Myself a Lie" and "Think Me a Kiss" (1960) became minor pop hits, as was "Ta Ta", his first single for Mercury Records. "I Never Knew" and "Lover Please" (1962) became even bigger pop hits, but his career started suffering due to his alcoholism. Other black artists were following McPhatter's blueprint into pop audiences, including Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, Sam Cooke and an all new line-up of The Drifters. McPhatter's unreliability kept him from maintaining his career in the face of this competition. As the 1960s wore on, McPhatter's career kept falling in spite of a few minor hits.
In the early 1970s, McPhatter spent some time living in England, where he still had a significant audience, but this was short-lived. Back again in America, Clyde McPhatter died of a heart attack in 1972, at the age of 39.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Deep Sea Ball
Clyde McPhatter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All of the fishes had a deep sea ball
First came a whale flippin′* on her tale
Then came a tadpole along her trail
They were rockin', ooh they were rollin′
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin′ at the deep sea ball
Then came the codfish doin' the hop
Old misses lobster was just doin′ the stroll
While mister salmon did the rock 'n′ roll
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin′
They were wailin' and sailin'
Wailin′ at the deep sea ball
Old Davy Jones was leadin′ the band
He had a pretty mermaid holdin' his hand
In came the sea horse, kickin′ up his heels
He'd got charged from the electric eel
They were ziggin′, ooh wee they were zaggin'
They were ziggin′ and zaggin'
Ziggin' at the deep sea ball
Said mister starfish shinin′ bright
We′ll have a ball here every night
All of the fishes from the seventh sea
Came here to party just as long as can be
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin′
They were wailin' and sailin′
Wailin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin′ and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin′ and rollin′
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
Clyde McPhatter's song "Deep Sea Ball" is a song about an underwater dance party. The song takes place in the "catfish hall" deep in the ocean, where all of the fish come to party. The song describes various sea creatures joining in on the fun, including a whale, a tadpole, a lobster, a codfish, a salmon, a sea horse, an electric eel, and even Davy Jones, who is leading the band. The chorus repeats that they were "rockin' and rollin'" and "wailin' and sailin'" at the deep sea ball.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep in the ocean at the catfish hall
The event was happening in the ocean, specifically at the catfish hall.
All of the fishes had a deep sea ball
All fish were present, having a ball at the event.
First came a whale flippin′ on her tale
The whale was the first to arrive, flipping her tail as she entered the dance floor.
Then came a tadpole along her trail
Shortly after, a tadpole entered, following the trail of the whale.
They were rockin', ooh they were rollin′
The whale and tadpole were dancing and having fun at the party.
Rockin′ at the deep sea ball
The dance party was taking place at the deep sea ball.
In came the lobster, he was doin′ the bop
Next, the lobster arrived and started dancing the bop.
Then came the codfish doin' the hop
Following the lobster, a codfish arrived doing the hop dance.
Old misses lobster was just doin′ the stroll
The wife of the lobster was doing a relaxed dance known as the stroll.
While mister salmon did the rock 'n′ roll
At the same time, a salmon was dancing the energetic rock 'n' roll.
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin′
The lobster, codfish, and salmon were all having a great time and dancing with enthusiasm.
Wailin′ at the deep sea ball
The deep sea ball was filled with great music and everyone was dancing with joy.
Old Davy Jones was leadin′ the band
Davy Jones was leading the band and playing music for the partygoers.
He had a pretty mermaid holdin' his hand
Davy Jones was holding hands with a pretty mermaid, possibly dancing with her.
In came the sea horse, kickin′ up his heels
A sea horse arrived, kicking up its heels as it danced excitedly.
He'd got charged from the electric eel
The sea horse was so energetic it seemed to have been charged by an electric eel.
They were ziggin′, ooh wee they were zaggin'
The sea horse and other sea creatures were dancing in a zigzag motion, having a great time.
Ziggin' at the deep sea ball
Everyone was enjoying the dance party and dancing with great enthusiasm.
Said mister starfish shinin′ bright
A shining starfish spoke up, presumably to make an announcement.
We′ll have a ball here every night
The starfish announced that the dance party would be a regular occurrence every night.
All of the fishes from the seventh sea
Fish from all over the ocean, from the seventh sea, had come to the party.
Came here to party just as long as can be
The fish were there to have a great time and dance as long as possible.
They were rockin′ and rollin'
The fish were all dancing energetically to the music.
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
The dance party was still going on and everyone was still having a great time.
Writer(s): Winfield Scott
Contributed by Landon T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@victormcl745
Lyrics
Deep in the ocean at the catfish hall
All of the fishes had a deep sea ball
First came a whale flippin'* on her tale
Then came a tadpole along her trail
They were rockin', ooh they were rollin'
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
In came the lobster, he was doin' the bop
Then came the codfish doin' the hop
Old misses lobster was just doin' the stroll
While mister salmon did the rock 'n' roll
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin'
They were wailin' and sailin'
Wailin' at the deep sea ball
Old Davy Jones was leadin' the band
He had a pretty mermaid holdin' his hand
In came the sea horse, kickin' up his heels
He'd got charged from the electric eel
They were ziggin', ooh wee they were zaggin'
They were ziggin' and zaggin'
Ziggin' at the deep sea ball
Said mister starfish shinin' bright
We'll have a ball here every night
All of the fishes from the seventh sea
Came here to party just as long as can be
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin'
They were wailin' and sailin'
Wailin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
@loisprima7991
Super song!!! 🤘🏿💪👍👍🎸🤘🏿
@victormcl745
Lyrics
Deep in the ocean at the catfish hall
All of the fishes had a deep sea ball
First came a whale flippin'* on her tale
Then came a tadpole along her trail
They were rockin', ooh they were rollin'
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
In came the lobster, he was doin' the bop
Then came the codfish doin' the hop
Old misses lobster was just doin' the stroll
While mister salmon did the rock 'n' roll
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin'
They were wailin' and sailin'
Wailin' at the deep sea ball
Old Davy Jones was leadin' the band
He had a pretty mermaid holdin' his hand
In came the sea horse, kickin' up his heels
He'd got charged from the electric eel
They were ziggin', ooh wee they were zaggin'
They were ziggin' and zaggin'
Ziggin' at the deep sea ball
Said mister starfish shinin' bright
We'll have a ball here every night
All of the fishes from the seventh sea
Came here to party just as long as can be
They were wailin', ooh they were sailin'
They were wailin' and sailin'
Wailin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
They were rockin' and rollin'
Rockin' at the deep sea ball
@chrisdarling5004
What a banger RB love this to bits.
@spib65
Great great singer with a backing that is super tight, and it rocks!!
@youyong28
One of the greatest singers ever.
@gerwynevans2729
This brill bopper was penned by Winfield Scott who also wrote hits for Elvis, Lavern Baker, The Drifters, Solomon Burke and Connie francis among others.
@garyspring5981
wow wonderful song what a great sound
@arizonadoowopper148
The man can sing - that's an understatement. From 1960 - flip is let the boogie woogie roll.
@ericalbani4805
GREAT singer😎GREAT jiver 😎
@caplan58
Clyde Mcphatter is a rhythm and blues singer, but when you hear this song, it sounds like ska!