The makeup of the group changed over the years, as some members were drafted during the war and new members were brought in to replace those who had retired or left to join other groups. William Langford joined the group when Griffin left in 1935 and Orlandus Wilson replaced Ford the same year. Clyde Riddick replaced Langford in 1938, Johnson left in 1948 to join "The Jubalaires" and Owens left the group later to become a preacher and solo artist. Riddick remained with the group until his retirement in 1995 and Wilson until his death in 1998.
The Gates had a broad repertoire of styles--from Owens' mournful, understated approach in songs such as Anyhow or Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name, to the group's highly syncopated arrangements in Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo. Like The Mills Brothers of popular music, they would often include vocal special effects in their songs, imitating train sounds in songs such as Golden Gate Gospel Train. Langford often sang lead, using his ability to range from baritone to falsetto, while Johnson narrated in a hip syncopated style that became the hallmark for the group. Wilson's bass served as the anchor for the group and Owens harmonized with Langford and Johnson.
They achieved regional fame through their radio program in Columbia, South Carolina in the 1930s. They became nationally popular after John Hammond presented them as part of the 1938 extravaganza From Spirituals to Swing in Carnegie Hall, which led to a nationwide radio program, appearances at Cafe Society in 1940 and the opportunity to sing at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inauguration in 1941, becoming the first black musical group to sing at Constitution Hall. They continued to be popular during World War Two, making several appearances in Hollywood films and singing secular music, including some unique popular front songs such as Stalin Wasn't Stalling that mixed humor with political commentary.
The quartet lost their preeminent position in gospel music after the war, when they faced competition from the newer hard gospel quartets. They continued in their old style, offering sharper political commentary in songs such as God's Gonna Cut 'Em Down, but losing much of their audience to quartets such as the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Soul Stirrers. The Golden Gates revived their career in 1955, however, when they toured Europe for the first time, where they became widely popular. The group moved to Paris in 1959 and has continued touring, primarily in Europe, since then. During his stint in the US Army, in Germany, Elvis Presley, who a huge admirer of their work since his early childhood, visited them backstage at "Le Lido", in Paris, and stayed to watch their entire show, staying also with them at the hotel "Prince de Galles".
The Golden Gate Quartet has been inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998
Dipsy Doodle
Golden Gate Quartet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
The things you say will come out in reverse
Like "You love I and me love you"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works
The Dipsy Doodle's easy to find
You never know it, until it's too late
And then you're in such a terrible state
Like "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works
Whenever you think you're crazy
You're just a victim of the Dipsy Doodle
Ah, but it's not your mind that's hazy
It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle
You better listen and try to be good
And try to do all the things that you should
The Dipsy Doodle will get you some day
You'll think you're crazy, the things that you'll say
Like "Rhythm got I and hot am I"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works
If it gets you, you'll be singin' it
And we'll bet you, you'll be swingin' it
The Dipsy Doodle's the thing to beware
The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
Ev'rything you say will come out in reverse
"You love I and me love you"
That is just the way the Dipsy Doodle works
Whenever you think you're crazy
You're the victim of the Dipsy Doodle
But it's not your mind that's hazy
It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle
You better listen and try to be good
And try to do all the things that you should
The dipsy doodle will get you some day
And you'll think you're crazy, the things you'll say
"Violets are red, roses are blue"
Roses, roses, roses, all around you
You'll never know it until too late
And then you're in such a terrible state
If you wanna do the Doodle, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Do the Dipsy Doodle now
The Golden Gate Quartet's song, Dipsy Doodle, is a warning to listeners about the dangers of the Dipsy Doodle, which is an affliction that causes a person's speech to come out in reverse, often resulting in confusing or nonsensical statements. The song encourages people to be mindful of the Dipsy Doodle and to try to avoid it by being well-behaved and doing the right things. However, the song also acknowledges that even good, sensible people can fall victim to the Dipsy Doodle at any time.
The lyrics use a variety of examples to illustrate how the Dipsy Doodle works. For instance, the song says that if the Dipsy Doodle gets you, you might say things like "You love I and me love you," or "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle." Later, the song also references saying things like "Rhythm got I and hot am I," or "Violets are red, roses are blue." These examples show how the Dipsy Doodle can cause a person's sentences to become jumbled and nonsensical.
Overall, the song is both playful and cautionary. It's a fun piece of music that encourages listeners to be mindful of the potential pitfalls of the Dipsy Doodle, while also reminding them that even the best of us are susceptible to its effects.
Line by Line Meaning
The Dipsy Doodle's the thing to beware
Be careful, the Dipsy Doodle is something to watch out for
The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
If it affects you, it will be a persistent problem
And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
If you're caught by the Dipsy Doodle, it'll be terrible
The things you say will come out in reverse
You'll say things backwards if you're affected by the Dipsy Doodle
Like "You love I and me love you"
For example, saying "You love I and me love you"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works
That's how the Dipsy Doodle affects you
The Dipsy Doodle's easy to find
It's easy to recognize the Dipsy Doodle
You know it's always in back of your mind
It's always present in your subconscious
You never know it, until it's too late
You won't notice it until it's too late to avoid it
And then you're in such a terrible state
Once you're affected, you'll be in a bad condition
Like "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle"
For example, saying "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle"
Whenever you think you're crazy
If you feel like you're going insane
You're just a victim of the Dipsy Doodle
It's just the Dipsy Doodle affecting you, not a mental illness
Ah, but it's not your mind that's hazy
You're not mentally confused or unclear
It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle
It's your speech that's affected, not your thinking
You better listen and try to be good
Listen and behave accordingly
And try to do all the things that you should
Do the right things
The Dipsy Doodle will get you some day
You will eventually be affected by the Dipsy Doodle
You'll think you're crazy, the things that you'll say
You'll feel like you're going insane from what you're saying backward
Like "Rhythm got I and hot am I"
For example, saying "Rhythm got I and hot am I"
If it gets you, you'll be singin' it
If it catches you, you'll be saying it often or involuntarily
And we'll bet you, you'll be swingin' it
We can guarantee that you'll be affected by it
You'll never know it until too late
You won't realize you're affected until it's too late
And then you're in such a terrible state
You'll be in a bad situation once it affects you
If you wanna do the Doodle, do the Dipsy Doodle
If you want to do the dance associated with the song, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Do the Dipsy Doodle
Do the Dipsy Doodle now
Do the Dipsy Doodle immediately
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind