Born in Belhaven, North Carolina, she moved to the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York, at a young age. Although some sources claim that her stage name was inspired by a character from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, she stated in an interview that she was named after her aunt, which prompted her family to call her "Little Eva." As a teenager, she worked as a maid and earned extra money as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. It is often claimed that Goffin and King were amused by Boyd's particular dancing style, so they wrote "The Loco-Motion" for her and had her record it as a demo (the record was intended for Dee Dee Sharp).
However, as King said in an interview with NPR and in her "One to One" concert video, they knew she could sing when they met her, and it would be just a matter of time before they would have her record songs they wrote, the most successful being "The Loco-Motion."
Music producer Don Kirshner of Dimension Records was impressed by the song and Boyd's voice and had it released. The song reached #1 in the United States in 1962. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. After the success of "The Loco-Motion," Boyd was stereotyped as a dance-craze singer and was given limited material.
The same year, Goffin and King wrote "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" (performed by the Crystals) after discovering that Boyd was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend. When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied without batting an eyelid that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her.
Phil Spector's arrangement of the song was ominous and ambiguous.
It was a brutal song, as any attempt to justify such violence must be, and Spector's arrangement only amplified its savagery, framing Barbara Alston's lone vocal amid a sea of caustic strings and funereal drums, while the backing vocals almost trilled their own belief that the boy had done nothing wrong. In more ironic hands (and a more understanding age), 'He Hit Me' might have passed at least as satire. But Spector showed no sign of appreciating that, nor did he feel any need to. No less than the song's writers, he was not preaching, he was merely documenting.
Boyd's other single recordings were "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," "Let's Turkey Trot," and a remake of the Bing Crosby standard "Swinging on a Star," recorded with Big Dee Irwin (though Boyd was not credited on the label). Boyd also recorded the song "Makin' With the Magilla" for an episode of the 1964 Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Magilla Gorilla Show.
She continued to tour and record throughout the sixties, but her commercial potential plummeted after 1964. She retired from the music industry in 1971. She never owned the rights to her recordings. Although the prevailing rumor in the 1970s was that she had received only $50 for "The Loco-Motion," it seems $50 was actually her weekly salary at the time she made her records (an increase of $15 from what Goffin and King had been paying her as nanny). Penniless, she returned with her three young children to North Carolina, where they lived in obscurity.
Interviewed in 1988 after the success of the Kylie Minogue cover version of "The Loco-Motion", Boyd stated that she did not like the new version; however its then-current popularity allowed her to make a comeback in show business.
She returned to live performing with other artists of her era on the cabaret and oldies circuits. She also occasionally recorded new songs.
The only existing footage of Little Eva performing "Loco-Motion" is a small clip from the ABC sixties live show Shindig! where she sang a short version of the clip along with the famous dance steps. She also sang "Let's Turkey Trot" and the Exciters' song "I Want You to Be My Boy" in the same episode. This TV show was one of her final performances until 1988, when she began performing in concerts with Bobby Vee and other singers. In a 1991 Richard Nader concert, she performed "Loco-Motion" and "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby". The concert was partially documented on videotape, albeit of marginal quality.
She continued performing until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in October 2001. She died on April 10, 2003 in Kinston, North Carolina, at the age of 59, and is buried in a small cemetery in Belhaven, North Carolina. Her gravesite was sparsely marked until July 2008, when a report by WRAL-TV of Raleigh, North Carolina highlighted deteriorating conditions at the cemetery and efforts by the city of Belhaven to have it restored. A simple white cross had marked the site until a new gravestone was unveiled in November of that year. Her new grey gravestone has the image of a steam locomotive prominently engraved on the front and the epitaph reads: "Singing with the Angels".
The Locomotion.. Again
Little Eva Lyrics
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Everybody's doing a brand-new dance, now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-motion)
I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-motion)
My little baby sister can do it with me
It's easier than learning your A-B-C's
You gotta swing your hips, now
Come on, baby
Jump up
Jump back
Well, now, I think you've got the knack
Wow, wow
The song "The Locomotion" by Little Eva is an upbeat and fun dance song that encourages everyone to join in and try a new dance – the Loco-motion. The song starts with the singer inviting everyone to try the dance move, promising that they will like it if they give it a chance. She then references her baby sister who can do the dance with her, emphasizing that it is not a difficult dance move to learn, it is actually easier than learning the ABCs. The chorus invites listeners to join her in the dance and swing their hips while doing it.
The lyrics are simple and repetitive, following a basic verse-chorus structure. The song is not just about the dance, but also about the joy of dancing and how it brings people together. The song is considered a classic dance anthem and is guaranteed to get people up and moving. Little Eva's enthusiastic and playful delivery of this song made it a chart-topper and a staple at dance parties, and its popularity has remained intact through multiple generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's doing a brand-new dance, now
There's a new dance craze and everyone is doing it
(Come on baby, do the Loco-motion)
Encouragement to do the Loco-motion dance
I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance now
If you try the Loco-motion dance, you'll enjoy it
(Come on baby, do the Loco-motion)
Encouragement to do the Loco-motion dance
My little baby sister can do it with me
Even a young child can do the Loco-motion dance with ease
It's easier than learning your A-B-C's
The Loco-motion dance is easier to learn than the alphabet
So come on, come on, do the Loco-motion with me
Invitation to dance the Loco-motion
You gotta swing your hips, now
Part of the Loco-motion dance involves swinging your hips
Come on, baby
Encouragement to begin dancing
Jump up
Part of the Loco-motion dance involves jumping up
Jump back
Part of the Loco-motion dance involves jumping back
Well, now, I think you've got the knack
The artist believes that the listener has learned the moves of the dance
Wow, wow
Expressing excitement about the dance or the listener's skills
Contributed by Jake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidhipo3396
Lyrcs:
Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now
(Come on baby do the locomotion)
I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance now
(Come on baby do the locomotion)
My little baby sister can do it with ease
It's easier than learning your A B C's
So come on, come on, do the locomotion with me
You gotta swing your hips now
Come on baby, jump up, jump back
Well, I think you got the knack, ohh
Now that you can do it, let's make a chain now
(Come on baby do the locomotion)
Chug-a chug-a motion like a railway train now
(Come on baby do the locomotion)
Do it nice and easy now don't lose control
A little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul
So come on, come on, do the locomotion with me
Come on, do the locomotion
Come on, do the locomotion
Come on, do the locomotion
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Move around the floor in a locomotion
(Come on baby do the locomotion)
Do it holding hands if you got the notion
(Come on baby do the loco-motion)
There's never been a dance that's so easy to do
It even makes you happy when you're feeling blue
So come on, come on, do the locomotion with me
You gotta swing your hips now
Come on baby, jump up, jump back
Well, I think you got the knack, ohh
Do the loc, do the loc, do the loco locomotion
(Come on do the locomotion)
Do the loc, do the loc, do the loco locomotion
(Come on, do the locomotion)
Come on baby
All that you can do is come on baby
Come on, come on, come on, come on...
Come on!
@jimoconnell8619
I had the opportunity to see Little Eva perform this song live just a few months before she passed away and it was an event that will not be easily forgotten. She was just a small frame of a girl but she was filled with more energy that any performer I have ever seen...
@jimwilcox4906
i am 78 yrs old and still like to listen to this song
great song, great voice, and a beautiful lady,
@claraht.6999
@@jimwilcox4906 5 years before my time, but I love the big band generation hits, too.
@TheLitehart1
God bless Little Eva. She was singing this song when I was a 12 yr old sittng at a Georgian Bay waterfront arcade one evening, sipping my very first 'grown-up' beverage, a cup of coffee, looking out over the water and lights. It felt magical.
@thegael791
dont care
@Dragon-Slay3r
@@claraht.6999 Don't blame me if you get snubbed 😭
@user-tm7tw9tu7b
In the 60's, my family, parent's and 4 kids dancing to this in our dining room. Table pushed back. Everybody in socks so we could slide our feet on the wood floors. Memories 😍
@barbarawhittaker217
Haha love it!
@maquinas-texiles-peru
haha is amazing
@user-ri9in5pz6b
To days songs can not under stand not like the stuff I growe up with