The Ames Brothers got their beginning in Malden, where all four were born. The act consisted of Joe (born 3 May 1921), Gene (born 13 February 1923), Vic (born 20 May 1925 - died 23 January 1978) and Ed (born 9 July 1927).
Born into a non-professional but musical family, the boys were brought up on classical and operatic music. Their parents, David and Sarah Urick, were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who read Shakespeare and semi-classics to their nine children from the time they were old enough to listen.
The brothers formed a quartet with a cousin Lennie, and had been touring United States Army and Navy bases entertaining the troops and were offered a job at the Foxs and Hounds nightclub, one of the fanciest clubs in Boston. This one week engagement turned into several months when the word got around of their appearance. At the time, they were going by the name of the Amory Brothers, a name taken from Vic's middle name and they were becoming quite popular in the area. It was at this time that Joe decided to rejoin the group. He said they were just having too much fun together for him to miss out. Taking their act to New York they got a job with bandleader Art Mooney. One day while at Leeds Publishing Company in search of a song called "Should I" that their mother had asked them to sing, Milt Gabler of Decca Records heard them singing it and had them cut a few sides for Decca Records just before the ban which started in January, 1948.
A year later when the ban was lifted, the Ames Brothers were the first artists to record for Coral Records. The name Amory was shortened to Ames. They were swept into national top billing with their first hit record, "Rag Mop," in January, 1950. Doing radio shows for free at times just for the experience, they later became regulars on such shows as The Arthur Godfrey Hour. One of the first acts to appear on the original Ed Sullivan Show when it was known as Toast of the Town, they made their debut with him when the show was telecast live from Wanamaker's Department Store.
Soon, they were the top paid group in nightclubs and supperclubs everywhere and their popularity on television was nationwide. In 1956 they starred in their own show, The Ames Brothers Show, which was seen on Friday nights. It was the first syndicated television show to be shown in foreign countries.
Over their fifteen year career the prolific Brothers notched up 50 U.S. chart entries, 21 of them on the Coral label before signing with RCA Victor. The group disbanded in the 1960s but Ed Ames went on with a successful singing and acting career, including playing Daniel Boone's sidekick, Mingo, on the successful Daniel Boone television series (1964-1970).
They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Rag-Mop
The Ames Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P
Mop
M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop!
A
I say A-B
A-B-C
A-B-C-D
A-B-C-D-E
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H
I
I say M-O
M-O-P
M-O-P-P
Mop
M-O-P-P
Mop Mop Mop Mop
R
I say R-A
R-A-G
R-A-G-G
Rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
Rag Mop
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Rag Mop!
The lyrics to The Ames Brothers's song Rag-Mop may seem simple and repetitive, but they are actually a tribute to the African-American tradition of call and response in music. The call-and-response format is evident in the chorus of the song, where one voice calls out a letter or word, and the others respond in kind. The first call of "M" is followed by the response "O," which creates the word "Mop." This pattern is repeated with "R" and "A-G," which make up the word "Rag." This call-and-response format is common in many genres of music, including gospel, blues, and R&B.
The lyrics of Rag-Mop also showcase the influence of scat singing, another African-American musical tradition. The "Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah" that punctuates the end of each chorus is a classic example of scat singing, in which syllables are improvised to create a melody or rhythm. The scat singing adds a playful and upbeat vibe to the song, making it a perfect dance tune.
One interesting thing to note about Rag-Mop is that it was initially written as a novelty tune by rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Lionel Hampton. The Ames Brothers, a popular vocal quartet, recorded their version of the song in 1950, and it quickly became a hit, peaking at number two on the US Billboard charts. The song's success led to it being covered by several other artists, including Johnny Lee Wills, who took it to number one on the country charts in 1950.
Line by Line Meaning
M
I am emphasizing that I want you to pay attention to the letter 'M'
I say M-O
I am spelling out the letters M and O to form a simple word
M-O-P
I am spelling out the letters M, O, and P to form another simple word
M-O-P-P
I am spelling out the letters M, O, P, and P to form a longer word
Mop
The word I spelled out is 'mop'
M-O-P-P
I am repeating the word 'mop' with emphasis to create a catchy tune
Mop Mop Mop Mop
I am continuing to repeat the word 'mop' with emphasis to create a catchy tune
R
I am emphasizing that I want you to pay attention to the letter 'R'
I say R-A
I am spelling out the letters R and A to form a simple word
R-A-G
I am spelling out the letters R, A, and G to form another simple word
R-A-G-G
I am spelling out the letters R, A, G, and G to form a longer word
Rag
The word I spelled out is 'rag'
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
I am combining the words 'rag' and 'mop' to create a catchy phrase
Rag Mop
I am repeating the phrase 'rag mop' to create a catchy tune
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
I am using non-lexical vocables to create a catchy rhythm
A
I am emphasizing that I want you to pay attention to the letter 'A'
I say A-B
I am spelling out the letters A and B to form a simple word
A-B-C
I am spelling out the letters A, B, and C to form another simple word
A-B-C-D
I am spelling out the letters A, B, C, and D to form a longer word
A-B-C-D-E
I am spelling out the letters A, B, C, D, and E to form an even longer word
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H
I am spelling out the letters A through H to form a full sequence of letters
I
I am emphasizing that I want you to pay attention to the letter 'I'
Doo-doo-doo-DAH-dee-ah-dah
I am repeating the non-lexical vocables to maintain the catchy rhythm
Rag Mop!
I am repeating the catchy phrase 'rag mop' with emphasis to end the song
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Accam570
One of the most fun songs of the early 50's.
@AltoonaYourPiano
February 15 is officially National Rag Mop Day, so I've made it a tradition to listen to this every year on this day.
@jubalcalif9100
Heavens to Murgatroid ! One of my all time fave hits from the 50s ! Thanks for sharing this bodacious "blast from the past" with us ! 😎❤👍
@kiethblack3870
I first heard (of) this song because of the old 'Beany & Cecil' (early 60s) cartoons. I didn;t know these guys were the first to do it!
@russs7574
I remember the episode. Didn't Clampett (Bob Clampett, the former Warner Brothers animator that did Beany and Cecil) also parody the Chipmunks in that same cartoon?
@michaelconnolly3990
I first heard of it after listening to Allan Sherman's parody "Rat Fink". Hilarious!
@arwen719
Me, too.
@Hydatius
Ha! Me too!
@formulas2730
With the great Billy Mure on guitar. One of my unsung hero's. Listen to the solo, this is 1950 and you can bet that Chuck Berry was listening.
@YorickWell
I don't remember where I first heard this song. 💕