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
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!
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!
Mop, mop!
The Ames Brothers’ “Rag Mop” is a catchy tune featuring repetitive lyrics that are very easy to sing along with. The song is about cleaning floors using a mop and a rag. The first two stanzas are made up of two letters followed by a set of consecutive letters in alphabetical order, building up the complexity gradually as each line goes on. The third stanza breaks away from this pattern and instead spells out the alphabet starting from A up to H. This is followed by yet another set of repetitions of the chorus, “Rag Mop”.
The song seems to be a humorous take on mundane tasks like cleaning and mopping. It celebrates the process of cleaning and makes it sound fun and enjoyable. Although the lyrics of the song might not have any deep meaning or a hidden message, the upbeat melody and the catchy chorus make it an extremely fun and enjoyable song to sing and dance along to.
Line by Line Meaning
M
Let me introduce to you the letter M
I say M-O
When I spell, I start with M and then add an O
M-O-P
Then I add a P to spell the word MOP
M-O-P-P
And another P to make it MOPP
Mop
I'm talking about the cleaning tool known as a mop
M-O-P-P
Again, the word MOPP, spelled out
Mop, mop, mop, mop
Just emphasizing the action of mopping
R
Now let me introduce you to the letter R
I say R-A
When I spell another word, I start with R and then add an A
R-A-G
Then I add a G to spell the word RAG
R-A-G-G
And another G to make it RAGG
Rag
I'm talking about a type of cloth known as a rag
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
Now we're spelling out RAGG MOPP
Rag Mop
The combination of a rag and a mop, used for cleaning
Doo-doo-doo, dah-dee-ah-dah
Nonsensical words used to fill in the melody
A
Time to introduce the letter A
I say A-B
Starting to spell another word, beginning with A and then adding a B
A-B-C
Adding a C to spell the word ABC
A-B-C-D
And a D to spell ABCD
A-B-C-D-E
Continuing to spell, with an E for ABCDE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H
Finally finishing the spelling with F, G, and H for ABCDEFGH
I
Let's not forget the letter I
I say M-O
Starting the spelling of MOPP again
M-O-P
MOPP begins with MOP, spelled out
M-O-P-P
Finishing the spelling of MOPP
Mop
Once again, referring to the cleaning tool
M-O-P-P
And again, spelling out MOPP
Mop, mop, mop, mop
Repeating the action of mopping one more time
R
The letter R returns
I say R-A
Starting the spelling of RAGG again
R-A-G
RAGG begins with RAG, spelled out
R-A-G-G
Finishing the spelling of RAGG
Rag
The cloth used for cleaning
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
And once more, spelling out RAGG MOPP
Rag Mop
Combining the rag and the mop again
Doo-doo-doo, dah-dee-ah-dah
Completing the song with more nonsensical words
R-A-G-G M-O-P-P
And spelling out RAGG MOPP one last time
Rag Mop!
Ending the song with an emphatic exclamation of the combination of rag and mop
Mop, mop!
Just one last call to action for mopping
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Deacon Anderson, Johnnie Lee Wills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Tuz
As a kid in the sixties I got my initial exposure to pop music of the thirties and forties via the cartoons that I watched on television. I first fell in love with the silly song Rag Mop when it was sung by a certain seasick sea serpent on Beany & Cecil! Years later I discovered the delightful Ames Brothers' chart topping recording. Thanks for posting this gem!
That 70's Girl
I had never heard if Beany & Cecil. I looked it up and watched some episodes.... Pretty darn cute!! On my cable network there's a channel called BOOMERANG, it has all the old cartoons .I'll have to see if it's on there. Thank you for sharing! Have a Beautiful Evening! 💖
Michael Tuz
@That 70's Girl Glad to hear that you liked Beany & Cecil. They were a big part of my childhood!
Have a great night!
That 70's Girl
@Michael Tuz 😊
That 70's Girl
Happy first day of spring! 🌷
Michael Tuz
@That 70's Girl Yes, it will be Spring at 11:33 EDT! I'm so looking forward to it! A sunny day here in Connecticut...
Tom Smith
Thanks for another big hit of the Ames Brothers! This was the other side of the single of "Sentimental Me" which they also performed on this program, and which was posted earlier. I definitely prefer "Sentimental Me" but it's good to see this nevertheless. Both the A-side and B-side went to number 1 on the Billboard chart! Please continue to post the Ames Brothers, and thank you so much!
Ella Shartiel
Love them!
Chistian Strydom
I always listen to 1950s songs I need more Ames brothers songs
Marty Gilman
These guys lived on my dad's street when they were kids.