Their collaboration with legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller gave them a unique sound that was very humorous most of the time. Their first huge hit came with "Young Blood" and "Searchin'." They also had success with hits such as "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," and "Little Egypt."
Gardner was still touring with The Coasters as late as 2005, although he is the only surviving original member. Gardner is now semi-retired and has handed the reins over to his son Carl Jr.
In 1987, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, thus becoming the first group to be inducted (the other inductees at the time were solo acts). In 2000, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame. In 2004, "Young Blood" was #414 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. "Young Blood" and "Yakety Yak" were part of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll. The band's song "Down In Mexico" appears on the new film, Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.
Yakity Yak
The Coasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or you don't get no spending cash
If you don't sweep that kitchen floor
You ain't gonna rock 'n' roll no more
Yakity yak
Don't talk back
Let's see that dustpan with that broom
Get all that garbage out of sight
Or you don't go out Friday night
Yakity yak
Don't talk back
You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundromat
And when you finish doing that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Yakity yak
Don't talk back
Don't you give me no dirty looks
Your father's hip he knows what cooks
Just tell your hoodlum friends outside
You ain't got time to take a ride
Yakity yak
Don't talk back
Yakity yak, yakity yak
Yakity yak, yakity yak
Yakity yak, yakity yak
...
The Coasters’s song “Yakity Yak” is a playful rebuke to a lazy 50’s teenager. The lyrics start off with the instruction to take out the papers and trash and to sweep the kitchen floor, threatening a lack of spending cash and rock n’ roll credibility respectively as a consequence of not doing so. The chorus comes in with the titular “yakity yak, don’t talk back” enforcing the idea that the teenager receives no say in the matter. The song then goes on to demand the cleaning of the teenager’s room and to take out the garbage, lest they miss out on Friday night fun. The instructions continue, commanding the teenager to go to the laundromat and bring in the dog, put out the cat before finally warning not to give any “dirty looks” and that their father knows what’s cool.
In essence, “Yakity Yak” is a classic example of a parent-child power struggle where the teenager rails against domestic chores and expectations, while the parent invokes their “because I said so” bureaucratic power to get them to comply. It’s a theme that has been explored in countless films, television shows, and pop songs since then, but the catchy rhythm, playful rhyming, and humorous lyrics set “Yakity Yak” apart from other variations of the theme.
Line by Line Meaning
Take out those papers and the trash
You must throw away the garbage along with the papers or you won't receive any money.
Or you don't get no spending cash
You will not be paid if you do not clean up the mess.
If you don't sweep that kitchen floor
If you don't clean the kitchen floor then you won't be allowed to rock and roll again.
You ain't gonna rock 'n' roll no more
You will be deprived of your rock and roll if you don't clean up.
Yakity yak
Stop talking and start cleaning.
Don't talk back
Do as you're told and don't argue.
Just finish cleaning up your room
Clean your room properly and completely.
Let's see that dustpan with that broom
Use a broom along with the dustpan to clean up the mess.
Get all that garbage out of sight
Dispose of all the waste properly so that it is not visible to anyone.
Or you don't go out Friday night
If you fail to clean up your mess then you can't go out on Friday night.
You just put on your coat and hat
Get dressed and leave the house.
And walk yourself to the laundromat
Walk to the laundromat to do laundry.
And when you finish doing that
After finishing the laundry.
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Bring the dog inside and let the cat out, but clean up after them both.
Don't you give me no dirty looks
Don't give me dirty looks or argue with me.
Your father's hip he knows what cooks
Your father is cool and knows what's up.
Just tell your hoodlum friends outside
Inform your friends waiting outside that you can't join them now.
You ain't got time to take a ride
You don't have time to hang out with friends.
Yakity yak, yakity yak
Stop talking about it.
Yakity yak, yakity yak
You keep talking and complaining.
Yakity yak, yakity yak
You keep talking and never stop.
Contributed by Max R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.