Original group members:
Barbara Ann Hawkins (born October 23, 1943)
Joan Marie Johnson (January 15, 1944 – October 5, 2016)
Rosa Lee Hawkins (born September 24, 1944)
The group hit the top of the charts in 1964 with "Chapel of Love," a song that Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich had originally written for The Ronettes. The trio consisted of sisters Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins; plus their cousin Joan Marie Johnson, from New Orleans. They first sang together in grade school. Originally they were to be called Little Miss and the Muffets, but were named the Dixie Cups just prior to their first release.
In 1963 the trio decided to pursue a professional career in music and began singing locally as the Meltones. Within a year Joe Jones, a successful singer in his own right with the Top Five 1960 single "You Talk Too Much," became their manager. After working with them for five months, Jones took them to New York, where record producers/songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller signed them to their new Red Bird Records.
The Dixie Cups debut single was the release, "Chapel of Love," which became their biggest hit reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in June 1964. "Chapel of Love" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In 1987, the song "Chapel of Love" appeared on the Full Metal Jacket soundtrack and in the 1991 film, Father of the Bride. The hit single by The Dixie Cups was ranked #279 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The group also had several other hits including, "People Say" (#12, 1964), "You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me" (#39, 1964), "Little Bell" (#51, 1965), and "Iko Iko" (#20, 1965).
"Iko Iko", a New Orleans traditional song, was recorded in 1964 but later was released as a single early in 1965. Barbara Hawkins had heard her grandmother sing the song, first recorded in 1953 as "Jock-a-Mo" by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford. Barbara Hawkins: "We were just clowning around with it during a session using drumsticks on ashtrays. We didn't realize that Jerry and Mike had the tapes running". Leiber and Stoller overdubbed a bassline and percussion, and released it. It was The Dixie Cups' fifth and last hit.
In 1965, the Dixie Cups moved to the ABC-Paramount record label before a recording hiatus in 1966 temporarily halted their careers. In 1974 the Hawkins sisters moved from New York to New Orleans, where they both began successful modelling careers. The Hawkins also worked as make-up artists. The Dixie Cups continued to tour as a trio with another New Orleans singer, Beverly Brown, replacing Joan Johnson who became a Jehovah's Witness and left her music career. Brown who had recorded two solo discs in the early 1960s stayed as the third member until the early 80s when she became ill and was replaced by Dale Mickle. The Dixie Cups continue to perform and make personal appearances. The current line-up consists of the same Hawkins sisters along with Athelgra Neville, sister of the singing Neville Brothers.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana, flooding and flattening most of New Orleans and displacing Barbara and Rosa Hawkins, who subsequently relocated to Florida. Joan Johnson relocated to Texas. Two years later in April 2007, The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame honored The Dixie Cups for their contributions to Louisiana music by inducting them into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Discography
Singles
"Chapel of Love" b/w "Ain't That Nice" (1964) Red Bird Records / U.S. Chart (Billboard) #1 UK #22 Canada RPM #1
"People Say" b/w "Girls Can Tell" (1964) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Chart (Billboard) #12[8] R&B #7 Canada RPM #7
"You Should Have Seen The Way He Looked At Me" b/w "No True Love" (1964) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Chart (Billboard) #39 Canada RPM #20
"Little Bell" b/w "Another Boy Like Mine" (1964) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Chart (Billboard) #51[8] R&B #21
"Iko Iko" b/w "I'm Gonna Get You Yet" (1965) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Chart (Billboard) #20[8] R&B #20 UK # 23 Canada RPM #26
"Iko Iko" b/w "Gee Baby Gee" (1965) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Chart (Billboard) #20
"Gee The Moon Is Shining Bright" b/w "I'm Gonna Get You Yet" (1965) Red Bird Records/ U.S. Billboard #102
"Two-Way-Poc-A-Way" b/w "That's Where It's At" (1965) ABC-Paramount Records /Written by Harold Fedison
"What Goes Up Must Come Down" b/w "I'm Not The Kind Of Girl (To Marry)" (1965) ABC-Paramount Records
"A-B-C Song" b/w "That's What The Kids Said" (1965) ABC-Paramount Records
"Love Ain't So Bad (After All)" b/w "Daddy Said No" (1966) ABC Records
Albums
Chapel of Love (1964) Red Bird Records/ Billboard 200 #112
Iko Iko (1965) Red Bird Records (re-packaged album that is the same as their debut with a different album cover under the title Iko Iko)
Riding High (1965) ABC-Paramount Records
Doing It Our Way (2011) Iri Records
Compilations
Teen Anguish Volume One (1979) Charly Records
The Best Of The Dixie Cups (1985) Back-Trac Records
The Dixie Cups Meet The Shangri-Las (1986) Charly Records
The Very Best Of The Dixie Cups: Chapel Of Love (1998) Collectables Records
The Complete Red Bird Recordings (2002) Varèse Sarabande Records
Going to the Chapel of Love
The Dixie Cups Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin' to the chapel of love
Spring is here, th-e-e sky is blue, whoa-oh-oh
Birds all sing as if they knew Today's the day we'll say "i do"
And we'll never be lonely anymore because we're
Because goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin' to the chapel of love
Bells will ring, the-e-e sun will shine, whoa-oh-oh
I'll be his and he'll be mine
We'll love until the end of time
And we'll never be lonely anymore because we're
Because goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin' to the chapel of love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Goin' to the chapel of love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Goin' to
"The Chapel of Love" by The Dixie Cups is a song about two people who are deeply in love with each other and are getting married in the Chapel of Love. The singer expresses her love for her future husband, assuring him that they will have a lifetime of happiness together. The song captures the feeling of joy and excitement that comes with getting married and finding true love.
The lyrics paint a picture of a beautiful spring day, where the sky is blue and the birds are singing. The singer notes that this is the day they will say "I do" and promises that they will never be lonely again. The promise of love and companionship forever is emphasized as they make their way to the chapel.
The song captures the essence of the innocence and simplicity of the 1960s. It was released in 1964 and was an instant hit, becoming one of the quintessential songs of the era. It has been covered by several artists and is still played at weddings today. The lyrics are simple and easy to remember, making it a popular sing-along tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get ma-a-arried
We are on our way to the chapel to become married
Gee, I really love you
I truly love you
And we're gonna get ma-a-arried
And we will be married soon
Goin' to the chapel of love
We are heading towards the place where we will get married
Spring is here, th-e-e sky is blue, whoa-oh-oh
The season of spring has come and the sky is bright blue
Birds all sing as if they knew
The birds are singing as if they are aware of the occasion
Today's the day we'll say "i do"
Today is the day we will exchange our wedding vows
And we'll never be lonely anymore because we're
We will never be alone again because we are getting married
Bells will ring, the-e-e sun will shine, whoa-oh-oh
The bells will ring and the sun will shine on this joyful day
I'll be his and he'll be mine
I will be his spouse and he will be mine
We'll love until the end of time
We will love each other forever
Goin' to the chapel of love yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are excitedly going to the chapel where we will get married
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF BARRY, ELLIE GREENWICH, PHILLIP SPECTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnmendez2983
They don’t make songs like this one never ever again. A classic for all mankind 👍👌🙏
@novamarpo3
“My era was better than yours”
@ChristopherT-m4w
I kept listening to this song and I couldn't stop, it brings tears to my eyes.
@TheCorporateSerf
@@novamarpo3 It was, sorry
@donnahall104
Gee..I really love you,Larry💞🌄
@buzzkillington3840
Bot
@jameslewis8457
I had just bought a 1952 Chevy in 1962. Had a date with my 16 year old girlfriend. Oh, what a a night at the drive in Movie. This song was playing on car radio.
@russellcrawley2110
How'd the date go?
@robertferagotti4119
❤
@dadkisser2682
Impossible the song was released in 1964