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
Little Bell
The Dixie Cups Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I haven't been true
He's gonna find somebody new
[Chorus]
Little bell in the chapel, ring
Little bell in the chapel, ring
Little bell, won't you tell him
I saw him the other day
And he told me goodbye
Said he heard I'd been
Going out with some other guy
Love him all my heart
And I want him to know
That I can't live without him
Won't you tell him so
Oh, oh, oh
[Chorus]
Oh, I tried to call him up
Cause I know he's alone
But he lets it keep ringing
Won't pick up the phone
I know that I could explain
I know he'd understand
If I only could kiss him
And hold his hand
Somebody told him
I haven't been true
He's gonna find somebody new
Little bell in the chapel, ring
(Little bell)
Little bell in the chapel, ring
(Little bell)
Little bell, won't you tell him
He's the only one
(Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Little bell, won't you tell him
He's the only one
(Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Little bell, won't you tell him
He's the only one
(Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Little bell, won't you tell him
He's the only one
(Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
The Dixie Cups' song "Little Bell" tells the story of a woman who is desperate to let her ex-boyfriend know that she still loves him despite rumors of her infidelity. The first stanza reveals that someone has told her ex-boyfriend that she hasn't been loyal to him, and he is considering moving on. The chorus consists of her pleading with a "little bell in the chapel" to ring and tell him that she still loves him and that he is the only one for her. She also recounts seeing him recently, where he told her goodbye because he heard she had been seeing someone else.
In the second stanza, she admits that she has been trying to call him, but he won't pick up because he's "alone." She laments that she could explain everything and knows he would understand if she had the chance to see him in person. The song ends with the chorus repeating once more.
The theme of desperation in trying to save a relationship is the main message that comes through in the lyrics of "Little Bell." The singer is willing to do anything, even plead with a bell, to try and salvage her relationship. Overall, the song is a classic example of the soulful harmonies that The Dixie Cups were known for in the 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody told him
Someone has told the person she loves that she has not been loyal to him.
I haven't been true
The person telling her love the truth has been led astray.
He's gonna find somebody new
Her love will move on to someone else because of the rumors he hears about her.
Little bell in the chapel, ring
She prays to the little bell in the chapel to ring and tell her love that he is the only one she loves.
Little bell, won't you tell him
She implores the little bell to relay her message to her love.
I saw him the other day
She saw her love recently.
And he told me goodbye
Her love said goodbye to her upon hearing the rumors.
Said he heard I'd been
Her love learned she had been seeing someone else.
Going out with some other guy
She had been out with another man.
Love him all my heart
She deeply loves her love.
And I want him to know
She wants him to understand her true feelings.
That I can't live without him
She communicates that she cannot bear to be without him in her life.
Won't you tell him so
She urges the little bell to communicate her love to him.
Oh, oh, oh
An exclamation of emotion.
Oh, I tried to call him up
She attempted to call her love to explain her side of the story.
Cause I know he's alone
She knows that her love is alone at the time.
But he lets it keep ringing
Her love continually ignores her calls.
Won't pick up the phone
He refuses to answer her calls.
I know that I could explain
She believes she could clear up the misunderstandings if only she could speak with him.
I know he'd understand
She believes that her love would comprehend her perspective.
If I only could kiss him
If she could be with him in person, she would kiss him.
And hold his hand
She desires nothing more than physical closeness to her love.
Little bell, won't you tell him
She beseeches the little bell once more to tell her love that he is the only one she wants.
Little bell in the chapel, ring
She prays to the little bell in the chapel to ring again so that her love will hear the message.
Little bell, won't you tell him
She implores the little bell one more time to tell her love that he is the only one she loves.
He's the only one
Her love is the only one she desires.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELLIE GREENWICH, JEFF BARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Justin Daniel Dunn
Loud excellent sound!
Rita M. Buda
That was my favorite song when I was 8 years old.🌞
Ben Nunez
Best audio