The Penguins was an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early '60s, bes… Read Full Bio ↴The Penguins was an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early '60s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts. The song peaked at #8 on the national charts, but had a three-week run at #1 on the R&B "race" chart.

Singers Cleveland Duncan, Curtis Williams, Dexter Tisby, and Bruce Tate, all students at Fremont High in Los Angeles, CA, formed the quartet in 1954. They broke up in 1959. Cleve Duncan sang lead on "Earth Angel."

The Penguins were one of a number of doo-wop groups of the period named after birds (such as The Orioles, The Flamingos, and The Crows).

The Penguins' single "Hey Senorita" was released on Doo-Tone Records in 1955 as the intended A-side, but a radio DJ flipped the record over to the B-side, "Earth Angel", which became far more popular. Their midtempo performance was a cross between rhythm and blues and the new rock and roll played by white performers and enjoyed by teenagers.

Coming off the success of "Earth Angel," The Penguins approached Buck Ram to manage them. Ram's primary interest was managing The Platters, who at that point had no hit singles but were a profitable touring group. With The Penguins in hand, Ram was able to swing a 2-for-1 deal with Mercury Records in which the company agreed to take on The Platters as a precondition for getting The Penguins (the group that Mercury really wanted). Ironically, The Penguins would never have a second hit single under the Mercury deal, while The Platters would be the label's most successful act.

The Penguins never had another national hit, but their 1957 cover of "Pledge of Love" reached #15 on the R&B chart.

For three decades, "Earth Angel" was almost always the #2 song on oldies station WCBS-FM's annual Top 500 countdown. (Another doo-wop favorite, The Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night" was the perennial #1 pick.)

The Penguins were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2004, "Earth Angel" was named #151 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. "Earth Angel" was also one of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll.

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I Ain't Gonna Cry No More
The Penguins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ba-too-too-tee-too-too-zah-zah-zah

Oh when you smilin'
When you smilin'
The whole world
Smiles with you baby, baba

Yes, when you laughin'

Ba-ba-ba-bo-do
When you laughin'
Yes, the sun comes shinin' through

But when you cryin'
You bring on the rain
So stop your sighin' baby
And be happy again

Yes, and keep on smilin'

Keep on smilin', baby
And the whole world smiles with you

Overall Meaning

The Penguins' song "I Ain't Gonna Cry No More" talks about the power of emotions and how they can affect not only ourselves but also those around us. The song starts with the classic doo-wop sound of “ba-too-too-tee-too-too-zah-zah-zah” and quickly jumps into the verses. The first verse tells us that when you are happy and smiling, the world around you shares your happiness. We see this as a universal truth on all social media platforms, where a smile or a laugh becomes contagious. The second verse emphasizes the same idea but uses laughter to convey the joy we feel when things are going well. It is a reminder that even when things are going bad, laughter and happiness can make everything better.

Line by Line Meaning

Ba-too-too-tee-too-too-zah-zah-zah
Instrumental intro

Oh when you smilin'
When you're happy

When you smilin'
When you're happy

The whole world
Everyone around you

Smiles with you baby, baba
Shares your happiness

Yes, when you laughin'
When you're laughing

Ba-ba-ba-bo-do
Instrumental break

When you laughin'
When you're laughing

Yes, the sun comes shinin' through
Everything seems better

But when you cryin'
When you're sad

You bring on the rain
You make everything worse