June 20, 2025      —–     Chart #303

Hello Music Friends,

Today’s chart of the week is a certified sock-hop stomper that marched its way from the British Invasion into the front lines of the U.S. Army, via Bill Murray and a band of barely-booted misfits in Stripes. That’s right—we’re talkin’ about “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” by Manfred Mann, a song that somehow combines doo-wop, rock, and what I can only describe as a lyrical shrug of the shoulders.

“There she was just a-walkin’ down the street, singin’…”

You know the rest. And if you don’t, go watch Stripes immediately, where Bill Murray’s platoon uses this tune as a boot-camp cadence—perhaps the first time in military history that gibberish became a unifying force stronger than an MRE and a bad haircut.

The original version of the song was actually recorded by an American vocal group called The Exciters earlier in 1964. Their version had a little more grit, but it was the lads from London—Manfred Mann—who put it on the map. They released their cover in July of 1964, and by October, it had bulldozed its way to #1 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100. That’s right—this song of semi-coherent syllables went all the way to the top on both sides of the Atlantic, like a pop music Normandy invasion.

Now a word about Manfred Mann—who, contrary to popular belief, is not a frontman named “Manfred” with a band called “The Manns.” No, this was a full group, formed in London in the early ‘60s and named after their keyboardist, a South African-born jazz man named Manfred Lubowitz, who changed his name to Manfred Mann because, well, let’s face it, Lubowitz doesn’t exactly scream pop chart domination.

The band was part of the first wave of British Invasion acts, riding the same surfboard across the Atlantic as the Beatles and the Stones, but with a sound that blended pop, blues, jazz, and some lighthearted mayhem. They’d go on to score more hits, including “Sha La La”, “Pretty Flamingo”, and later with a revamped lineup in the ’70s (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band), a killer version of Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light.”

But back in 1964, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” was a runaway train of joy. The band didn’t overthink it, and neither should you. The lyrics are charmingly ridiculous:

“She looked good (looked good), she looked fine (looked fine), she looked good, she looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind.”

I mean, if that’s not love at first sight, I don’t know what is.

As a guitarist, you won’t be stretching your fingers into jazz territory here. We’re talking meat-and-potatoes chords, easy strumming, and enough bounce to make even your most rhythmically-challenged buddy tap a foot. This one’s perfect for a backyard jam, a wedding gig, or if you find yourself suddenly drafted into a ragtag military unit led by Harold Ramis.

So this week, give “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” a spin, grab your acoustic, and sing along like no one understands what the words mean—because they don’t. And that’s the beauty of it.

Keep Rockin’,

Stan Bradshaw

And while we’re on the subject: