"Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  0601
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  86
Peak:  30
Weeks:  19
Genre:  R&B, Funk, Rap



Pop Bits:  This oddity from a former staff writer at Philly International ended up hitting #1 on the R&B chart while also becoming quite influential. Smith originally created a song called "Double Dutch" that was about the popular jump-rope style/game. With co-writer Bill Bloom they kept adding elements which included a rap from Smith that was influences by his experience applying for and getting denied a job as a city bus driver. The whole song was quite long and eventually it was split up with the "Double Dutch Bus" section getting released as an A-side single. It's popularity finally spilled it over to the pop chart where it became Smith's one and only chart entry.

ReduxReview:  I remember just not getting this song way back when. The whole jump-rope thing and the strange "language" in the song was lost on me. But I can appreciate the song much more and I find it kind of fun. Plus I love "Gossip Folks" (see below) so that helps in the likability factor of this single.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot! 1) The song brought more mainstream popularity with the slang usage of 'ilz' and 'izzle,' made even more famous much later with Snoop Dogg.  2) This was the second single that went gold twice - once for the 12" version and once for the 7" version. The Summer/Streisand duet "Enough Is Enough" was the first to do so.  3) The song has been sampled many times. Perhaps the most well-known use of the song was in Missy Elliott's "Gossip Folks," which reached #8 in 2003.

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