Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is a 1962 novelty nonsensical doo-wop song by The Rivingtons. The song peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #35 on the Cashbox charts.

Cover Versions

The song was later covered by The Beach Boys for their album Beach Boys' Party! in 1965.

In 1967, The Freshmen scored a Top 10 hit with the song in Ireland. Versions by both The Sharonettes and Gary Glitter made the UK Top 40 in 1975.

It was also covered in 1966 by The Thunderbirds, a Hong-Kong band headed by the brother of martial-arts star Bruce Lee, Robert Lee.

Other appearances of the song's lyrics

Together with The Rivingtons' 1963 novelty song, "Bird is the Word", "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" was the basis for the song "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen. Notably, a cover version of Surfin' Bird by The Persuasions was briefly heard in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

In 1964, surf rockers Jan and Dean morphed the song into "New Girl in School," with new lyrics and the refrain "Doo-ron-de-ron-de" substituted for "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". "New Girl in School" garnered significant U.S. airplay as the B-side of the Top 40 hit Dead Man's Curve.

In 1969 the song's distinctive titular nonsense lyrics appeared as a similarly-sung chorus in Giorgio Moroder's first single Looky Looky and The Oak Ridge Boys' 1981 hit Elvira has an "oom-papa-mow-mow" chorus.