Why DJs Thought ‘Wooly Bully’ Was Dirty and How It Became a Cultural Phenomenon

Coming up… the story of Wooly Bully, a song that has conquered every aspect of our culture. From movies to TV to cover songs by some of the biggest artists in history to bringing humor to U.S. soldiers escaping from the drudgery of the Vietnam War. It’s a track from a band that many of us wrongly assume is a one-hit-wonder: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. It’s a song loaded with hilarious, off-the-cuff moments from the recording studio and many listeners and DJs thought the song was code for sex or something even dirtier. But the singer claims the strange title was his cat’s name... Wooly Bully was what the business calls a “novelty track,” but even without lyrical substance, it was the first single to sell over a million copies during the British Invasion and the first song in history to barely miss the #1 spot and yet still finish ahead of every band and artist of that year including the Beatles and the Stones as the #1 song of the year. Details of this tantalizing party ditty that shockingly outperformed some of the biggest songs in music history are NEXT on Professor of Rock.

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