Witch Doctor ( song ) - wikipedia Witch Doctor ( song ) `` Witch Doctor '' Single by David Seville from the album The Alvin Show B - side `` Do n't Whistle at Me, Baby '' Released April 1, 1958 ( 1958 - 04 - 01 ) Format 45 rpm Recorded January 1, 1958 Genre Comedic Scat, Novelty Song Length 2 : 15 Label Liberty Songwriter ( s ) Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. Producer ( s ) Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. David Seville singles chronology `` Witch Doctor '' ( 1958 ) `` The Bird on My Head '' ( 1958 ) `` Witch Doctor '' ( 1958 ) `` The Bird on My Head '' ( 1958 ) `` Witch Doctor '' is a song performed by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., and released in 1958 by Liberty Records under the stage name David Seville. Contents 1 Song information 2 Chart performance 3 Alvin and the Chipmunks versions 4 Covers and parodies 5 Cartoons version 5.1 Track listings 5.2 Charts 6 References 7 External links Song information The song tells the story of a man in love with a woman who initially does not return his affections. Longing for her companionship, the man goes to see a witch doctor for advice. The wise witch doctor replies, `` Oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang '' ( a phrase which is repeated three times as the chorus of the song, alternating `` bing bang '' with `` bang bang '' ). At the middle of the song, the man tells the woman he loves about his asking the witch doctor for advice. The voice of the `` witch doctor '' was in fact Bagdasarian 's own voice sped up to double speed, a technique later exploited by Bagdasarian to create Alvin and the Chipmunks ( and which he had also used on at least one other pre-Chipmunk song, `` The Bird on My Head '' ). Because of this, it is often referred to ( even in later compilations ) as the first song by the Chipmunks ; this is not precisely true. For one, only one sped - up `` chipmunk - style '' voice is featured rather than three such voices singing in harmony. Furthermore, Bagdasarian ( as Seville ) insisted that it was not technically a Chipmunks song in an episode of The Alvin Show when he exclaims `` I made that record once ! '' and Alvin responds `` But not with us ! '' The first true song by the `` group '' was `` The Chipmunk Song ( Christmas Do n't Be Late ). '' Chart performance The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Top 100, the predecessor to the Billboard Hot 100. The single was considered a major surprise hit on the chart, where it became Seville 's first number - one single and stayed at number one for three weeks. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart and on the Cash Box chart as well. The single sold over one million copies in the United States. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1958. Alvin and the Chipmunks versions The song had gained further popularity due to multiple covers performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks. The first was for their 1960 album Sing Again with The Chipmunks, which would later be adapted into a musical segment on The Alvin Show. In 1983, they would perform this song on the Alvin and the Chipmunks episode `` The Chipmunk Story '' and the soundtrack Songs from Our TV Shows. The song was used for the opening of the 1990 TV special Rockin ' Through the Decades in the style of various artists. In 1996, a dance cover was recorded for the album Club Chipmunk : The Dance Mixes. In 2007, a DeeTown cover ( featuring Chris Classic ) was recorded for the live - action / CGI Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. In 2012, they released a duet cover with The Chipettes entitled `` Witch Doctor 2.0 '' available for digital download on the iTunes Store ( although iTunes only credits The Chipmunks ). Covers and parodies The first cover version was recorded in 1958 by the British musician Don Lang and made the UK Top 10. In 1958 it was covered by the Italian musician Fred Buscaglione. The song has been covered by Sha Na Na and in Spanish by Manuel `` El Loco '' Valdés. A French - language version, `` Docteur Miracle '' was recorded by Danyel Gérard, by Annie Cordy, and also by Claude Piron. At the end of the song, `` We Go Together '' in the 1978 film Grease, the `` ooh ee ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bang bang '' verse of Witch Doctor by The Chipmunks can be heard. A modified version was used in a commercial for Tab soda, with `` ting tang '' being replaced by `` Tab taste ''. Mickey Katz recorded a parody called `` K'nish Doctor '' in which the doctor uses quasi-Yiddish utterances. This track is included on The Rhino Brothers Present the World 's Worst Records. A modified version of the song was used in the North American commercial for the 1990 Nintendo game Dr. Mario and it was sung by a man with a shrunken head In the episode `` The Bend in the River '' of The A-Team, Murdock wears a mask, singing the song to himself and B.A. Baracus. In the 1993 movie Homeward Bound : The Incredible Journey, the family sings it while driving to the pound to find their lost pets. A modified version was used as the second season intro of the Peruvian sitcom ; Pataclaun. In the episode `` Make Room for Lisa '' of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson sings the song to himself while he and Lisa are in separate water - filled sensory deprivation tanks, with slightly different lyrics. In Episode 304 of The Muppet Show, guest - starring Gilda Radner, Marvin Suggs plays the song on the Muppaphone, singing the verses himself and having each Muppaphone say the magic words to every hit they get. The song is interrupted by an actual Witch Doctor who punishes him for telling someone else ( the audience ) by turning his head into a Muppaphone, much to the amusement of his Muppaphones. In the episode `` You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives '' of Family Guy, Quagmire sings the chorus after refusing to sign Brian 's petition. In the DVD commentary, Seth MacFarlane referred to this moment as `` the $10,000 joke '' due to the money he had to pay to get permission to use the song. While not covering the song per se, American rock band Clutch references it on the song `` Texan Book of the Dead '' from their 1995 eponymous album by using the chorus of the song as a form of incantation, preserving the original intent. In the TV series `` Jonathan Creek '', Jonathan and Maddie grimly recite the lyrics as they remember them, and then have an argument about who sang it, what it was about, and how the chorus went. Devo recorded a version for the 1998 film, The Rugrats Movie, with new lyrics. This version, however, talks about fun - loving monkeys and their carefree lifestyle which ties into a part of the film 's plot where the Rugrats encounter a troop of escaped circus monkeys who sing this song to them. In Storybook Weaver and Storybook Weaver Deluxe, Horton sings the song in slow version with Wickersharm Guards and the witch doctor. A sequel of sorts, `` Witch Doctor Bump '', by funk band, the Chubukos, including Chipmunk - style novelty voices, appeared in the Record World charts in late 1973, rising as high as # 117 in a 10 - week chart stay. Joanie Bartels covered the song on her 1980 album, Sillytime Magic. In 2012, KIDZ BOP put the song in their Halloween album, and the song was 10 seconds longer. The melody closely resembles the overworld theme from the 1990 video game, Super Mario World. The single Skateboard UH - AH - AH by the German singer Benny Schnier uses a chorus that is very close to this song. Cartoons version `` Witch Doctor '' Single by Cartoons from the album Toonage Released October 26, 1998 Format CD single, CD maxi single, Compact Cassette Recorded 1998 Genre Eurodance, bubblegum dance Label FLEX EMI ( Denmark ) BMG ( UK ) Universal Records ( France ) Warner Bros. Records ( Germany ) Songwriter ( s ) Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. Producer ( s ) Cartoons Cartoons singles chronology `` Witch Doctor '' ( 1998 ) `` Doodah ! '' ( 1998 ) -- `` Witch Doctor '' ( 1998 ) `` Doodah ! '' ( 1998 ) Another version of the song was by the Danish band Cartoons, on their 1998 debut album Toonage. Their version charted well in Europe, reaching the top forty in many countries, as well as peaking at # 2 on the UK Singles Chart. A Spanish version appears on the album Toontastic, while an Italian version also appears on the album More Toonage. The Cartoons ' cover was also featured in the Dancemania compilation series and Dance Dance Revolution game series, starting with DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution 6thMix A loosely based song interpreted by Banya was also featured in the Pump It Up dancing game. Track listings CD single `` Witch Doctor '' ( Radio Mix ) ( 3.05 ) `` Witch Doctor '' ( Extended Mix ) ( 4.14 ) `` Witch Doctor '' ( Out Of Africa Remix ) ( 5.09 ) Charts Chart ( 1998 -- 1999 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 9 Europe ( Eurochart Hot 100 ) 11 France ( SNEP ) 22 Germany ( Official German Charts ) 68 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 12 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 31 Scotland ( Official Charts Company ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 13 References Jump up ^ `` Number One Song of the Year : 1946 -- 2014 ''. Bob Borst 's Home of Pop Culture. Jump up ^ `` Dr. Mario for Nintedo NES and GB commercial ''. Retrieved August 5, 2012. Jump up ^ Date of release Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Cartoons -- Witch Doctor '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Cartoons -- Witch Doctor '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Jump up ^ `` Musicline.de -- Cartoons Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Cartoons '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Cartoons -- Witch Doctor ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 1999. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Cartoons -- Witch Doctor ''. Singles Top 100. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` Twilight Time '' by The Platters Billboard Top 100 number - one single ( David Seville version ) April 28, 1958 -- May 5, 1958 Succeeded by `` All I Have to Do Is Dream '' by the Everly Brothers Alvin and the Chipmunks Characters David Seville The Chipmunks The Chipettes Clyde Crashcup Album singles `` Witch Doctor '' `` The Chipmunk Song ( Christmas Do n't Be Late ) '' `` Alvin 's Harmonica '' `` Alvin 's Orchestra '' `` Alvin for President '' `` What 's New Pussycat ? '' `` Chitty Chitty Bang Bang '' `` You May Be Right '' `` Call Me '' `` We 're the Chipmunks '' `` Beat It '' `` Macarena '' `` Bad Day '' `` Funkytown '' `` Shake Your Groove Thing '' `` Hot n Cold '' `` Stayin ' Alive '' Studio albums Let 's All Sing with The Chipmunks Sing Again with The Chipmunks Around the World with The Chipmunks The Alvin Show The Chipmunk Songbook Christmas with The Chipmunks Christmas with The Chipmunks, Vol. 2 The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits The Chipmunks Sing with Children Chipmunks à Go - Go The Chipmunks Go to the Movies The Very Best of The Chipmunks Chipmunk Punk Urban Chipmunk A Chipmunk Christmas Chipmunk Rock The Chipmunks Go Hollywood The Chipmunk Adventure ( soundtrack ) The Chipmunks and The Chipettes : Born to Rock Solid Gold Chipmunks Rockin ' Through the Decades Soundtrack The Chipmunks Rock the House Chipmunks in Low Places Greatest Hits Here 's Looking at Me ! A Very Merry Chipmunk When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk Club Chipmunk : The Dance Mixes The A-Files : Alien Songs Greatest Hits : Still Squeaky After All These Years Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks ( soundtrack ) Christmas with The Chipmunks ( 2008 reissue ) Undeniable We 're the Chipmunks ( Music from the TV Show ) Television shows The Alvin Show ( 1961 -- 1962 ) Alvin and the Chipmunks ( 1983 -- 1990 ) episodes Alvin and the Chipmunks ( 2015 -- ) episodes Television specials A Chipmunk Christmas ( 1981 ) A Chipmunk Reunion ( 1985 ) Rockin ' Through the Decades ( 1990 ) Cartoon All - Stars to the Rescue ( 1990 ; guest appearance ) Feature films Animated films The Chipmunk Adventure ( 1987 ) Direct - to - video films Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein ( 1999 ) Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman ( 2000 ) Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks ( 2003 ) Live - action / CGI films Alvin and the Chipmunks ( 2007 ) The Squeakquel ( 2009 ) Chipwrecked ( 2011 ) The Road Chip ( 2015 ) Video games Alvin and the Chipmunks People Ross Bagdasarian Sr. Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Janice Karman Liberty Records Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witch_Doctor_(song)&oldid=812520379 '' Categories : 1958 singles 1998 singles Alvin and the Chipmunks songs Debut singles Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs number - one singles Billboard Top 100 number - one singles Songs written by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. Novelty songs Music published by Bourne Co. Music Publishers 1958 songs Liberty Records singles EMI Records singles Sony BMG singles Universal Records singles Warner Bros. Records singles Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from March 2017 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Germany Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Scotland Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Sweden Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Edit links This page was last edited on 28 November 2017, at 08 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the witch doctor song come out
Answer: 1958