# Rudy Clark

Rudolph Clark (October 29, 1935 – September 3, 2020) was an American songwriter credited with hit songs such as "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", "Got My Mind Set on You", "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", and "Good Lovin' " (written with Artie Resnick). He was most active from the early 1960s through the early 1970s. He has more than 250 copyrights listed by BMI.

## Background

While working as a mailman in New York City in 1961, Clark wrote songs, and discovered singer James Ray in a small nightclub. Clark's songs won the interest of Gerry Granahan of Caprice Records, and Clark suggested that Ray record them. As a result, Ray recorded Clark's song "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which became a pop and R&B hit in 1962 and was later a hit for Freddie and the Dreamers. Ray also recorded "Got My Mind Set on You", which became a No. 1 US and No. 2 UK hit for George Harrison in 1987, and was a No. 1 hit in 18 countries.
Clark was a close friend of singer Bobby Darin, who owned TM Music/Trio, the music company that employed Clark. Clark and Darin collaborated on several hits, including "Do the Monkey".
Clark wrote the Top 10 pop classic "It's in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)", first recorded by Merry Clayton and then by Betty Everett in 1964. The song was frequently revisited by other artists, most notably in the version that became a worldwide hit for Cher in 1991. With Arthur Resnick, Clark co-wrote "Good Lovin'", recorded by The Olympics in 1965 and then remade as a #1 hit by the Young Rascals the following year. Other Clark compositions include "Fool, Fool, Fool", recorded in 1964 by Little Joey & the Flips and then covered by Roosevelt Grier, the A-Cads, and Ray Brown & the Whispers, with the last two representations reaching #1 in South Africa and Australia respectively. His song "Waddle, Waddle" featured in the film Hairspray.
Clark composed "All Strung Out Over You" which was recorded by The Chambers Brothers, and was released on Columbia 4-43957 on December 19, 1966. It became a regional hit for the group, and by January 11, 1967, it was at #34 on the WMCA chart.
Clark was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for his lead contribution in writing the 1972 Top Five hit "Everybody Plays the Fool" by the Main Ingredient. Beyond pop hits, Clark wrote several songs for the early 1970s Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series.
Besides being heard on oldies radio, Clark's material has also found its way to the Broadway theatre, making reference to André DeShields' Haarlem Nocturne (1984) and Marion J. Caffey's Street Corner Symphony (1997).

## Chart hits written

| Year | Song | Original artist | Co-writer(s) with Clark | US Pop | US R&B | UK | Other charting versions |
| 1961 | "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" | James Ray | | 22 | 10 | — | 1963: Freddie and the Dreamers, #3 UK 1965: Maxine Brown, #63 US pop |
| 1962 | "Itty Bitty Pieces" | James Ray | | 41 | — | — | |
| 1962 | "Got My Mind Set On You" | James Ray | | — | — | — | 1987: George Harrison, #1 US pop, #2 UK |
| 1962 | "Waddle, Waddle" | The Bracelets | | 113 | — | — | |
| 1963 | "Do the Monkey" | King Curtis | Bobby Darin | 92 | — | — | |
| 1963 | "Shirl Girl" | Wayne Newton | Bobby Darin | 58 | — | — | |
| 1963 | "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" | Merry Clayton | | — | — | — | 1964: Betty Everett, #6 US pop, #1 R&B, #34 UK (1968) 1975: Linda Lewis, #107 US pop, #97 R&B. #6 UK 1977: Kate Taylor, #49 US pop 1990: Cher, #33 US pop, #1 UK |
| 1964 | "Beg Me" | Chuck Jackson | | 45 | 5 | — | |
| 1964 | "What Can a Man Do?" | Ben E. King | | 113 | 39 | — | |
| 1964 | "Do It Right" | Brook Benton | | 67 | 33 | — | |
| 1965 | "Why Don't You Let Yourself Go" | Mary Wells | | 107 | — | — | |
| 1965 | "Good Lovin' " | The Olympics | Artie Resnick | 81 | — | — | 1966: The Young Rascals, #1 US pop |
| 1967 | "You Can't Stand Alone" | Wilson Pickett | | 70 | 26 | — | |
| 1968 | "A Woman With the Blues" | The Lamp Sisters | | — | 20 | — | |
| 1971 | "You Shouldn't Have Set My Soul on Fire" | Inez Foxx | | — | 50 | — | |
| 1972 | "Everybody Plays the Fool" | The Main Ingredient | J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams | 3 | 2 | 52 | 1991: Aaron Neville, #8 US pop |
| 1973 | "After Hours" | J. R. Bailey | J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams | — | 29 | — | |
| 1975 | "Seven Lonely Nights" | The Four Tops | J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams | 71 | 13 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. ||||||||