Last night, some of our staff were chilling in a local watering hole and randomly someone pulled up this amazing video that many of us had never seen. When released, Frankie Smith‘s Double Dutch Bus, was an immediate hit in urban centers around America. Fun and playful, the song soon became an international smash. At the time, music videos were not on TV for the most part so it was difficult to see them. So, last night, we all checked out this video like it was the first time we had ever heard the song. It was truly a moment. Shout out to Brooklyn soulheads Geno Bobino and Kelly Robinson for the nudge to get this one out! Enjoy!
More about Double Dutch Bus:
Double Dutch Bus is a 1981 funk song by Frankie Smith, made famous for its extensive use of the “izz” infix form of slang. The song title represents a combination of two institutions in Smith’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, neighborhood: the double Dutch game of jump rope played by neighborhood kids, and the SEPTA bus system that was a backbone of the local transportation network (and for which Smith had unsuccessfully applied for a bus driving position; the Transpass referred to in the song is an actual SEPTA pass).
Smith and co-writer Bill Bloom persuaded contacts at WMOT Records to finance the song, and it was recorded in the summer of 1981, engineered by Gene Leone. The song rocketed to popularity in a matter of weeks. On the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, it held the number one spot for eight weeks. It also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 30 in the summer of 1981. The record has received two separate gold certifications, one for sales of the 7″ edit, and a second gold record for sales of the 12″ single.
