What mean "Ooh-poo-pah-doo"?

BETTY BOOP ON VACATION ACTING UP

There are an awful lot of people here singing passionately about ooh-poo-pah-doo.

What the heck is that?

I thought for a while that it was just another rendition of boop-boop-a-doop, something Betty Boop and my mother used to frequently say. I was never sure what my mother meant, either, but always assumed it was more-or-less, "So there." Now every time I turn around, another band singer is warbling oop-poo-pah-doo.So, I recently did a little research and learned the original tune was written by a New Orleans pianist known only as Big four and recorded in 1960 by

Jessie Hill

The song became a Mardi Gras favorite and hit the top of Billboard's R&B and Hot 100 pop charts. Sometime later, a line dance was choreographed by Violet Ray so everybody could follow along. The dance has become a standard at senior citizens' recreation centers

Most recently, Jessie Hill's two grandsons, Trombone Shorty and James Andrews, played "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" in episode seven of HBO's Treme

I can definitely see how this marvelous song has endured, due to its catchy lyrics, in particular the part about the "disturbance in your mind":


I wanna tell you about ooh poo pah doo
They call me the most

Ooh poo pah doo

They call me the most, yeah

I won't stop tryin' till I create disturbance in your mind

Now ooh poo pah doo

They call me the most

Oh, yeah now

They call me the most

I won't stop tryin' till I create disturbance in your mind

Create disturbance in your mind

Create disturbance in your mind

Create disturbance in your mind

Create disturbance in your mind

I won't stop tryin' till I create disturbance in your mind

Lord have mercy

Soul is happy children

Ohh pah doo

They call me the most

Oh, mama, mama, mama, mama

Don't you know they call me the most, hey

I won't stop tryin' till I create disturbance in your mind

Look in here baby, here's what I'm gonna do

Ring a few bells in your ear

Ring a few bells in your ear

Ring a few bells in your ear

Ring a few bells in your ear

I won't stop tryin' till I create disturbance in your mind


P.S. I'm going to comment on my own post. Just announced: You can purchase the soundtrack from Treme including such greats as "Ooh Poo Pah Doo," "Drinka Little Poison," "Shame, Shame, Shame," "My Darlin' New Orleans" and "Feel Like Funkin' It Up" downloadable on iTunes and Amazon - released today!