# "Doo Wah Diddy:" Two songs 😕 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952 "2001-10-22T21:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/1 "2001-10-22T21:56:14Z")
Indeed I am 😕. There’s Manfred Mann’s song with the lines: _Now we’re together nearly every single day Singing doo wah diddy diddy dumdiddy doo_ And another song out about the same time (Summer 1965, I believe): _Do wah dooh wah dooh wah diddy Talk about the boys from New York City_ Who performed the second song? And what is its right title? Until then, I dougie\_monty am 😕. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/2 "2001-10-22T22:03:38Z")
I’m probably way off on this, but I seem to recall something a little later along the line, namely … **The Manhattan Transfer** singing something like … _Ooh wah, ooh wah, cool cool kitty, Talking 'bout the kid from New York City_ But perchance this was merely an homage to the song you’re talking about. Who knows? Certainly not me. Glad I could help. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/3 "2001-10-22T22:07:47Z")
The Ad Libs sang the original Boy From New York City. [Cite](http://www.history-of-rock.com/ad_libs.htm). ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/4 "2001-10-22T22:20:11Z")
What? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/5 "2001-10-22T22:31:42Z")
The Manfred Mann song is “Doo Wah Diddy Diddy.” The other is “The Boy from New York City.” There is also an old blues tune [Diddy Wah Diddy.](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=HDIDDY%7CWAH%7CDIDDY)" Bo Diddley (of course) popularized it, and Leon Redbone has done a version. The Allmusic Guide also lists: Diddy Daddly Do Diddy Diddy Dum Dum Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear the Voices) Diddy for Biddy Diddy Levine Diddy Speaks! (Interlude) Diddy Wa Diddy Diddy Wah Diddy Way Diddy Diddy-Y-Diddy-O Diddyboppin’ ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/6 "2001-10-23T01:12:43Z")
The Boy From New York City doesn’t go _doo wah doo wah doo wah diddy_, it goes _oo-wah, oo-wah, come on kiddie_(or maybe it’s “kitty”) some of the time, and other times it’s _oo-wah oo-wah cool cool kiddie_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/7 "2001-10-23T04:39:19Z")
> [@](#): > > There is also an old blues tune Diddy Wah Diddy." Bo Diddley (of course) popularized it, and Leon Redbone has done a version. I’ve always been partial to Captain Beefheart’s version. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/8 "2001-10-23T11:45:04Z")
Diddy Wah Diddy The Ry Cooder/Fatha Hines version (on either “Paradise and Lunch” or “Chicken Skin Music,” can’t remember which) does it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/9 "2001-10-23T13:23:40Z")
Lest we forget R. Crumb’s classic cover to[Zap #1](http://www.rochesterfantasyfans.org/comix/tells/2294tell.jpg), wherein the Lady in the Flower Pot Hat muses, “I wish somebody would tell me what ‘Diddy-Wah-Diddy’ means!” Mr. Natural’s timeless response: “If you don’t know by now, Lady, don’t mess with it!” ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/10 "2001-10-23T16:58:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chrome Spot \* > \*\*Diddy Wah Diddy > > The Ry Cooder/Fatha Hines version (on either “Paradise and Lunch” or “Chicken Skin Music,” can’t remember which) does it for me. \*\* Of course this was after Ry Cooder had played on Captain Beefheart’s “Safe As Milk” album. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/11 "2001-10-23T17:33:02Z")
The Manfred Mann song that always gets me is ‘Pretty Flamingo’. The opening chord sequence is distinctive but nowadays it tails off into U2’s ‘Angel of Harlem’ ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doo-wah-diddy-two-songs-confused/88952/12 "2001-10-23T22:18:15Z")
Thanx to all. 🙂 [/😕]