Cool Jerk

"Cool Jerk" is a song written by Donald Storball and originally performed by The Capitols. Released in 1966, it reached No. 2 on the American Rhythm & Blues Singles chart, No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the Canadian Singles Chart. The backing track for this song was actually recorded (secretly) by the Motown house band The Funk Brothers.

Per one of the Funk Brothers, the song was originally to be called "Pimp Jerk." This was taken from watching neighborhood pimps, who would dance in the clubs, but were too "cool" to do the jerk like regular folks. Their version was subsequently named "the Pimp Jerk." The producer was afraid that a song with the word pimp in the title would be banned or not receive much positive attention, and had the title changed to its current form.

The Go-Go's, Todd Rundgren, Big Trouble, Human Sexual Response, The La De Das, The Creation, The Tremeloes, and The Coasters have covered the song. Todd Rundgren did his version in an odd time signature (7/4), giving an obviously jerky feel to the song. The Go-Go's covered the song for their 1982 album Vacation and later re-recorded it for their 1990 album Greatest. A demo that pre-dates their Vacation recording was released on their 1994 compilation Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's.

Cool

Cool refers to a moderately low temperature. Alternatively, cool or COOL may refer to:

Music

Jerk

Jerk or the Jerk may refer to:

Titled works:

Other:

See also

The Capitols

The Capitols were a Detroit, Michigan-based soul trio widely known in the late 1960s for their Billboard hit single "Cool Jerk".

Formation and Disbandment

The R&B trio formed in 1962 as "The Caps," with Samuel George as the lead vocalist and drummer, Don Storball (birth name: Don Norman) on backup vocals and guitar, and Richard Mitchell (birth name: Richard McDougall) on backup vocals and keyboard. After playing predominantly small gigs, they were discovered by former Ann Arbor radio DJ Ollie McLaughlin after performing at a local dance headlined by Barbara Lewis. After signing with the Karen record label, owned by McLaughlin, the group went on to record and release their first single in 1963, "Dog and Cat/The Kick". The record displayed the upbeat energy of their later work, however the juvenile nature and lyrics of the song couldn't find a substantial audience. In light of the disappointing performance of their debut single, the group dissolved and pursued other ventures.

Re-formation and Cool Jerk