The Hokey Pokey

Many of you have told us how much you enjoy our new settings and updated recordings, so this great old tune seemed to be a natural. My earliest memories of this tune were of doing The Hokey Pokey (very badly) on roller skates at the local roller rink in the mid-1950s. It was also a staple in the gym for at least one of the music teachers we had during elementary school and later in the scouts. It's one of those obvious movement tunes that will probably always be fun for kids.

For this arrangement, I've set the tune as a medium tempo shuffle. Actually, it has always been swing-style, just a little cornier. After some consideration, we decided that the published version should only have eight verses and a nice shouting final chorus. Some versions of this tune go on forever, putting every body part imaginable into the circle, but we felt that if you wanted more verses, they would provide a good excuse to perform the tune again. Let the kids figure out some variations...and how to perform them. (How does one put a uvula in?)

Ask ten people what the actual "hokey pokey" part of the song looks like, and you might get as many answers. Consensus (and my recollection) suggest that this move is produced by putting one's hands in the air, fingers out and open, elbows bent, then turning while doing something between the twist and using a hula hoop. (If you remember the hula hoop, too, take two aspirin for back pain.)

Everyone should be gathered in a circle (or several smaller circles) doing the motions into and out of the circle. When they get to the line that says, "That's what it's all about. Hey!," they jump in the air and clap their hands on the word, "hey." During the shout section, at measure 18, move the circle left and/or right, doing the hokey pokey move. Adapt it as you like, and by all means, have fun with it. - P. J.