WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 27
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
This kid from Woodhaven became a teen singing sensation
PRESENTED BY THE WOODHAVEN CULTURAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Sixty years ago this month, a young boy from
Woodhaven rocked the world. But before he
was a pop sensation, with top 10 hits around
the globe, he was just a Woodhaven kid who went
to St. Thomas the Apostle and Franklin K. Lane
and had a part-time job at a fruit store on Jamaica
Avenue.
It was the late 1950s and like most kids of that
era, 14-year old Brian Hyland of 87th Road had
a dream of being a Rock and Roll singer. He
co-founded a group called The Delfis and they
shopped a demo record around to no avail.
But record producer Dave Kapp saw something
special in the kid from Woodhaven and advised
him to go solo. He was hired as a stacker for the
record publisher while he waited for his big
break.
His first single, “Rosemary” sold 20,000 copies
— not bad for a debut single, but far from earth
shattering. Next up for Brian was a song titled
“Don’t Dilly Dally Sally” a fun little tune with lyrics
saying “Don’t Dilly Dally Sally, you know I’m
stuck on you; Well Susie’s not so choosy, and Ella
needs a fella, and they’ve got their eyes on me!”
The producers predicted that “Dilly Dally”
would be a smash hit but they needed a B-side
before they could release the single. And that’s
when fate stepped in to change young Brian’s
life.
Songwriters Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss had
a little tune they wanted an established star to
sing but Dave Kapp asked them to give Brian
Hyland a chance to sing it. The song, “Itsy Bitsy
Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini,” became a
smash hit, rocketing to No. 1 in the United States,
Canada, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand and
was a top 10 hit elsewhere around the world in
August 1960.
The song tells the story of a young woman at the
beach, embarrassed by her teenie weenie bikini,
afraid to come out of the locker room, wrapping
herself in a towel and finally afraid to come out of
the water. It’s a fun, catchy tune that never fails
to get people singing along.
But not only was it a fun song, Brian Hyland
became one of the first teen idols, and girls all
around the globe pinned pictures of the babyfaced
looker from Woodhaven on their walls.
The song was credited with a growth in sales of
bikinis and ushered in a wave of beach and bikini
movies.
Brian Hyland was still just 16 and still a student
at Franklin K. Lane; an album followed (“The
Bashful Blond”) along with a string of popular
songs.
And then came “Sealed With A Kiss,” the story
of two young lovers who are forced to part ways
during the summer. But though they will be
apart, he makes a promise to his girl, “I’ll send
you all my love every day in a letter, sealed with
a kiss.”
It’s a beautiful song that reached No. 3 on the
US and UK charts, a song you still hear often on
the radio. In all, Brian Hyland would record 11 albums
and stack up nearly 20 other top 100 hits.
But no matter how much fame Brian Hyland
Laurie Ennd, former resident of Woodhaven and founder of a Woodhaven nostalgia group on
Facebook, recently caught up with Brian Hyland at a show in California. These two Woodhaven
kids spent hours reminiscing about their memories of growing up in Woodhaven.
Courtesy of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society
achieved he always remained the boy from
Woodhaven.
He still tours with his son Bodi, and whenever
he’s performing nearby he tries to make it back
to his old hometown. Late last year, he performed
at the Westbury Music Fair and stopped off for
lunch at Neir’s, just around the corner from
where he grew up.
Earlier this year, when Neir’s was in serious
danger of closing, Brian reached out to us, asking
how he could help. It was a really nice gesture
and totally what you would expect from him.
Brian Hyland has given Woodhaven much to
be proud of, with hit records and a long career,
but mostly what we’re proud of is that he’s never
forgotten his roots.
And his fans here in Woodhaven have never
forgotten him, and we never will.
* * *
If you have any remembrances or old photographs
of “Our Neighborhood: The Way It Was” that you
would like to share with our readers, please write
to the Old Timer, c/o Ridgewood Times, 38-15 Bell
Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361, or send an email to editorial@
ridgewoodtimes.com. Any print photographs
mailed to us will be carefully returned to you upon
request.
“Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot
Bikini,” became a smash hit for Brian Hyland
while he was still in high school, rocketing to
No. 1 in the United States, Canada, Belgium,
Germany, New Zealand and was a top 10 hit
elsewhere around the world in August 1960.
Courtesy of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society
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