Joe Dolce - Shaddap Your Face
- 16 years ago
"Shaddap You Face" is a song written and performed by Joe Dolce (also known as the Joe Dolce Music Theatre) in 1981. It has set a number of sales and longevity records.
The song was full of broad Italian humour and included the chorus "Whassamatta you?/Gotta no respect?/Whaddaya think you do?/Why you looka so sad?/It's-a not so bad/It's-a nice-a place/Shaddap you face."
It went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts in 1980. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on February 21, 1981 and stayed there for three weeks until March 14, 1981. It was also Number 1 in 15 countries with over 35 different foreign language cover versions, selling over 4 million copies, with new cover versions being recorded every year[citation needed]. It is the only major Australian hit song translated into an aborginal language[citation needed], the Northern Broome dialect of Indjibundgi, by aboriginal elder, Gnaryarrhe Inmury Waitarie. It has also been recorded in Papua New Guinean pidgin It remains the most successful Australian-produced single in Australian music history for 28 years straight with sales of over 350,000 copies[citation needed]. It was Australia's first triple platinum recording by the old count of 100,000 units = platinum, which has now changed to 75,000 units[citation needed]. In the UK, it famously stopped Ultravox from reaching Number 1 with "Vienna". In 2002, "Shaddap You Face" also overtook country legend Slim Dusty's 22-year longevity record for 'A Pub with No Beer,' which went to Number 1 in 1957, and was Australia's first gold record and only gold 78rpm record[citation needed].
In the U.S., the song peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was full of broad Italian humour and included the chorus "Whassamatta you?/Gotta no respect?/Whaddaya think you do?/Why you looka so sad?/It's-a not so bad/It's-a nice-a place/Shaddap you face."
It went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts in 1980. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on February 21, 1981 and stayed there for three weeks until March 14, 1981. It was also Number 1 in 15 countries with over 35 different foreign language cover versions, selling over 4 million copies, with new cover versions being recorded every year[citation needed]. It is the only major Australian hit song translated into an aborginal language[citation needed], the Northern Broome dialect of Indjibundgi, by aboriginal elder, Gnaryarrhe Inmury Waitarie. It has also been recorded in Papua New Guinean pidgin It remains the most successful Australian-produced single in Australian music history for 28 years straight with sales of over 350,000 copies[citation needed]. It was Australia's first triple platinum recording by the old count of 100,000 units = platinum, which has now changed to 75,000 units[citation needed]. In the UK, it famously stopped Ultravox from reaching Number 1 with "Vienna". In 2002, "Shaddap You Face" also overtook country legend Slim Dusty's 22-year longevity record for 'A Pub with No Beer,' which went to Number 1 in 1957, and was Australia's first gold record and only gold 78rpm record[citation needed].
In the U.S., the song peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100.