Novelty dances. We have all been to an event that some over hyped lounge DJ requested everyone get up and do the Electric slide (or some other nonsense). I don't participate. Never have never will but i will sit back and laugh as you do. I love the whole 'herd' of people. But nothing and I mean nothing beats drunken wedding attendees doing the "Hokey Pokey"
The origins of this dance are all over the place. From the term for Italian ice cream men to the Canadian army dancing its a silly 'feel good' dance done by people who should sit down and little kids to learn left from right.
What gets me on this one is the Wikipedia page. Its taken so seriously so scholarly that it leads me to believe there is a hokey pokey convention or something- like extreme hokey pokey-ing…or whatever.
As with all very old songs there is controversy this one is a bit far fetched but I will cut and paste it for you cuz its funny.
The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the phrase "hokey cokey" ultimately comes from "hocus pocus", the traditional magician's incantation.
In the 1870s Robert M. Wright wrote of the "gang" in Dodge City, Kansas using "hokey-pokey" which was actually bisulphite of carbon. It was administered as a bad joke to "any animal with hair, it has a wonderful effect. For the time being, the animal just went crazy…". It was a great source of amusement to administer a drop on a greenhorn's horse and watch him get bucked off. While not the origin of the word, this certainly accounts for perhaps some words to the dance "shake it all about".
The Anglican Canon Matthew Damon, Provost of Wakefield Cathedral, West Yorkshire, has claimed that the dance as well comes from the Catholic Latin mass.[3] The priest would perform his movements with his back to the congregation, who could not hear well the words, nor understand the Latin, nor clearly see his movements. This theory led Scottish politician Michael Matheson in 2008 to urge police action "against individuals who use it to taunt Catholics”. This claim by Matheson was deemed ridiculous by fans from both sides of the Old Firm (the Glasgow football teams Celtic and Rangers) and calls were put out on fans' forums for both sides to join together to sing the song on 27 December 2008 at Ibrox Stadium.
Why is it that all things of culture that are very old seem to end up dealing with teh occult? Every song has something to do with war or witches. It shows that we as a culture love a good scandal no matter how manufactured it is.
Iman and I spend a great deal of time discussing music (and I'm always right) we actually thought this was a veiled sex song. Seriously why are we asked to stick things out and shake them all about? Personally I'm going to stick with that theory- its much more plausible than it just being a nonsense song to dance to with a group of half tanked housewives.
My apologies to this family that I stole this video from- but if you put your stuff on Youtube- you're pretty much asking for it.