Chicken Fat
Though the song sounded vaguely familiar, I couldn't have connected it to anything back in school -- and I am a child of the 60s & 70s. Perhaps it's a failure of memory, or maybe my school was just a bit out of step.
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"Chicken Fat" (also known as "The Youth Fitness Song") is a 1962 song written by Broadway composer Meredith Willson (The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and performed by actor/singer Robert Preston. It was commissioned as part of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
History
Used in school gymnasiums across the United States, "Chicken Fat" was the theme song for President John F. Kennedy's youth fitness program.[2] Willson contacted Fitness Council administrator Dick Snider with an offer to write a song to be used to promote exercise for children. Willson's offer was accepted and he consulted with Physical Fitness Council director Ted Forbes to ensure that the song would be effective.[1] The bouncy chorus ended with the words "Go, you chicken fat, go!"[1][2]
The song was written by Meredith Willson and sung by Robert Preston.[2] Two versions of the song were recorded: one 2 minutes and 12 seconds for radio, the other 6 1/2 minutes for use in school gyms.[1][2] The latter included 11 floor exercises for schoolchildren designed by Bud Wilkinson, head football coach at the University of Oklahoma.[3] Willson, Preston, and Forbes all worked on the project gratis, while Capitol Records, which produced and distributed three million copies of the 33 1/3 RPM record, paid for the backup musicians, studio time, and production and distribution.[1] The song was widely used in schools in the 1960s and 1970s.
[From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Fat_(song)]
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"Chicken Fat" (also known as "The Youth Fitness Song") is a 1962 song written by Broadway composer Meredith Willson (The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and performed by actor/singer Robert Preston. It was commissioned as part of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
History
Used in school gymnasiums across the United States, "Chicken Fat" was the theme song for President John F. Kennedy's youth fitness program.[2] Willson contacted Fitness Council administrator Dick Snider with an offer to write a song to be used to promote exercise for children. Willson's offer was accepted and he consulted with Physical Fitness Council director Ted Forbes to ensure that the song would be effective.[1] The bouncy chorus ended with the words "Go, you chicken fat, go!"[1][2]
The song was written by Meredith Willson and sung by Robert Preston.[2] Two versions of the song were recorded: one 2 minutes and 12 seconds for radio, the other 6 1/2 minutes for use in school gyms.[1][2] The latter included 11 floor exercises for schoolchildren designed by Bud Wilkinson, head football coach at the University of Oklahoma.[3] Willson, Preston, and Forbes all worked on the project gratis, while Capitol Records, which produced and distributed three million copies of the 33 1/3 RPM record, paid for the backup musicians, studio time, and production and distribution.[1] The song was widely used in schools in the 1960s and 1970s.
[From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Fat_(song)]
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