This 1st UK Hit For Shaky has never been issued with a picture sleeve in the UK
A hot dog (also known as a frankfurter, frank, wiener, or weenie) is a moist sausage
of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from advanced meat recovery or meat slurry.
It is also the theme for Shaky's 1st UK hit single which started his incredible record
breaking run of many more...
Hot Dog was written by Buck Owens. Owens recorded this rockabilly record for the Pep
label, using the pseudonym Corky Jones because he did not want the fact he recorded a
rock n' roll tune to hurt his country music career. Owens apparently loved Shaky's version
so much, that he changed his own arrangement to it. Buck Owens died in his sleep of a
heart attack on March 25, 2006.
Hot Dog was taken from the 1979 album Take One! (which charted later due to the success
of the single) and started Shaky's impact on the UK Charts. It didn't trouble the Top
20 (reaching a high of #24) but it is well remembered by the public rockabilly scene.
This is probably due to the fact that Hot Dog spent over two months in total on the chart!
It was performed on the TV show Oh Boy! although a video for the song was never shot.
Hot Dog was edited for the 7" version to make it more radio friendly. The single was
classed as being produced by Mike Hurst, but to be honest, it sounds the way it does due
to the remixing at the time by Stu Colman, BJ Cole and Shaky himself. In fact the whole
of the Take One! album was remixed the same. The great Albert Lee played lead guitar with
BJ Cole on pedal steel.
The B-Side of Hot Dog was Apron Strings which is most famous for it's Cliff Richard version.
It was written by Aaron Schroeder & George David Weiss. Both have written many hits as a
duo and alone from Can't Help Falling In Love to What A Wonderful World and Stay With Me
Baby to The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Tight Fit!) Hot Dog was also released in New Zealand but
did not have Apron Strings as the B-Side. For some reason (probably down to Epic) it was
changed to the Take One! album track 'Shame Shame Shame'. Hot Dog didn't chart anywhere
else other than the UK.
Hot Dog really did float up and down the charts for 9 weeks. You can see how it climbed
/dropped/climbed over the weeks below..
16/02/1980 New Entry at #63
23/02/1980 Up to 40
01/03/1980 Down to 43
08/03/1980 Up to 30
15/03/1980 Down to 31
22/03/1980 Up to and peaking at 24
29/03/1980 Down to 26
05/04/1980 Down to 33
12/04/1980 And spent it's last week at 51