"Speedoo" is a song written by Esther Navarro and performed by
The Cadillacs featuring the Jesse Powell Orchestra. It reached number 3 on the
U.S. R&B chart and number 17 on the
U.S. pop chart in 1955.[2] The song was featured on their 1957 album, The Fabulous Cadillacs.[3] The lead vocal was by
Earl Carroll.
Lyrically, the song tells of Mister Earl who acquired the nickname "Speedoo" because, when it comes to his pursuit of pretty girls, "he don't believe in wastin' time" and "he don't never take it slow".
The song's opening lyrics were referenced in the song "Was a Sunny Day" by
Paul Simon, on his 1973 album, "
There Goes Rhymin' Simon. In the song, Simon sings, "Her name was Lorelei/She was his only girl/She called him Speedoo, but his Christian name was Mr. Earl." Simon has often professed his affection for
doo-wop music, and has acknowledged its influence on his songwriting ("I like doo-wop. I stick it in all the time," he said in a 2011 interview[14]).
References
^Pitzonka, Bill (2001). "Crazy Elephant". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles:
Feral House. p. 60.