Mac and Katie Kissoon -- "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" (1971)

Where's your momma gone
Little baby dove
Where's your momma gone

Far, far away

"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" was penned by Harold "Lolly" Scott, a British songwriter, in 1971.  His recording of the song barely cracked the Billboard "Hot 100," but it made it to #1 in Australia.

Here's Scott's recording of his song:

A Scottish band, Middle of the Road, released a cover of the song later that year that went nowhere in the United States, but was a #1 single in the UK.  Their version also made it to #1 or #2 in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland.

Sally Carr, lead singer of
Middle of the Road

According to one source, Middle of the Road's cover of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" sold more than 10 million records worldwide -- one of fewer than 40 singles to do that. 

Here's Middle of the Road's cover of the song:

But we're featuring Mac and Katie Kissoon's cover of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," which flopped in the UK but made it to #20 on the U.S. pop chart.

The Kissoons were a brother and sister who were born Gerald and Katherine Farthing in Trinidad.  Each had released solo records in the sixties, but "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" was their first collaborative effort.  

The siblings released another half-dozen or so singles that sold well on the continent.  For some reason, they were particularly popular in Belgium and the Netherlands.  (Do people still call Belgium and the Netherlands the "Low Countries"?  That's what we used to call them when I was in high school.)

Mac and Katie Sissoon
had some fabulous outfits

Both subsequently worked as backup singers.  Katie has toured with a number of very famous recording artists -- including Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Elton John, George Harrison, and the Pet Shop Boys.

There have been a number of pop-music brother duos and sister duos, but relatively few brother-and-sister duos.  The Carpenters (Karen and Richard) were probably the most successful of the bunch.  

You're probably asking yourself why 2 or 3 lines is featuring this song today.  Good question!

I'm sure all of you have been stood up at one time or another.

Maybe a blind date stood you up.  You felt rejected, I bet -- it reminded you of all the other times you had been rejected by a boy or girl you liked.

Or maybe your parents got their signals crossed and no one was there to pick you up after your piano lesson or baseball practice.  You were sad, weren't you?  You may have even cried a little because you were scared, although I bet you tried to be brave and act like you weren't worried.

Well, today I got stood up.  I had planned to write about an entirely different song today -- in fact, I had made quite elaborate plans for today's 2 or 3 lines.  But those plans depended almost entirely on another person, and that person let me down.

I originally wrote quite a nice little rant about the person who didn't deliver on her promise -- I worked myself into a regular state of high dudgeon.

But then I remembered the words that a fellow basketball referee said to the coach of a 6th-grade travel team who had gotten himself thrown out of a game in the first quarter.  (I could give you a lengthy and technical dissertation concerning the events that led to the coach's ejection, but instead I'll give you the simple explanation: He would not keep his f*cking mouth shut!)

"Let it go, coach," my partner said to him.  "Just let it go."

I decided to take that advice.  So instead of going off on a rant, working myself into a state of high dudgeon, and ripping the malfeasor a new one, I'm just going to let it go.

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend -- right?  And it's not like this person hasn't done me a lot of favors in the past.    

Anyway, I always have a few songs like "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" stashed away for a rainy day.  So no harm, no foul.  Forgive and forget.

Here's Mac and Katie Kissoon's "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep." 

Click below to buy the song from Amazon: