A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)

"A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)"
Single by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton
from the album The Two of Us
B-side"I Believe"
ReleasedMay 1960
RecordedMarch 1960
GenreSoul
Length2:25
LabelMercury Records: 671629
Songwriter(s)Brook Benton, Clyde Otis
Luchi de Jesus
Producer(s)Clyde Otis
Dinah Washington and Brook Benton singles chronology
"Baby (You've Got What It Takes)"
(1960) 		"A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)"
(1960) 		"This Bitter Earth"
(1960)
Official audio
"A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)" on YouTube

"A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)" is a song first recorded in 1958 by Priscilla Bowman, on the Abner Records label (ABNER DJ 1018).[1] Bowman was given vocal backing by The Spaniels.[2]

Dinah Washington and Brook Benton version

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In 1960 the song was recorded as a pop and R&B duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. The single was the second pairing for the singers and, like their first single together, it went to number 1 on the R&B chart and was a top ten pop single as well.[3]

The song was written by Benton, Clyde Otis and Luchi de Jesus.[4] The single, with the song title styled "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall I Love)", included orchestra arranged and conducted by Belford Hendricks.[5]

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1960) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 28
Canada (CHUM)[7] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 7
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[10] 5

Year-end charts

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Chart (1960) Position
US Billboard Top 100[11] 75
US Cash Box Top 100[11] 44

Shakin' Stevens and Bonnie Tyler version

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"A Rockin' Good Way"
Single by Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler
from the album The Bop Won't Stop
B-side"Why Do You Treat Me This Way?"
Released30 December 1983 (1983-12-30)
Recorded1983
StudioEden Studios, London
Genre
Length2:55
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
  • Brook Benton
  • Clyde Otis
  • Luchi DeJesus
Producer(s)Christopher Neil
Shakin' Stevens singles chronology
"Cry Just a Little Bit"
(1983) 		"A Rockin' Good Way"
(1983) 		"A Love Worth Waiting For"
(1984)
Bonnie Tyler singles chronology
"Take Me Back"
(1983) 		"A Rockin' Good Way"
(1983) 		"Holding Out for a Hero"
(1984)
Official video
"A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)" on YouTube

A duet by Welsh singers Shakin' Stevens and Bonnie Tyler was released on 30 December 1983 and made number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in Ireland.[12][13] It was included on Stevens' 1984 album The Bop Won't Stop. The B-side was a live recording by Stevens' of "Why Do You Treat Me This Way?" at the Birmingham Odeon.

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Weekly chart performance for "A Rockin' Good Way"
Charts (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] 21
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 8
Norway (VG-lista)[20] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 5
West Germany (GfK)[23] 22

Year-end charts

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1984 year-end chart performance for "A Rockin' Good Way"
Chart (1984) Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 60
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 33

References

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  1. ^ Cohodas, Nadine (18 December 2007). Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 341. ISBN 978-0307427380.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 54.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 612.
  4. ^ "BMI entry for the song". Archive.today. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  5. ^ Warren, Stanley (2004). "Belford C. "Sinky" Hendricks: A Musician's Musician". Indiana Magazine of History. 100 (2): 193. Retrieved Jun 26, 2025.
  6. ^ "Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1960". Top100singles.net.
  7. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade, week of June 13, 1960" (JPG). Chumtribute.com. 13 June 1960. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Dinah Washington Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Dinah Washington Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending July 9, 1960". Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  11. ^ a b "Song artist 615 - Dina Washington". Tsort.info. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Shakin Stevens: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  13. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Rockin' Good Way". Irish Singles Chart.
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  18. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way". Top 40 Singles.
  20. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way". VG-lista.
  21. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way". Singles Top 100.
  22. ^ "Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way". Swiss Singles Chart.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  24. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1984". Ultratop. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1984". Official NZ Music Charts.com. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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