Ding Dang (song)

Wilson spent years working on different recordings of "Ding Dang", and, at one point, had it earmarked for singer Annette Funicello.

"Ding Dang" is a short song, consisting of a single verse and chorus, that Wilson had written with the Byrds' Roger McGuinn in the early 1970s.

[2][4] Al Jardine surmised that Wilson's longtime obsession with the folk standard "Shortenin' Bread" may have originated from this impromptu writing session for "Ding Dang".

[6] Music journalist Brian Chidester reported that "the basic 1-to-4-up bassline [...] seems to have endlessly percolated in Wilson’s head throughout 1974-75 on versions of 'Ding Dang' and 'Short'nin Bread' too numerous to count.

In July 1975, NME journalist Nick Kent wrote, "Carl Wilson was able to give me some actual titles to new Brian Wilson songs recorded for the next Warner/Reprise album", one of which included "a track entitled 'Rollin’ Up to Heaven' which had originally been called 'Ding Dang' – a number that Brian had wanted Annette Funicello to record.

[10] Biographer Peter Ames Carlin characterized it as "a funky rock 'n' roll song with blazing guitar from Carl, in-the-pocket drums from Dennis, and full group vocals chanting a rudimentary but instantly memorable chorus of: 'Alley-oop—fuck her!

"[10] In a 1976 interview with the group, members of the band began reciting a background part, "Mow mama yama holly hallelujah".

[13] Andrew Sandoval, an archivist for the Monkees, reported that Micky Dolenz possessed a recording of "Clangin'" that featured some participation from Harry Nilsson.