The "Mess Around" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder and then-vice-president of Atlantic Records,[1] under the pseudonym of A. Nugetre,[2] or "Nuggy".
Ertegun claimed his inspiration for writing "Mess Around" was stride pianist Pete Johnson.
Dr. John also spoke about the origin of this tune on his Dr John Teaches New Orleans Piano series of DVDs.
[citation needed] The song's lyrics urge listeners to dance ("everybody do the Mess Around"), along with a few other key phrases, notably "see that girl with the red dress on", harkening back to "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie", Pinetop Smith's early boogie-woogie classic.
"Mess Around" became a big R&B charted hit when released as a single in early 1953.