A hit song could generate many different versions: pop and instrumental, polka, blues, hillbilly and others by a variety of artists.

[3] The American doo wop group, The Cadets, were the first to cover the Jay Hawks' hit, with the Gadabouts not far behind.

16 on the Best Selling Popular Retail Records Chart the same week the Jay Hawks' version reached No.

The Cadets version features spoken verses by Will "Dub" Jones (who would go on to sing bass on most of The Coasters' hits) with a duet refrain by Willie Davis and Aaron Collins.

A biography on the life of their drummer Jerry Nolan by Curt Weiss is entitled Stranded in the Jungle.

In 1998 the Los Angeles-based punk-rock combo Voodoo Glow Skulls covered the song but with a much faster and harder tempo.

It was covered by Frank Zappa during the North American leg of his 1976 tour, and released posthumously in 2009 on the album Philly '76.