is a debut single by American rock and roll band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers that was released on January 10, 1956.

[4][5] Many renditions of the song by other artists have also been hit records in the U.S., including versions by the Diamonds (in 1956), the Beach Boys (in 1964), and Diana Ross (in 1981).

Herman Santiago, tenor of the group, had written the song based on a line from some love letters given to the guys by a tenant in bassist Sherman Garnes' apartment building.

One of them featured the words "Why do birds sing so gay?," which fit in with lyrics of other songs that Herman had been writing based on a 1-6-2-5 chord pattern.

[10] After a lengthy court battle, songwriting credits were awarded to original Teenagers members Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant in December 1992.

In 2009, a new stereo mix was created with a newly discovered intro, due to the discovery of the original multitrack masters by Jon Stebbins and is featured on the band's compilation Summer Love Songs.

[16] The Beach Boys Additional musicians American singer Diana Ross released a cover version on the RCA label on September 25, 1981, as the first single from her album of the same name (1981).

7 on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart,[18] and earning her a British Phonographic Industry silver disc award for sales in excess of 250,000 copies.

Disputes regarding the original recording's copyright and ownership of royalties emerged in the decades following Lymon's death, with cases lasting until the 1990s.

The recording by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers is featured in the 1973 film American Graffiti, in a scene where Richard Dreyfuss's character first notices a mysterious blonde girl; as well as the 1999 film October Sky, it is featured when Jake Gyllenhaal's character Homer Hickam and his friends are spending the night out at the dance club.