Lyr Req: Big Name Button (The Royal Teens, 1958)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button (The Royal Teens, 1958)
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 21 Jul 16 - 02:00 AM

Didn't the Royal Teens also have the hit song Short Shorts ?

Subject: Lyr Add: BIG NAME BUTTON (The Royal Teens, 1958)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Oct 14 - 07:29 PM

Here's how I hear it, via Spotify:


BIG NAME BUTTON        
As sung by The Royal Teens on "'50s & '60s Lost & Found Records, Vol. 1"

Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, 'cause if you don't then—)
You're a square and you're really nowhere.

Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, 'cause if you don't then—)
You're a flub and you aren't in the club.

If your name is Bobby, how do we know it?
If your name is Stevie,* why don't you show it?
When you have no button, oh, what a shame!
How in the heck will anybody know your name?

Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, you've got to wear a—)
Big name button (ah-ah, 'cause if you don't then—)
You're a square and you're really nowhere.

[* "Stevie" is highly doubtful. All I'm sure of are the vowels. It could be Edie, or Deedee (nickname for Diana), or Mimi, or maybe a dozen other things.

[I'm also doubtful about "'cause if you don't then—". There might be another syllable after "then" but I don't know what it is.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button (The Royal Teens, 1958)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Oct 14 - 07:24 PM

Pictures of actual Big Name Buttons are surprisingly hard to find on the Internet.

Here's one at a class reunion, class of 1964, 45th reunion, held in 2009. (They should have had their 50th this year, but it looks like they haven't posted pictures yet.)

It looks like she has 2 buttons, one in red, as described above, bearing her own name "Sherry" and another in blue, showing the name of her school, "Somerset" [Massachusetts].

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button (The Royal Teens, 1958)
From: GUEST,Dan Hughes
Date: 05 Oct 14 - 12:08 PM

If anyone is still looking for this song or its lyrics, it's on YouTube now.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button (The Royal Teens, 1958)
From: GUEST,Tusitala Elaine
Date: 28 Oct 10 - 03:28 PM

the buttons, I think, stemmed from the buttons required during the filming of Dick Clark's Sat. night stage show filmed at The Little Theatre in NYC. His buttons said, "IFIC" and referred to flavor-ific Beech Nut Gum, his sponsor. My best friend and I were lucky enuf to be in the tiny audience of the Little Theatre during the 1st week of August, 1959. During those two shows we say Bill Haley and the Comets, Jimmy Clanton, LuAnn Simms (who cares?) Lou Monte (ditto) and Freddy Cannon, among others. We chewed like cows for the cameras and wore our button proudly. Later, walking in Times Square, the buttons were recognized and we enjoyed the attention. I later bought an Elaine Big Name button and wore it at home. Ahhhh....the late 50's.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: Cool Beans
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 04:30 PM

I remember 'em.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: GUEST,Arzani
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 01:02 PM

Does anyone remember the actual big name button? We wore them in high school. They were about 3" in diameter, and were red and white, they had a band of red at the top and the bottom, and I think the name would be in red. You bought them in a store, with your name already on it. And it was really cool to wear them. I can't find anyone else who remembers. I'll have to contact my old high school buddies.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: bydand
Date: 27 Oct 00 - 06:36 PM

I could have sworn "Edie" was in there somewhere.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: GUEST,Eddie
Date: 26 Oct 00 - 01:53 PM

I want to thank you all for helping me find so much more than I could have on my own. As I understand all of this (and to try my hand at properly setting us the verses) The song goes something like: Big Name Button --
You've got to wear a Big Name Button
You've got to wear a Big Name Button
You've got to wear it, too
You're a square, and you're really nowhere
If your name is Bobby, how will we know it?
If your name is Edie, why don't you show it?
If you don't wear a button, oh what a shame.
How in the heck will anybody know your name?
Edie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: GUEST,Marty Kohn
Date: 25 Oct 00 - 04:05 PM

The Bible* says Al Kooper was a member of the Royal Teens in 1959 and that one of the founding Royal Teens, Bob Gaudio, went on to form the Four Sesons with Frankie Valli et al. Both groups were from New Jersey, the Royal Teens from Fort Lee and the Four Seasons from Newark.

* The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, an invaluable reference work

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: L R Mole
Date: 25 Oct 00 - 09:50 AM

I could swear The Royal Teens was Al Kooper's first band.He was twelve years old or something. Somebody in Boston call him up; I think he teaches at Berklee now. (That's Al, not Alice).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: Cool Beans
Date: 25 Oct 00 - 09:05 AM

The rest of the lyric, after "If you name is Bobby..." If you have no button, oh what a shame How in the heck will anybody know your name?

The rest of the information provided so far is correct, as far as I can recall, but I don't remember Edie as one of the names mentioned. The Royal Teens were best known for the immortal "Short Shorts," aka "Who Wears Short Shorts?" whose lyrics were even more inane but nonetheless unforgettable.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: GUEST,Eddie
Date: 24 Oct 00 - 05:07 PM

Alex, you have put me on the right track. I can purchase the CD for them, if it is in stock. Also, found a lot of great oldies like Joe Dowells "Wooden Heart". Also, LR Mole, thank you for the words to the chorus. Eddie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: mousethief
Date: 24 Oct 00 - 12:59 PM

Well, my research has discovered that this song was released by a doo-wop group called The Royal Teens (clicky) in 1958. It is available on at least one CD collection of non-hit "oldies" songs on the Mavis label called "Look What I Found Volume 2" (clicky).

But I have been unable to find the lyrics.

Alex
O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Oct 00 - 11:35 AM

Don't fire your neurons, they're doing the best job they can!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Name Button
From: L R Mole
Date: 24 Oct 00 - 11:33 AM

Big name button--you've got to wear a big name button, You've got to wear a big name button You've got to wear it, too (You're a square, and you're really nowhere) That's all I can recall now. More neurons fire hourly, though.

Subject: Big Name Button
From: GUEST,Eddie
Date: 23 Oct 00 - 07:06 PM

Back in the mid-50's, there was a song called "Big Name Button". What was so special was that my sister, Edie, was dating a boy named Bobby, whom she later married. She was crazy about this song because one of the verses went something like: "If you name is Bobby, how do we know it; if you name is Edie, why don't you show it". I'd like to find the lyrics and send it to her, but so far none of the likns I have mention it.