Talk:Charlie Brown (The Coasters song)

Peanuts

Leiber and Stoller wrote this song in 1959, well before Peanuts had reached its peak of cultural infusion, so there's little reason to suspect a connection between the strip and the song, especially considering the nature of the behavior ascribed to the character in the song. At no time in the development of "Peanuts" would Charlie Brown "walk in the classroom cool and slow" and call the English teacher "Daddy-O". L&S are describing the behavior of a high-school cut-up and wanna-be hipster, which in no way connects to the Peanuts character. It's possible, of course, that they ripped off the name from the strip, but absent some evidence of this, even tentatively suggesting a connection isn't worthwhile. Ed Fitzgerald (unfutz) (talk/cont) 21:38, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Ed, I've taken the liberty of removing that tentative reference. I can state for a fact, as VP of Leiber/Stoller Productions, that Leiber & Stoller were not referencing the Peanuts character. Pstoller (talk) 04:07, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

In 1959, Peanuts was the number one strip in the country.It couldn't have been otherwiseEricl (talk) 14:36, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

It could have been and was otherwise, according to the songwriters, and I should think they'd know. Also, as Ed points out above, if you read the lyrics and compare the characterization of the Charlie Brown character in the song to the one portrayed in the Peanuts strip, it's pretty clear that they have nothing to do with each other. Pstoller (talk) 22:17, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

Like I said Peanuts was the number one strip in American in 1959. Leiber and Stoller would have been familiar with the NAME, everyone who was into popular culture knew the name Charlie Brown. At least the NAME was ripped off and every kid in the 1960s pretty much thought that it was referencing you know whoEricl (talk) 00:18, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

The popularity of Peanuts is factual. The assertions that the name "Charlie Brown" was "ripped off" and of what "every kid in the 1960s pretty much thought" are not. You're entitled to believe what you wish, but that has no bearing on the content of the article. Pstoller (talk) 04:18, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

It is certainly quite possible for other creative minds to come up with the name Charlie Brown (as witness this poem Drunken Charlie Brown from 1871), much as Schulz was using a dog named Snoopy when there were at least two books out with a dog named Snoopy in the title. If this is to be mentioned in the article at all, it should have good source... and a source quoting Lieber or Stoller denying the link would be a great one, if we have it. --Nat Gertler (talk) 16:01, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

I've added Jerry Leiber's account of how the song was written. It describes arriving at the name of the character as the end-product of a week of brainstorming rather than being inspired by any outside source. Pstoller (talk) 04:05, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Other

"...the first of three top-ten hits that year." Is unclear. First of three for whom? The Coasters? L&S? As worded it sounds like there were only three all year, and that can't be right.

130.85.194.43 (talk) 20:29, 15 December 2009 (UTC) passerby