Editing Mashed Potato (dance)

{{Short description|Popular dance craze of 1962}}
{{about|the dance|the food|Mashed potato|other uses|Mashed potato (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox dance
| name             = Mashed Potato
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| etymology        = 
| image            = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| genre            = 
| signature        = 
| instruments      = 
| inventor         = [[James Brown]]
| year             = 1962
| origin           = 
}}

The '''Mashed Potato''' is a dance move which was a popular [[dance craze]] of 1962. The dance move and mashed potato song were first made famous by [[James Brown]] in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly. It was also a dance done to songs such as [[Dee Dee Sharp]]'s "[[Mashed Potato Time]]". The move vaguely resembles that of the [[twist (dance)|twist]], by Sharp's fellow [[Philadelphia]]n [[Chubby Checker]]. The dance was first popularized internationally after being named in the lyrics of Motown's first mega-hit in the song "[[Do You Love Me]]" written by [[Berry Gordy Jr.]] and performed by [[The Contours]] in 1962.

==Dance movement==
The dance move begins by stepping backward with one foot with that heel tilted inward. The foot is positioned slightly behind the other (stationary) foot. With the weight on the ball of the starting foot, the heel is then swiveled outward. The same process is repeated with the other foot: step back and behind with heel inward, pivot heel out, and so on. The pattern is continued for as many repetitions as desired. The step may be incorporated in various dances either as a separate routine or as a styling of standard steps.

==Songs==
Several songs inspired by the dance were hits, including "[[(Do the) Mashed Potatoes]]" by Nat Kendrick and the Swans (with vocals by [[King Coleman]]), "[[Mashed Potatoes U.S.A.]]" by [[James Brown]], and "[[Mashed Potato Time]]" and "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)", both by [[Dee Dee Sharp]].
In [[Australia]] the dance underwent a revival with [[Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs]]' version of "Mashed Potato" in 1964 and in France a song called "C'est le mashed potatoes" was performed by Johnny Hallyday in the early 1960s.

==Dance variations and cultural references==
The dance was also referred to in [[Connie Francis]]' 1962 hit "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" ("...we'll ''Mashed Potato'' to a jukebox tune..."), "[[Do You Love Me]]" by [[the Contours]], "[[Let's Dance (Chris Montez song)|Let's Dance]]" by [[Chris Montez]], "[[Harry the Hairy Ape]]" a 1963 Top-20 pop and R&B novelty hit by [[Ray Stevens]], "[[Land of a Thousand Dances]]", "[[Having a Party (Sam Cooke song)|Having a Party]]" by [[Sam Cooke]], "[[Do the Strand]]" by [[Roxy Music]] and in [[Ray Charles]]' version of "[[Shake a Tail Feather]]".
The dance is also referenced in [[The Orlons]] song "Wah Watusi". (1962)

A variation on the Mashed Potato was danced to [[Bobby "Boris" Pickett]]'s novelty hit "[[Monster Mash]]", in which the footwork was the same, but "monster gestures" were made with the arms and hands.

The dance was one of the inspirations for the [[Exodus (American band)|Exodus]] song "[[The Toxic Waltz (song)|The Toxic Waltz]]", from their 1989 album ''[[Fabulous Disaster]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/steve_zetro_souza_of_exodus_and_hatriot/|title=Steve "Zetro" Souza of Exodus and Hatriot|publisher=Songfacts.com|date=June 19, 2014|accessdate=September 19, 2015}}</ref>

{{Portal|1960s}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050812085006/http://www.southerncountrysouthflorida.org/stepdefinitions.php Dance Step Definitions]

[[Category:Novelty and fad dances]]
[[Category:20th-century dance]]
[[Category:Dances of the United States]]