Co-Writer of "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" not dead after all

By Keith Phipps  |  September 28, 2006 | 12:41am
Aux Features Newswire

Fans of novelty music were saddened to learn of the death of Charles Vance, co-writer of novelty hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" earlier this week only it wasn't that Charles Vance after all. An article on CNN.com has the details. It seems that it was somebody named Paul Van Valkenburgh who died. He spent his life claiming to have co-written the song, saying he received no money from it because he sold the rights away as a young man.

Sad, and untrue. And the real Vance has the checks to prove it:

The living Paul Vance estimated he has made several million dollars from the song, which was recorded by 16-year-old teen idol Brian Hyland, surged to No. 1 on the Billboard charts in August 1960 and has been a pop culture staple ever since. [. . .] "It's a money machine," Vance said.

 
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