Garage Rock

We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Songwriter Ron Blackwell developed a more adult reading of the song in 1966 for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, who were coming off their monster hit “Wooly Bully.” Blackwell used the term “wolf” to refer to a man with…needs. It’s all in good fun, though, and the record is a classic comic novelty song.

The record begins with a lupine howl and a gritty, spoken voice intoning “Who’s that I see walkin’ in these woods? Why it’s Little Red Riding Hood”. In this good-natured pickup song, Sam constantly tries to prove his good intentions but seems to have a hard time suppressing his wolf-howl. As an aside to the audience, he mentions that he is wearing a “sheep suit” and goes into the record’s fade-out with a couple of unconvincing “baaah’s.”

“Li’l Red Riding Hood” was Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs’ second top-10 hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966 and #2 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 11, 1966. It figures prominently in the 1993 Bruce Willis film Striking Distance and is featured in the 2005 film Wild Country. The song was used in a 2012 Volvo commercial as well as the TV show Grimm in 2014.

Here are the lyrics to “Li’l Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs:

Owwwwwww
Who’s that I see walkin’ in these woods?
Why, it’s Lil’ Red Riding Hood.

Hey there, Lil’ Red Riding Hood
You sure are looking good
You’re everything a big bad wolf could want.

Listen to me
Lil’ Red Riding Hood
I don’t think little big girls should
Go walking in these spooky old woods alone.

What big eyes you have
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad.
So just to see that you don’t get chased
I think I ought to walk with you for a ways.

What full lips you have
They’re sure to lure someone bad.
So until you get to grandma’s place
I think you ought to walk with me and be safe.

I’m gonna keep my sheep suit on
Until I’m sure that you’ve been shown
That I can be trusted walking with you alone.

Lil’ Red Riding Hood
I’d like to hold you if I could
But you might think I’m a big bad wolf so I won’t.

What a big heart I have
The better to love you with.
Lil’ Red Riding Hood
Even bad wolves can be good.

I’ll try to be satisfied
Just to walk close by your side.
Maybe you’ll see things my way
Before we get to grandma’s place.

Lil’ Red Riding Hood
You sure are looking good
You’re everything that a big bad wolf could want.

Owwwwwwww
( I mean baa, baa.)

For another song by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs: “Wooly Bully.”

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Li’l Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs.