Critics argue that so-called “novelty” hits are soon forgotten by serious music fans, but a select few are very fondly remembered. Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” for example, is now a Halloween perennial, while David Seville & The Chipmunks’ “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” went on to win three Grammy Awards. And who can forget Patti Page’s “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window”? The inimitable U.S. chart-topper that has seduced generations of canine lovers.
Indeed, it’s fair to say that Page’s evergreen 1953 hit remains one of the most cherished of all novelty hits. Written by the versatile U.S. composer Bob Merrill, the jaunty “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window” was recorded by Page in December 1952 and a month later it topped both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in the U.S., going on to sell over two million copies. Incredibly, it even became so popular with dog lovers that the American Kennel Club’s annual registrations jumped by an enormous 8% following the song’s release.
So how did “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window” achieve success on such a stellar scale in the first place? Hindsight suggests that several factors aligned to ensure the song connected with an adoring mainstream audience. Firstly, its writer Bob Merrill had already penned a multi-million-selling novelty hit courtesy of Eileen Barton’s “If I’d Known You Were Coming I’d’ve Baked A Cake” in 1950 and understood what writing such a song entailed. Additionally, vocalist Patti Page was already a star with huge, chart-topping hits such as “With My Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming” and “Tennessee Waltz” to her name and finally…well, a heartstring-tugging ode about a girl wanting to buy her sweetheart a puppy before he left for California was always likely to appeal to a nation of devoted dog lovers, wasn’t it?
Yet the sentiments expressed in “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window” also found favor on the other side of the Atlantic. The success of Page’s original led to Liverpool-born singer Lita Roza recording a cover of the song and taking it to the top of the British charts in April 1953: another significant milestone as it marked the first time a British female singer achieved a No. 1 hit on the U.K. Singles chart.
In fact, it now seems impossible to imagine the world without “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window.” It may be a novelty song but it still makes its presence felt in the 21st Century, having gone on to attract several (mostly) affectionate parodies and established itself as a popular children’s song. It would be wrong to suggest it defined Patti Page, for she enjoyed numerous No.1 hits and eventually sold over 100 million records, yet the versatile Oklahoman singer (who died in January 2013) was always happy to acknowledge the important role “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window” played in her career.
“It was a charming little song,” Page told Entertainment Weekly in 1991. “Up to that time, it was mostly teens buying records, but this one spanned all age groups. It’s still the song I’m most known for.”
