About The Song
“The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” is a pop song written by Rudy Clark and first recorded by Merry Clayton in 1963 as a single for Capitol Records, which failed to chart. Betty Everett’s cover, released in March 1964 by Vee-Jay Records, became the definitive version, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 23, 1964, and hitting No. 1 on the Cash Box R&B Singles chart for three weeks. It also reached No. 45 on the UK Singles Chart and spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was not part of an album at release but later appeared on Everett’s 1964 LP It’s in His Kiss, which compiled her singles and covers like “Hound Dog.” The track’s success, driven by its catchy “shoop shoop” backing vocals by The Opals and a xylophone riff, marked Everett’s biggest hit.
Everett, a Chicago-based R&B singer and pianist, recorded the song at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, produced by Calvin Carter, Vee-Jay’s A&R head. Carter, who also produced Gene Chandler’s “Duke of Earl,” pushed Everett to cover it after her 1963 hit “You’re No Good” reached No. 51. She initially resisted, calling the song “puerile” and “dumb,” per a 1991 Chicago Reader interview, but relented after Carter’s insistence. The session featured Maurice White (later of Earth, Wind & Fire) on drums and Eddie Harris on sax, with Everett’s soulful delivery elevating Clark’s playful lyrics about discerning true love through a kiss. The song’s arrangement, crafted by Raynard Miner, leaned on a Motown-inspired pop-soul groove.
Rudy Clark, a New York songwriter known for “Good Lovin’” and “If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody,” wrote it for Clayton, a gospel-turned-secular singer who later sang on The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Her version, arranged by Jack Nitzsche, was upbeat but lacked promotion. Ramona King’s 1964 cover for Warner Bros. also flopped. Everett’s success came amid Vee-Jay’s financial struggles; the label, unable to pay royalties, collapsed in 1966. The song’s chart run overlapped with The Beatles’ US invasion, limiting its pop crossover but not its R&B dominance. It was recorded during Everett’s peak, before label disputes and a 1965 move to ABC Records stalled her career.
The song’s legacy grew through covers: Linda Lewis hit No. 6 in the UK in 1975, Kate Taylor reached No. 49 in the US in 1977, and Cher’s 1990 version for Mermaids topped the UK chart. Linda Ronstadt performed it live, including on The Muppet Show in 1980. Its hook inspired Whitney Houston’s 1995 “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” and Salt-N-Pepa’s 1993 “Shoop.” Everett, who disliked the song, rarely performed it live but sang it at a 1980 ChicagoFest revival. The track’s cultural footprint includes its use in a 1964 Shindig! performance and references in Billboard as a “girl group classic.”
Video
Lyric
Does he love me? I wanna know
How can I tell if he loves me so?
(Is it in his eyes?) Oh, no, you’ll be deceived
(Is it in his sighs?) Oh, no, he’ll make believe
If you wanna know if he loves you so
It’s in his kiss (That’s where it is, oh yeah)(Or is it in his face?) Oh, no, that’s just his charms
(In his warm embrace?) Oh, no, that’s just his arms
If you wanna know if he loves you so
It’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)
Oh, it’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)Whoa, hug him and squeeze him tight
Find out what you wanna know
If it’s love, if it really is
It’s there in his kiss(How ’bout the way he acts?) Oh, no, that’s not the way
You’re not listenin’ to all I say
If you wanna know if he loves you so
It’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)
Oh, it’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)Whoa, hug him and squeeze him tight
Find out what you wanna know
If it’s love, if it really is
It’s there in his kiss(How ’bout the way he acts?) Oh, no, that’s not the way
You’re not listenin’ to all I say
If you wanna know if he loves you so
It’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)
Oh, it’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)
Oh, yeah, it’s in his kiss (That’s where it is)