SOCK HOP chapter II

The sock hop was an informal sponsored dance at American high schools, typically held in the high school's own gym or cafeteria. The term sock hop came about because dancers were required to remove their hard-soled shoes to protect the varnished floor of the gymnasium. These hops were a cultural feature of the 1950s and early rock and roll. The music was usually records, sometimes presented by a disc jockey. Occasionally there were also live bands. Danny and the Juniors sang "At the Hop" in 1957 which named many popular dances and otherwise documented what happened at a hop. The term record hop is generally synonymous with sock hop.

So a sock hop is a dance, often held for teens, that first became popular in the 1950s, when the term was coined. Since dances were often held in school gymnasiums, dancers would often kick of their shoes and dance in their socks or stockings to avoid marking up gym floors and to get better slide in dances like the Twist, the Mashed Potato, and others. Dances held might simply be referred to as sock hops, since the practice was so common.

Several 1950s songs mention this type of dance. Little Richard’s tune Ready Teddy talks about the “sock hop ball,” for example. The most specific reference is the very popular 1958 Danny and the Juniors song At the Hop, describing the regular sock hop scene. Many movies depict these dances as well, most particularly the 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti.

Ready Teddy lyrics

Ready, set, go man go

I got a girl that I love so

Little Richard

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

Going to the corner, pick up my sweetie pie

She's my rock 'n' roll, baby, she's the apple of my eye

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

All the flat top cats and all the dungaree dolls

Are headed for the gym to the sock hop ball

The joint is really jumpin', the cats are going wild

The music really sends me, I dig that crazy style

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

Going to the corner, pick up my sweetie pie

She's my rock 'n' roll, baby, she's the apple of my eye

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

All the flat top cats and all the dungaree dolls

Are headed for the gym to the sock hop ball

The joint is really jumpin', the cats are going wild

The music really sends me, I dig that crazy style

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

Gonna kick off my shoes, roll up my faded jeans

Grab my rock 'n' roll, baby, pour on the steam

I shuffle to the left, I shuffle to the right

Gonna rock 'n' roll to the early, early night

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready Teddy

I'm ready, ready, ready to rock 'n' roll

  

In subsequent decades, with the widespread popularity of sneakers and other types of indoors-only shoes, the practice of removing shoes was dropped and the term began to be applied more generally to any informal high school dance. The term caught on in England in the late 1970s during a British rockabilly revival, led by groups like The Stray Cats. Life Begins at the Hop, a song celebrating 'sock hops' became the first charting single for XTC.

What differentiates a sock hop from other dances for teens is that they are informal. They are different from homecoming dances or proms because they’re less dressy and more common events. Dancers didn’t necessarily attend with a partner, unless they were dating someone, and instead they showed up to dance to either live or recorded music. The dance didn’t even have to be held in evening hours, but could instead be held as an afternoon, early evening, or after school event.