"L.O.V.E" - Examples Of Some African American Girls Foot Stomping Cheers From The 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s

LittleJerryFan92, Jul 11, 2007
-snip-
 Unfortunately, I haven't found any YouTube videos of "L.O.V. E" foot stomping cheers (or YouTube videos of hardly any other foot stomping cheers).

This clip from the Sesame Street children's television series was created to showcase the letter "k".  I'm showcasing it in this post because the tune for the "kah kah kah k" chorus of this song is exactly the same tune as the "L-O-V-E" foot stomping cheer. The tempo of this Sesame Street chant is talso he same as the "L.O.V.E." cheer. However, the words and the wide hand clapping are different from the foot stomping cheer movements that were done by some African American girls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the mid 1980s. Those movements are described in this pancocojams post.

****

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision including title change: Feb. 29, 2024

This pancocojams post showcases a Sesame Street clip of young girls performing analphabet letter song that has the same or very similar tune and beat as the 1980s/1990s foot stomping cheer "L.O.V.E".

This post documents several text (word only) examples of the "L.O.V.E." cheer from various United States cities. This post also provides information about how that cheer was performed by some girls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s. 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of this cheer and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who were associated with the Sesame Street clip that is included in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for Part I of a five part pancocojams series entitled "Pancocojams Compilation Of Foot Stomping Cheers (Alphabetical List) for more word only examples of foot stomping cheers.

****
EXAMPLES OF "L.O.V. E" FOOT STOMPING CHEERS

These are the only examples of this cheer that I have directly collected or that I have found online.

If  you know this cheer, and/or other foot stomping cheers from the 1980s, 1990s, and on, please share that example or examples in the comment section below. Thanks!

Numbers for these examples have been assigned for referencing purposes only.

L.O.V.E. (Version #1)

All: L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V-E. [clap
L-O-V.
L-O-V.
L-O-V-E.[clap]

Soloist #1: Well, Kayla’s my name. [clap]
And love is my game.[clap]
I got this boy on my mind [clap].
And Lord knows he’s fine. [clap]
He calls me his girl. [clap]
His number 1 girl.[clap]
I don’t know his sign, [clap]
But Taurus is mine. [clap]

All: L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V-E. [clap]
L-O-V. 
L-O-V. 
L-O-V-E. [clap]

Soloist #2: Tamika's my name. [clap]
And love is my game. [clap]
I got this boy on my mind. [clap]
And Lord knows he’s fine. [clap]
I got his name on my shirt. [clap]
And don't call it dirt.[clap]
Don’t you worry bout my lover. [clap]
Cause there is no other. [clap]

(Return to beginning and repeat with a new soloist. That soloist repeats the same verses or similar verses. This pattern continues until everyone in the group has had one turn as the soloist with this cheer.)
-T.M.P.(African American female; remembrance of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s; performed by African American girls ages around 8-12 years old; Collected by Azizi Powell, 2/1996 although I had observed it performed in the 1980s.
-snip-
The movement routine for "L.O.V.E" differs from the other foot stomping cheers that my daughter Tazi M. (Powell) Hughes (given here as "T.M.P.") and her friends showed me. 

My daughter wrote down these performance instructions for me on October 28, 2018 and then reminded me how she did those movements:

[Girls stood in a half circle facing their (usually pretend) audience. While chanting, the girls would move this way. ] 

1.Right leg stomp forward - for the letter "L"

2. Jump open with both legs - "O"

3. Jump close with both legs -"V"

4. Right leg stomp forward" - "E"

Then clap your hands one time. 

Continue this pattern for the entire cheer.

****

L-O-V-E (Version #2)
I am a 25 year old African American woman from Eastern North Carolina.
The section on the chant L-O-V-E caught my attention we used to do this
when I was younger. We would stand in a circle and we would clap our hands and stomp our feet sort of tapping out the words L- O-V-E.

Group: L-O-V-E, L-O-V-E, L-O-V, L-O-V, L-O-V-E
First Person: Erica's my name love is my game I got this boy on my mind
he's looking real fine he calls me his girl his number one pearl

Then you move on to the next person and they repeat the same thing
only with their name in place.
-name and posting date not known (I accidentally deleted this information when I retrieved this example from my no longer available cocojams website.)
-snip-
Notice the commenter's reference to "tapping out the words L-O-V-E". It's interesting to note that the girls in that Sesame Street "Letter K chant" tapped their feet when they sung the chorus to that chant.

****
L. O.V.E (Version #3)
on da playground*-

L.O.V.E. L.O.V.E. L.O.V L.O.V. L.O.V.E
Well Terrie's my name
and Love is my game
I got da boys on my mind
Most of da time
Capricorn's My Sign
Say Wha?
Capricorn's My Sign
Say Wha?
Capricorn, Capricorn
Capricorn's My sign!
- Geechie Gurl; http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=118895016491
“When I be a gal in da Ya'd! Memba Dese..Just a few of em”’ August 26, 2009

****
L.O.V.E. (fragement) (#4)
Love these!! Anybody remember one that goes "L-O-V-E love L-O-V-E love, ...is my name, ...is my game, something something! Lmao, I can't remember the rest man, it used to be some footwork with it though!
-KaLa Roberts,2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEcsIfe6lU&t=387s&ab_channel=Geneas 90s Hand Games [comment]

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.