The Origin Of The "Boom Chicka Boom" Children's Camp Song (With Three YouTube Videos Of That Song)

TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

Mar 30, 2018  #thelearningstation #actionsongs #brainbreaks

" “Boom Chicka Boom” Popular Action Songs for Kids, Brain Breaks Song for Kids and Camp Song for Kids: #1 Best kids songs for children! “Boom Chicka Boom” is on the CD, "#1 Best Kid's Songs!”."...  

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series on the American children's camp song "Boom Chicka Boom" (also known as "I Said A Boom Chicka Boom".

This post showcases three YouTube videos of the  "Boom Chicka Boom" repeat-after-me children's camp song. This post also presents information about the origin of that camp song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/three-songs-with-title-boom-chicka-boom.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about three songs other than the repeat-after-me children's camp song "Boom Chicka Boom" that have that title or a similar title. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/some-examples-of-childrens-recreational.html for Part III of this pancocojams series.  That post presents a compilation of children's recreational rhymes or cheers that include the phrase "boom chicka boom" or a very similar phrase. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/information-about-boom-chick-boom.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about the  instrumental music pattern known as "boom chick boom".

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the composers of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- Boom Chicka Boom Song

GoNoodle | Get Moving

Apr 19, 2019  #gonoodle #moosetube #sillysongsforkids

Join Moose Fabio and the Moose Tube crew for this super-fun call and repeat dance favorite kids of all ages can enjoy!

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Boom Chicka Boom! | Jack Hartmann

Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel, Aug 3, 2021

Boom Chicka Boom by Jack Hartmann is an old favorite with new movements and characters. Boom Chicka Boom is an interactive music and movement song. Repeat after me song.  Fun dance song for kids. Boom Chicka Boom is a fun brain breaks song.  Boom Chicka Boom with Jack Hartmann. Jack Hartmann brain breaks song.

Boom Chicka Boom 

Words and Music by Jack Hartmann, MA, BMI  Copyright 2015
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The lyrics for this version of "Boom Chicka Boom" are given in the summary of that video.

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THE ORIGIN OF "BOOM CHICKA BOOM" CAMP SONGS (ALSO KNOWN AS "I SAID A BOOM CHICKA BOOM)

 Here's the AI Overview result for my question on July 31, 2025 "Who was the first person to record “I said a boom chicka boom” in which verses have different singing styles?"

AI Overview
"The campfire song "I said boom chicka boom" with different singing styles in verses doesn't have a single, definitive first recorded version or a specific person credited with creating the style variations. It's a traditional chant often used for group singing and incorporates various creative interpretations.

Key points about the origin and evolution

No known recording by a single artist The song doesn't appear to be one that was initially recorded and then adapted into a campfire staple.

Origin as a group activity It's most commonly learned and shared in settings like camps and youth groups, where leaders introduce and encourage different vocal styles for each verse.

Commonly cited variations Different singing styles often accompany the repeated lines, such as underwater, loud, slow, opera, valley girl, and even animal sounds.

Therefore, there is no single "first person" to record the song with these variations. Its nature is more about group participation and improvisational interpretation of singing styles, rather than a single, formally recorded musical piece."

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Here's the AI results for my follow up question on July 31, 2025: "Okay. When was the earliest online documentation of “ I said boom chicka boom” being sung as group activity?"

AI Overview

"I said boom chicka boom" has been used as a group activity for many decades, likely as a campfire or camp song.

Online Documentation

One source claims to have written a cheerleading song similar to "I said boom chicka boom" in 1966. The song was then introduced at a children's camp and later at a family camp gathering. While this isn't the earliest documentation, it shows the song's use in group activities (cheerleading and camp songs) before 2009, when a blog post discussed the song.

Evolution and Online Presence

The song has evolved, with various styles and lyric variations.

The phrase appears in online resources related to campfire songs, children's music, and educational activities.

Some sources suggest a possible connection to Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs.

A children's book and song exist with the title "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom".

YouTube videos showing group performances of "Boom Chicka Boom" date back to 2011.

Some sources suggest a possible connection to the song "Chicka Boom" by Bob Merrill, published in 1953, according to Wikipedia.

Another interpretation of "Boom Chicka Boom" is the sound Johnny Cash's backing band was said to produce.

Although pinpointing the earliest online documentation is difficult, the song's presence in various online discussions about group activities and songs suggests it has circulated online for over a decade."

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THE PROBABLE ONLINE SOURCE THAT WAS ALLUDED TO IN THAT AI OVERVIEW ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE CAMP SONG "BOOM CHICKA BOOM" 

.https://campsongs.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/boom-chicka-boom/ "Boom Chicka Boom" Camp Song
by Douglas Sloane, October 3, 2017
"No joke, I wrote this cheer in 1966 when I was Head Yell Leader at U. S. Grant High School in Van Nuys, California. As originally written, the cheer started as Racka-Chicka-Boom. Following graduation, I worked for the summer at Stanley Ranch, a Woodcraft Rangers organization camp for kids, and introduced Racka-Chicka-Boom around a campfire. A number of years later, I sang it at a family Y camp gathering. Since then, I have seen the evolution of the lyrics, but the basic call and response, repeated 3 times, has remained the same. I do want to note that between each verse there is a bridge which makes it specific to the school or camp or whatever. For example, originally the first bridge is: (still call and response)

I said a riff raff row

I said a riff raff ree

U. S. Grant ( or Stanley Ranch or Family Y Camp)

Have mercy

A-ha

O yea

One more time

One more time

 

So long as the last word of the second line (ree) rhymes with the last word of the fourth line (mercy), you can make up anything (rile = moving in style; or rests = you’re the best) and so on. Fresh ground for more creative versions of Racka Chicka Boom or, as it has evolved to, Boom Chicka Boom."

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This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.

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