Chicken Fat (song) facts for kids

"Chicken Fat" (also known as "The Youth Fitness Song") is a 1962 song written by Broadway composer Meredith Willson (The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and performed by actor/singer Robert Preston. It was commissioned as part of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.

Versions

Two versions of the song exist: a 2:12 minute, radio-friendly length, “Disc Jockey Version"; and a longer, 6:30 “School Version”, for use in educational institution gymnasiums. The latter included 11 floor exercises for school children designed by Bud Wilkinson, the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. Willson, Preston, and Forbes all donated their services to the project, while Capitol Records, which produced and distributed three million copies of the 33 1/3 RPM record, paid for the backup musicians, studio time, and production and distribution. The original Physical Fitness Council was promoted in 1962 and 1963 through a series of public service TV commercials featuring baseball great Stan Musial, filmed at Roosevelt Elementary School in Tampa, Florida.