Fais do-do

A fais do-do is a Cajun dance party; the term originated before World War II.

"Do-do" itself is a hypocoristic shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. The phrase is embodied in an old French lullaby, a song sung to children when putting them down for the night.

Joshua Caffery, however, suggests the true derivation is more plausibly the dance call dos à dos (back to back), the do si do call of Anglo-American folk dance; and that sources such as Duhon are merely "repeating the same apocryphal explanation known by almost anyone who lives in Southern Louisiana."¹

Occurrences include the following:

• Dance temptation with back to back, or dos à dos from Louisiana French.²
• In Aaron Neville's 1993 "Louisiana Christmas Day"
• A mention in Brenda Lee's 1958 song "Papa Noel", on the B-side of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
• In the lyrics of Bayou Jubilee, by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, on the album, Dream. "Nothing in this world, such a pure delight, as a fais-do-do on a Saturday night."
• In the lyrics of "Diggy Liggy Lo" song and lyrics written by Terry J. Clement.
• In the 1989 film J'ai Été Au Bal/I Went to the Dance by Les Blank, Chris Strachwitz, Maureen Gosling.
• In the 1944 film Dark Waters starring Merle Oberon.
• In the Landry series by V.C. Andrews
• In the lyrics of "Down at the Twist and Shout" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
• In the title and lyrics of the song "Fais Do" by Redbone on the album: "Already Here"
• In the title and lyrics of the song "Fais Dodo" by Raffi on the album: One Light, One Sun (1985).
• Name of music venue and film location in Los Angeles (opened 1990).
• Song my Marcia Ball, "Christmas Fais do-do."
• Mention in the 2004 song, "Down in Thibodaux", by Chris Smither.
• Sung by Nondumiso Tembe in True Blood Season 4, Episode 9, "Let's Get Out of Here".