“Yakety Yak” is one of many significant Leiber-Stoller compositions that helped shape early rock ‘n’ roll’s lyrical “voice”. It was recorded by The Coasters for Atlantic Records in 1958 and spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Charts – The Coaster’s first #1. The Coasters were a force to be reckoned with, dominating the charts between 1957 and 1959. Other hits include “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy”. Many of their collaborations with Leiber-Stoller are considered “playlets” - call and response dialogues lifted from teenage life. Leiber has also been quoted as saying The Coasters’ style embodied “a white kid’s view of a black person’s conception of white society.” The sound itself underscored the song’s humor. The expressive saxophone of King Curtis interjected hooting honking bursts into The Coasters’ wiseacre doo-wop.

The Coasters Official Website
History of Rock: The Coasters
The Coasters on AllMusic.com