"Cool Jerk" is a 1966 rhythm and blues song written by Donald Storball and originally performed by the Capitols. It became a hit song in the United States and Canada.
It was later prominently used in the 1992 Christmas-themed comedy filmHome Alone 2: Lost in New York, which attracted attention back to both the band and the single.
Per one of the Funk Brothers, the song was originally to be called "Pimp Jerk". This was taken from watching neighborhood pimps, who would dance in the clubs but were too "cool" to do the jerk like regular folks. The producer was afraid that a song with the word pimp in the title would be banned or fail to receive much positive attention, and had the title changed to its current form.[citation needed]