This song has a convoluted history even by the standards of 1960s R&B, and seems to have come close to being discarded. Lucky thing that Lieber and Stoller showed interest in it, or who knows if we'd have heard it?
The article lists several interpretations that have been put forward about the song. They don't really get at its appeal, though. What really makes it is the eerie vocal arrangement. It's like an old nursery rhyme coming back to you, just hitting you again. Years ago I heard it while playing cards and thought, "Am I actually hearing this?" I'm not the only one who was affected by it either.
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When I played your youtube version this morning all I could hear was the music and no vocals at all. The left speaker on my computer has been broken again these past few days and this original song was recorded in very early stereo - the band stays on the right and the vocalists must stay on the left. That was weird. Then I got Jer to play it on his machine. Okay, that's more like the song as I remember it.
You're right that it's the eerie vocal arrangement that makes this version so memorable. When other people recorded the song it's certainly less weird than the Jaynetts rendition. Considering the fact the recording was made over and over on some very funky equipment with the Jaynetts repeating 'Sally go round the roses' it's no wonder the sound is bizarre and memorable too.
If you feel like reading even more about the song and who else recorded it there's a very long article on Pop Matters.
Just in case: https://www.popmatters.com/sally-go-round-roses-jaynetts
Now I have to take my computer to be repaired again.
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