Monday, March 29, 2010
Rodgers and Hart write 'Manhattan' in 1925
One of our greatest songwriting teams were two boys who met at Columbia University and went on to light up the gay white way (Broadway, of course). The "boys' were Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart.
Their Broadway breakthrough came in 1925 with a revue, The Garrick Gaieties, which featured the hit song "Manhattan."
The story of the song's creation deserves special notice. During an early rehearsal, a substantial scenery change required some form of "business" to take place in front of the curtain to cover the delay between scenes. Larry Hart is reported to have sat down in the theatre and wrote the initial lyrics for the song that went on to be the show's biggest showstopper.....Manhattan.
Here are Larry Hart's lyrics;
Summer journeys to Niag'ra
and to other places aggra-
vate all our cares.
We'll save our fares!
I've a cozy little flat in
what is known as old Manhattan
we'll settle down
right here in town!
We'll have Manhattan
the Bronx and Staten
Island too.
It's lovely going through
the zoo!
It's very fancy
on old Delancy
street you know.
The subway charms us so
when balmy breezes blow
to and fro.
And tell me what street
compares with Mott Street
in July?
Sweet pushcarts gently gli-ding by.
The great big city's a wonderous toy
just made for a girl and boy.
We'll turn Manhattan
into an isle of joy!
We'll go to Yonkers
Where true love conquers
In the whiles
And starve together dear, in Child's
We'll go to Coney
And eat baloney on a roll
In Central Park we'll stroll
Where our first kiss we stole
Soul to soul
And "Abie's Irish Rose" is a terrific show they say
We both may see it close, some day
The city's glamour can never spoil
The dreams of a boy and goil
We'll turn Manhattan
into an isle of joy!
Their Broadway breakthrough came in 1925 with a revue, The Garrick Gaieties, which featured the hit song "Manhattan."
The story of the song's creation deserves special notice. During an early rehearsal, a substantial scenery change required some form of "business" to take place in front of the curtain to cover the delay between scenes. Larry Hart is reported to have sat down in the theatre and wrote the initial lyrics for the song that went on to be the show's biggest showstopper.....Manhattan.
Here are Larry Hart's lyrics;
Summer journeys to Niag'ra
and to other places aggra-
vate all our cares.
We'll save our fares!
I've a cozy little flat in
what is known as old Manhattan
we'll settle down
right here in town!
We'll have Manhattan
the Bronx and Staten
Island too.
It's lovely going through
the zoo!
It's very fancy
on old Delancy
street you know.
The subway charms us so
when balmy breezes blow
to and fro.
And tell me what street
compares with Mott Street
in July?
Sweet pushcarts gently gli-ding by.
The great big city's a wonderous toy
just made for a girl and boy.
We'll turn Manhattan
into an isle of joy!
We'll go to Yonkers
Where true love conquers
In the whiles
And starve together dear, in Child's
We'll go to Coney
And eat baloney on a roll
In Central Park we'll stroll
Where our first kiss we stole
Soul to soul
And "Abie's Irish Rose" is a terrific show they say
We both may see it close, some day
The city's glamour can never spoil
The dreams of a boy and goil
We'll turn Manhattan
into an isle of joy!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Top Male Jazz Vocalists- # 16 Harry Connick Jr.
16. HARRY CONNICK, JUNIOR
Harry Connick, Jr. was born in New Orleans in 1967, and was a child musical prodigy who made his first recordings when he was only 10. Connick made his first album as a professional in 1987, and soon attracted attention for his piano playing and his singing, which showed a love of standards and the influence of Frank Sinatra.
Connick's soundtrack album for the film "When Harry Met Sally..." made him a household word. Since then, Connick has recorded albums with big bands, small groups, and in jazz and pop styles.His most recent album, "Come By Me," was a return to a big band style, and it was a Grammy nominee. Connick has also acted in a number of movies, and has written many of the songs for his albums in recent years.
Here is Harry with one the greatest love songs from the swing era...."It Had To Be You."
The Top Male Jazz Vocalists- #17 Jimmy Rushing
17. JIMMY RUSHING
Jimmy Rushing, born in 1903 in Oklahoma City, was nicknamed "Mister Five-By-Five" for his size, but his talent was the biggest thing about him.
Rushing sang with such early Kansas City bands as Walter Page's Blue Devils and the Bennie Moten band. When Moten died in 1935, Count Basie took over his band, and Rushing sang with Basie until 1950, becoming famous for his powerful, bluesy singing.
After Basie temporarily broke up his band in 1950, Rushing began a solo career in which he made many recordings. He was in the historic 1957 "Sound of Jazz" TV special that also featured two of his former Basie colleagues, Lester Young and Billie Holiday. Rushing died in 1972 after a distinguished career.
Here is Jimmy, with Count Basie, singing "I Left My Baby."
The Top Male Jazz Vocalists-#18 Eddie Jefferson
18. EDDIE JEFFERSON
Edgar "Eddie" Jefferson was born in Pittsburgh in 1918.
He started out as a dancer, but had become a singer by the late 1940s, and a live 1949 recording exists of him singing vocalese lyrics to "Parker's Mood" and to a Lester Young solo, showing him to be a pioneer in that musical style.
Jefferson's first studio recording was in 1952, and he worked with saxophonist James Moody in the 50s and late 60s; one of Jefferson's most famous efforts was his text to "Moody's Mood for Love."
Jefferson's first studio recording was in 1952, and he worked with saxophonist James Moody in the 50s and late 60s; one of Jefferson's most famous efforts was his text to "Moody's Mood for Love."
However, even though King Pleasure and other stars cited Jefferson as a founder of vocalese, his work was largely overlooked until the 1970s.
Jefferson's comeback was cut short when he was murdered in 1979 outside a Detroit nightclub. However, his recordings show the significance of his work, and his last recordings were recently released on CD.
Here is Eddie singing The last time I saw "Jeannine."
The Top Male Jazz Vocalists-#19 Ernie Andrews
19. ERNIE ANDREWS
Ernie Andrews was born on Christmas Day, 1927 in Philadelphia.
He did his first recordings in the 1940s while still in high school. Andrews sang with Harry James' big band for six years, and did a number of recordings in the 1950s, but was in the shadow of bigger stars such as Joe Williams for many years.
However, Andrews was rediscovered in the 1980s, and has recorded in recent years with Jay McShann, the late Gene Harris, and the Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut.
Andrews has also done a number of solo albums, and has a gift for doing impressions of other great singers in his act.
Here is Ernie, via a video clip.
Jimmy Dorsey plays his hit 'So Rare'
Here is Jimmy Dorsey's hot recording of the classic "So Rare."
First a few facts:
Shortly before his death, Jimmy was awarded a gold record for "So Rare," which was recorded on November 11, 1956. The alto solo on "So Rare," was performed by Dorsey.
The track has the distinction of reaching the number-two spot in Billboard Magazine's popularity rankings, becoming the highest-rated song by a big band during the first decade of the rock-and-roll era.
Jimmy Dorsey is considered one of the most important and influential alto saxophone players of the Big Band and Swing era.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Top Male Jazz Vocalists- #20
OSCAR BROWN JR. CD
20. OSCAR BROWN, JUNIOR
Oscar Brown, Jr. was born in Chicago in 1926. He started as a teenage actor in Chicago's famous radio soap operas, and tried several careers before becoming a singer and songwriter. He has written lyrics to such jazz classics as "Dat Dere," "Work Song" and "Watermelon Man," and worked with Max Roach on the famous "Freedom Now Suite." Brown, also recorded many albums, and had been the host of jazz programs on TV and on public radio. He ran for office in the Illinois state legislature and U.S. Congress, both unsuccessfully. He died in 2005.
Here is the late Oscar Brown Jr. singing "I Was Cool."
Who are top 20 male jazz vocalists?
Who are top 20 male jazz vocalists?
As jazz singing increased in popularity in the swing era, many jazz bands were built around singers as star soloists, just as was done for famous instrumental players. Songsters gave their personal interpretation to songs and stamped each tune with their special voice. The following articles list the top 20 male jazz vocalists as selected by the members, listeners and staff of National Public Radio station WAER in Syracuse, NY, USA. What do you think of the selection? The list includes the greats of the 1940's as well as current performers.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Frank Sinatra sings "I won't dance...don't ask me'
Here is Frank Sinatra with his classic recording of "I Won't Dance...Don't Ask Me" from the album "Come Dance With Me!"
But, first here are the lyrics;
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, Madame, with you
My heart won't let my feet do things that they should do
You know what?, you're lovely
You know what?, you're so lovely
And, oh, what you do to me
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
'specially when you do the Continental
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For, heaven rest us, I am not asbestos
And that's why
I won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance, merci beaucoup
I know that music leads the way to romance,
So if I hold you in arms I won't dance
I won't dance, don't ask me,
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, Madame, with you
Sunday, March 21, 2010
He wrote "Toot, Toot, Tootsie: Ted Fio Rito
One of the many overlooked bandleaders of the 1930's and 40's is Newark, New Jersey born Teodorico Salvatore Fiorito....stage name Ted Fio Rita.
Ted was the son to an Italian immigrant couple. He attended the same high school as composer Jerome Kern, Barringer High School in Newark.
Ted Fio Rito was bandleader, keyboardist and songwriter. He was known for using trick rhythms, temple blocks, musical triplets, and a Hammond organ in his arrangements. He also sported a humorous bassist, Candy Candido, who had a trick voice.
Betty Grable was vocalist in the early 1930s. Future actor Leif Ericson also sang at one time.
In the late 1930s Fio Rito stopped using tricks and modernized his orchestra. Later vocalists included the group Kay Swingle and her Brothers and future actress, and wife of Fred McMurray, June Haver.
His popularity began to decline in the mid-1940s. During the 1950s and 1960s he led bands in Chicago and Arizona.
He also composed several popular tunes during his lifetime, including "I Never Knew" and the song Jolson made famous ''Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye.'' The song was featured in the landmark talking picture The Jazz Singer."
Ted Fio Rito died in 1971 after suffering a heart attack.
Here is a clip from "The Jazz Singer" with Al Jolson singing "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye."
Click Here!
Ted was the son to an Italian immigrant couple. He attended the same high school as composer Jerome Kern, Barringer High School in Newark.
Ted Fio Rito was bandleader, keyboardist and songwriter. He was known for using trick rhythms, temple blocks, musical triplets, and a Hammond organ in his arrangements. He also sported a humorous bassist, Candy Candido, who had a trick voice.
Betty Grable was vocalist in the early 1930s. Future actor Leif Ericson also sang at one time.
In the late 1930s Fio Rito stopped using tricks and modernized his orchestra. Later vocalists included the group Kay Swingle and her Brothers and future actress, and wife of Fred McMurray, June Haver.
His popularity began to decline in the mid-1940s. During the 1950s and 1960s he led bands in Chicago and Arizona.
He also composed several popular tunes during his lifetime, including "I Never Knew" and the song Jolson made famous ''Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye.'' The song was featured in the landmark talking picture The Jazz Singer."
Ted Fio Rito died in 1971 after suffering a heart attack.
Here is a clip from "The Jazz Singer" with Al Jolson singing "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye."
Click Here!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Stacey Kent-international jazz singer
An American language student (from New Jersey) visits Europe to study French, Italian and German for a Masters degree in comparative literature. Her life takes an unexpected twist that sees Stacey Kent become one of the world's foremost jazz singers.
Stacey, a recent addition to the Blue Note roster of recording artists, now boasts seven best-selling albums including Breakfast on the Morning Tram (2007) and The Boy Next Door (2003) both of which achieved Gold status, a string of awards, including the 2001 British Jazz Award and 2002 BBC Jazz Award for 'Best Vocalist,' the 2004 Backstage Bistro Award for best live performance and the 2006 "Album of the Year" for Jim Tomlinson's album, 'The Lyric' on which she was the featured vocalist, as well as a fan base that enables her to sell out concert halls around the world.
Her new Blue Note release, 'Breakfast On The Morning Tram' (Blue Note 2007) features four original songs, including the title track, written especially for Stacey by Jim Tomlinson and acclaimed novelist, Kazuo Ishiguro, as well as a selection of French chansons and choice standards. Since its release in September 2007, it has remained at the top of the French jazz chart as well as holding its own in the top 20 of the general album charts. Its release around the world is sure to mirror this success.
The twist of fate that took her life in this new direction was a chance meeting in Oxford with saxophonist, Jim Tomlinson. Like Stacey, Jim was embarked on an academic path, but their meeting sparked in each other the desire to pursue their love of music together. After a year's study at the Guildhall School of Music, Stacey set about honing her skills on the London scene in the company of, now husband, Jim Tomlinson.
A demo tape, sent simultaneously to Polygram, Candid Records and broadcaster, Humphrey Lyttelton, secured her a recording contract and national airplay and endorsement from Britain's most respected jazz broadcaster. Since the release of Stacey's first album, Close Your Eyes (1997), she has achieved, without compromise, both critical and popular success, with her fresh and heart-felt interpretations of the finest love songs of the twentieth century. But it was a feature on CBS Sunday Morning in 1999 that gave Stacey national exposure in the USA and brought her to wider recognition.
Since then, her career has become truly international and she has performed at major festivals and concert halls from Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Concert Hall to Carnegie Hall to Paris' famed Olympia.
Stacey's admirers are not limited to the loyal fans that buy her albums and pack out her concerts. Best-selling crime writer, John Harvey, has Stacey sing, if only fictionally, in his latest novel, Still Water. A track from her third album, Let Yourself Go, was selected by novelist, Kazuo Ishiguro, on his appearance on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio. It was this event that led Kent, Ishiguro and Tomlinson towards the song-writing collaboration that features this new album.
Clint Eastwood invited Stacey to sing at his 70th birthday party, (British talk-show host) Michael Parkinson invited Stacey to sing on his television show, as did Sir David Frost, who asked her to join him one Sunday morning, to sing a song and review the morning papers with him on "Breakast with Frost" and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler , in a recent interview, listed Stacey, alongside Willie Nelson, as being among his favorite singers.
Three-time Oscar-winning songwriter, Jay Livingston, wrote of her, "Stacey Kent is a revelation. There is nobody singing today who can compare with her. She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. And she sings the words like Nat Cole - clean, clear and almost conversational with perfect phrasing. And that's as good as it gets." (edited from website bio)
READ A PREVIOUS ARTICLE ABOUT MEETING STACEY IN LONDON AND NEW JERSEY.
Here is Stacey Kent singing the Gershwin's "I've Got A Crush On You;"
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Artie Shaw buys a bus!
The life of a big band musician, even in the top bands of the late 30's and early 40's, was anything but glamorous.
Food too often meant meals in greasy diners that announced via neon signs that they had "Good Eats" or many times simply sandwiches and beer back on the bus. The bus was the primary form of transportation, particularly due to the fact that very few bands were touring nationally. Most worked areas or regions such as New England, the Upper Midwest, California, etc.
When not sleeping on the bus during overnight journeys to the next play date or "gig" they would stay at hotels that were never of the "five star" variety.That was true for the white members of an intergrated band....non-white members often had to stay in private homes or boarding houses with three or four per room.
Pay, was also, a major problem. It was never generous (Benny Goodman was notoriously "tight with a buck"). With this type of nomadic life it is not surprising to find alcholism, and drugs all too common.
The quality and comfort of the band bus rose, naturally, with the commercial success of the band. My favorite bus story involves the early days of the Artie Shaw band. Money was tight and the bus leaked, but a savior appeared in the shape of Tommy Dorsey. Dorsey's band was getting national attention, particularly due to the popularity of the skinny boy vocalist that Tommy had hired away from Harry James (more about the boy later).
Flush with new found financial success, Tommy purchased a new bus. Artie Shaw jumped at the opportunity to buy Dorsey's bus. It took almost every penny he had....so much so that for many months after, the Artie Shaw band toured the North East in a bus that was still painted with the Tommy Dorsey name!
Listen to Artie Shaw's 1940 hit recording of Frenesi and view a list of the top song hits for that year by clicking http://memory-lane.org/TOPSONGSOF1940s.html
When not sleeping on the bus during overnight journeys to the next play date or "gig" they would stay at hotels that were never of the "five star" variety.That was true for the white members of an intergrated band....non-white members often had to stay in private homes or boarding houses with three or four per room.
Pay, was also, a major problem. It was never generous (Benny Goodman was notoriously "tight with a buck"). With this type of nomadic life it is not surprising to find alcholism, and drugs all too common.
The quality and comfort of the band bus rose, naturally, with the commercial success of the band. My favorite bus story involves the early days of the Artie Shaw band. Money was tight and the bus leaked, but a savior appeared in the shape of Tommy Dorsey. Dorsey's band was getting national attention, particularly due to the popularity of the skinny boy vocalist that Tommy had hired away from Harry James (more about the boy later).
Flush with new found financial success, Tommy purchased a new bus. Artie Shaw jumped at the opportunity to buy Dorsey's bus. It took almost every penny he had....so much so that for many months after, the Artie Shaw band toured the North East in a bus that was still painted with the Tommy Dorsey name!
Listen to Artie Shaw's 1940 hit recording of Frenesi and view a list of the top song hits for that year by clicking http://memory-lane.org/TOPSONGSOF1940s.html
Monday, March 15, 2010
Rosemary Clooney sings Gershwin's But Not For Me
Related articles
Here from a Jazz Festival in Japan is Rosemary Clooney singing one of the great love songs of The Great American Songbook. The song is "But Not For Me," from George and Ira Gershwin. Rosemary's home on Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills (now demolished) had been the last home of George Gershwin (circa 1937). Her next door neighbor was George's brother, and lyricist, Ira. One of her best CD's is the "Songs of Ira Gershwin."
Friday, March 12, 2010
George Gershwin plays Gershwin ('I Got Rhythm')
Here is a 1931 film of George Gershwin playing his composition, "I Got Rhythm' from "Girl Crazy"
The 'Girl Crazy' pit band featured Glenn Miller
Ethel Merman became an overnight sensation when she stopped the show with "I Got Rhythm." George Gershwin, supposedly visited her the day after the opening to congratulate her and to advise her to "never take another singing lesson...don't let anyone change you... just keep doing what you are doing!"
To fans of the big bands, the orchestra for the 1930 show is of great interest. The band in the pit for the original Broadway production was known for its richness of talents: Red Nichols, Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Gene Krupa! Glenn Miller put the group together, including his roommate from the Ben Pollack band days in California....BG.
More than ten years later, MGM filmed 'Girl Crazy' with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Chattanooga Choo Choo's real route
In 1942, Glenn Miller received the first ever gold record for selling a million copies of "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
Above is my picture with the Chattanooga Choo Choo at the old Chattanooga, Tennessee, train station. As a music historian, I must share with you the truth about this famous train. Are you ready? It NEVER left track 29! The train never traveled between New York and Chattanooga. The train's run was between Cincinnati, Ohio and Chattanooga.
The song was Introduced in 1941 by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the song was featured in the movie "Sun Valley Serenade" and performed by Tex Beneke and the Modernaires. Harry Warren wrote the original music score, while Mack Gordon contributed the words. The song, "Chattanooga Choo Choo," traveled fast throughout the circles of Europe during World War II, and today it is an international favorite.
To buy a Glenn Miller CD or a copy of the "Sun Valley Serenade" click here
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Frank Sinatra...the soft touch vs. Bob Hope...the 'no touch'
The public perception of performers is rarely close to the real person behind the makeup. Case in point; in my career I had the opportunity to get "up close and personal" with many show business greats, this included home visits with Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney, and in the case of Frank Sinatra via his close friends, including songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen.
Jimmy said that he loved three things, not in order, "Booze, Broads and Sinatra."
Rosemary Clooney was the very nice, down to earth, lovely lady you would expect. Now, Bob Hope, this great American hero, to many, proved to be a very ungenerous person, (besides a world class womanizer). But, Frank Sinatra, world class singer, actor, tough guy and well documented womanizer , was the opposite, a soft touch. Frank literally gave millions away. It was not uncommon for him to read a newspaper story of someone in need, and deeply touched by the situation, call his longtime secretary Dorothy Ullman... directing a check to be sent anonymously. Cary Grant said that "Frank Sinatra is the most generous person to people in need I know."
Bob Hope, for example, was not big on tipping. Frank, however, was a tipper to the extreme. One story concerns Frank exiting a restaurant and asking the valet parking attendant "what was the biggest tip you ever received? The answer was "one hundred dollars." Frank handed the young man two hundred dollars. As he entered his car, he turned and asked "who gave the one hundred to you? "You did, Mr. Sinatra, last year."
Jimmy said that he loved three things, not in order, "Booze, Broads and Sinatra."
Rosemary Clooney was the very nice, down to earth, lovely lady you would expect. Now, Bob Hope, this great American hero, to many, proved to be a very ungenerous person, (besides a world class womanizer). But, Frank Sinatra, world class singer, actor, tough guy and well documented womanizer , was the opposite, a soft touch. Frank literally gave millions away. It was not uncommon for him to read a newspaper story of someone in need, and deeply touched by the situation, call his longtime secretary Dorothy Ullman... directing a check to be sent anonymously. Cary Grant said that "Frank Sinatra is the most generous person to people in need I know."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
My night at the Oscars
It was 1980, and I had my ticket to the Academy Awards telecast at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ticket cost $200 dollars and came from Raquel Welch via her public relations representative. When I arrived at the theatre, I was greeted by a young man in a red jacket (I was driving a rental car)...at first I was confused....why is he approaching my car when no one is at the long line of cars in front of me? Then, of course, I realized that the other cars were limos. I was the ONLY guest arriving in a private car....a Pontiac rental at that! (Flew to LA from NYC for the weekend in my capacity as tv programming executive based in Manhattan).
I quickly exited the car and turned to enter the theatre. But, wait not so fast...ahead were two carpets, one on the left was red, the other was blue. Standing between the carpets was a a tall man in the uniform of the night, a tux, He, ever so discreetly motioned to me, with the slightest wag of a finger, that I was to walk on the blue carpet. No red carpet for me. The stars, of course, Burt Reynolds, Jane Fonda, etc. were walking on my left...on the red carpet.
Positioned at the entrance to the building was a long bleacher type stand for the fans to get a view of the arrivals. It seemed that everyone in the stands was equipped with a flashing Kodak Instamatic camera, remember the type that used film! Here comes the tough part; as if the crowd of fans were a Greek chorus, the silent message I heard was "Is he anybody?"....."he's nobody!"
The highlight of the telecast at the 52nd Academy Awards on April 14, 1980, was Miss Piggy and host Johnny Carson conversing about her failure to garner a Best Actress Nomination for her work in The Muppet Movie. To her question whether or not he thought her to be "Oscar material," he replies "Oscar Mayer maybe." Kermit the Frog performed his nominated song, "The Rainbow Connection."
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Speaking of the fabulous Miss Piggy (She's not as beautiful in person as she photographs! Keep this a secret between us) Here we are together on the set of "John Denver and the Muppets Christmas Special" at ABC Hollywood.
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Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The story behind Bing Crosby's Oscar winning hit 'Swinging On A Star'
Here is the story of how the song Swinging On A Star was created:
In 1945, the Oscar winning Best Song was Swinging on a Star. It was written for the Bing Crosby starring film Going My Way by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was recorded in 1944 by Crosby. Legendary crooner Andy Williams and his brothers backed up Bing.
The song writer, Jimmy Van Heusen, was at Crosby’s house one evening for dinner and to discuss a song for the movie Going My Way. During the meal, one of the children began complaining about how he didn’t want to go to school the next day. The singer turned to his son and said to him, “If you don’t go to school, you might grow up to be a mule. Do you wanna do that?” Van Heusen thought that this clever rebuke would make a good song for the movie. He pictured Bing, playing a priest, talking to a group of children acting much the same way that his own child acted that night. When he took his idea to his partner, Johnny Burke, Johnny was quick to approve, and they wrote the song.
On the surface it may be the most ridiculous song ever written, but it is also one with an important message: of going to school, and getting an education or else who knows what will happen to you.
Here are the lyrics;
Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule?
A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny but his brain is weak
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule
Oh would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Would you rather be a pig?
A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig
Oh would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Would you rather be a fish?
A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
He can't write his name or read a book
To fool the people is his only thought
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish
A new kind of jumped-up slippery fish
And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a star
Here is Bing Crosby... Swinging On A Star;Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule?
A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny but his brain is weak
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule
Oh would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Would you rather be a pig?
A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig
Oh would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Would you rather be a fish?
A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
He can't write his name or read a book
To fool the people is his only thought
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish
A new kind of jumped-up slippery fish
And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a star
The Top Songs of 1944-Bing Crosby's 'Swinging On A Star' number one
Here are the Top Ten Songs of 1944;
1) Bing Crosby, "Swinging on a Star"
2) Andrews Sisters, "Shoo-Shoo Baby"
3) Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters, "Don't Fence Me In"
4) Jimmy Dorsey, "Besame Mucho"
5) Harry James, "I'll Get By"
6) Merry Macs, "Mairzy Doats"
7) Bing Crosby, "San Fernando Valley"
8) Bing Crosby, "I Love You"
9) Mills Brothers, "You Always Hurt the One You Love"
10) Dinah Shore, "I'll Walk Alone"
Bing Crosby starred in the movie "Going My Way" (Swinging On A Star-Oscar winning song by Jimmy Van Heusen). Only two big band tunes, from Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James, made the top ten list. "I'll Get By" has since become one of the best love songs of the century.Here is Bing in a clip from "Going My Way" singing "Swinging On A Star."
Read about the creation of the song by Jimmy Van Heusen.
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