View source for Bei Mir Bistu Shein

{{short description|Yiddish song by Jacob Jacobs and Sholom Secunda}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Bei Mir Bistu Shein
| cover         = Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.jpg
| cover_size    = 200px
| alt           = Original 1938 poster
| caption       = Original cover for the sheet music, referencing the [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] show it appeared in.<br />New York, 1932.
| type          =
| language      = Yiddish
| English_title = "To Me You're Beautiful"
| written       = 1932
| published     =
| composer      = [[Sholom Secunda]]
| lyricist      = [[Jacob Jacobs (theater)|Jacob Jacobs]] (Yiddish)<br />[[Sammy Cahn]] and [[Saul Chaplin]] (English)
}}

"'''Bei Mir Bistu Shein'''" ({{langx|yi|בײַ מיר ביסטו שעהן}}<!--spelling per poster-->{{efn|The last word is now more commonly spelled {{lang|yi|שיין}}.}} {{IPA|yi|baɪ ˈmɪr ˈbɪstʊ ˈʃɛɪn|}}, "To Me You're Beautiful") is a popular [[Yiddish song]] written by lyricist [[Jacob Jacobs (theater)|Jacob Jacobs]]  and composer [[Sholom Secunda]] for a 1932 Yiddish language [[musical theatre|comedy musical]], ''I Would If I Could'' (in Yiddish {{transliteration|yi|Men Ken Lebn Nor Men Lost Nisht}}, "You could live, but they don't let you"), which closed after one season at the [[Parkway Theatre]] in [[Brooklyn]], New York City. The [[sheet music|score]] for the song transcribed the Yiddish title as "'''{{transliteration|yi|Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn|i=no}}'''".{{sfn|Gottlieb|2004|p=57}} The original Yiddish version of the song (in [[C minor]]) is a dialogue between two lovers. Five years after its 1932 composition, English lyrics were written for the tune by [[Sammy Cahn]] and [[Saul Chaplin]], and the English version of the song became a worldwide hit when recorded by [[The Andrews Sisters]] under a [[German language|Germanized]] spelling of the title, "'''{{lang|de|Bei mir bist du schön|i=no}}'''", in November 1937.{{sfnm|Nimmo|2007|1pp=73-74|Esterow|1961|2p=22}}

[[Neil W. Levin]], a scholar of [[Jewish music]], has contended that "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" is "the world's best-known and longest-reigning Yiddish theater song of all time."{{sfn|Levin|2010}} Echoing these sentiments, writer [[Stephen J. Whitfield]] has further posited that the song's popularity and influence in pre-war America epitomizes how "a minority [immigrant] culture" can transform the popular arts of a large democratic nation.{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}}

== History ==
=== Yiddish original ===
{{further||topic=the original authors|Jacob Jacobs (theater)|Sholom Secunda}}

Sholom Secunda was a [[composer]] born in the [[Russian Empire]] in 1894. He immigrated to the United States as a boy in 1906.{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}} When composing tunes for Yiddish theater as a young man, Secunda purportedly spurned a youthful [[George Gershwin]] as a musical collaborator in favor of Jacob Jacobs,{{sfn|Mok|1938}}{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}} an actor-director affiliated with the [[Parkway Theater]].{{sfn|Mok|1938}} Together, Secunda and lyricist Jacobs created "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" for a Yiddish operetta called ''I Would If I Could'',{{sfn|Secunda|1982|pp=133-134}} written in 1932 by Abraham Blum.{{sfn|Levin|2010}}{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1pp=127-129|Esterow|1961|2p=22}} The plot of Blum's operetta was reportedly trite and underwhelming:

{{blockquote|"Jake, a shoe factory worker who is fired for union organizing activity is in love with the owner's daughter, Hene. In response to her concern about the endurance of his commitment to her, he sings ''Bay mir bistu sheyn'' to her at some point in the first act. Despite a series of predictable attempts to thwart the marriage, they are, of course, wed in the end."{{sfn|Levin|2010}}}}

The song itself featured only fleetingly in this original musical production and was performed as a lovers duet by [[Aaron Lebedeff]] and Lucy Levin.{{sfnm|Levin|2010|Esterow|1961|2p=22}} Nevertheless, the song became a well-known crowd-pleaser in Yiddish musical theater and at Jewish enclaves in the [[Catskills]].{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}} It was a favorite among Jewish bandstands of the [[Yiddish Theatre District|Second Avenue milieu]].{{sfn|Levin|2010}}

When ''I Would If I Could'' closed after one season, Secunda attempted to sell the publishing rights of the song, even taking a plane to California to promote it to popular entertainer [[Eddie Cantor]] who demurred saying: "I can't use it. It's too Jewish."{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}}{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=144}} In dire financial straits, Secunda sold the rights in 1937 to the [[Kammen Brothers]] Music Company for a mere [[United States dollar|US $30]] ({{Inflation|US|30.00|1937|fmt=eq}}), a modest sum which he split with his partner Jacobs.{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1pp=144-149|Mok|1938|Esterow|1961|3p=22}} In light of the later global success of the song, by making that 1937 sale Secunda and Jacobs forfeited earning as much as $350,000 in royalties ({{Inflation|US|350000.00|1937|fmt=eq}}).{{sfn|Esterow|1961|p=22}}

=== English version ===
{{multiple image
 |perrow = 2
 |total_width = 300
 |align = right
 |direction =
 |image1 = Andrews Sisters Billboard 4.jpg
 |width1 = 150
 |image2 = Sammy Cahn 1950s.JPG
 |width2 = 150
 |footer = The song became a worldwide phenomenon following its recording by [[The Andrews Sisters]] (left). [[Sammy Cahn]] (right) was purportedly responsible for the song's procurement and, via [[Lou Levy (publisher)|Lou Levy]], for contracting the Andrews Sisters to perform it.
 |footer_align = left
}}
There are conflicting versions regarding the origins for the English version of the song.{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}}{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=73}} In one popular retelling, musician [[Sammy Cahn]] witnessed a spectacular performance of the song in Yiddish by [[African-American]] performers Johnnie and George at the [[Apollo Theater]] in [[Harlem]], [[New York City]].{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=73}} Jenny Grossinger, a [[Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel]] proprietor, claimed to have taught the song to Johnnie and George while they were performing at the resort.{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}}{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=198}} Upon seeing the enthusiastic audience response to the song, Cahn urged his employer to buy the rights so that he and frequent collaborator [[Saul Chaplin]] could rewrite the composition with English lyrics and alter the rhythm to be more typical of [[swing music]]. Cahn later was able to locate the sheet music in a Manhattan store in the Jewish [[Lower East Side]].{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=73}}

A competing origin story claims that bandleader [[Vic Schoen]] discovered Secunda's and Jacobs' catchy tune "in a collection of folk songs in a small shop in the lobby of a [[Yiddish theater]] on [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]]."{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=73}} Schoen forwarded the memorable song to [[Lou Levy (publisher)|Lou Levy]] "who in turn gave it to Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin who wrote the lyrics for it."{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=73}} Levy then persuaded the little-known [[The Andrews Sisters|Andrews Sisters]] to record the song (as "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön") on November 24, 1937,{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=148}} for a flat fee of $50 ({{Inflation|US|50.00|1937|fmt=eq}}).{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=148}} The Andrews Sisters had initially attempted to record the song in Yiddish, but their [[Decca Records]] producer [[Jack Kapp]] stridently objected and insisted the trio record the song in American-vernacular English.{{sfn|Hersch|2016|p=27}}
{{listen | type = music | pos = left | filename = The Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schön 1937 Sample.ogg | title = "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" (1937) | description = Sample of the 1937 cover "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" by [[The Andrews Sisters]]. | format = [[Ogg]]}}
Hitherto dismissed as mere imitators of the [[Boswell Sisters]], the Andrews Sisters' cover of the Yiddish song—"which the [three] girls harmonized to perfection"{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=328}}—catapulted the relatively unknown trio to fame and became a tremendous hit for Kapp's Decca label.{{sfn|Mok|1938}} Within thirty days, a quarter of a million records had been sold, as well as two hundred thousand copies of the sheet music.{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}} ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine claimed that music stores were inundated by baffled customers trying to purchase a record which they misidentified as either "Buy a Beer, Mr. Shane," or "My Mere Bits of Shame."{{sfn|Whitfield|2001|pp=1-2}}

=== Global phenomenon ===
{{multiple image
 |perrow = 2
 |total_width = 300
 |align = right
 |direction =
 |image1 = Bei-Mir-Bist-Du-Schon.jpg
 |width1 = 150
 |image2 = Judy Garland in Love Finds Andy Hardy trailer.jpg
 |width2 = 150
 |footer = Within a year after its release, popular Hollywood films such as ''[[Love, Honor and Behave]]'' (1938) featured the song. [[Judy Garland]] recorded a cover for ''[[Love Finds Andy Hardy]]'' (1938), although the song did not appear in the final cut of the film.{{sfn|Levin|2010}}{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}}
 |footer_align = left
}}
The song quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Within thirty days of the Andrews Sisters' version of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen,"{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|pp=73-74}} a number of other artists recorded covers in the hopes of capitalizing on its popularity.{{sfn|Nimmo|2007|p=76}} In December 1937, artists such as [[Belle Baker]], [[Kate Smith]],{{sfnm|Nimmo|2007|1p=76|Secunda|1982|2p=150}} [[Benny Goodman]] (with [[Martha Tilton]] and [[Ziggy Elman]]),{{sfn|Hersch|2016|p=133}} [[Ella Fitzgerald]],{{sfnm|Whitfield|2001|1pp=1-2|Nimmo|2007|2p=76|Secunda|1982|3p=150}} the [[The Barry Sisters (United States)|Barry Sisters]],{{sfn|Levin|2010}} and [[Rudy Vallée]],{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}} had all put out competing recordings.

Soon after, the song appeared in Hollywood films such as ''[[Love, Honor and Behave]]'' (1938) sung by ingénue [[Priscilla Lane]],{{sfnm|Mok|1938}} and [[Oscar Micheaux]]'s American [[race film]] ''[[Swing (1938 film)|Swing]]'' (1938) sung by Cora Green.{{sfn|Smith|2011|p=1563}} By the end of 1938—a mere year later—[[Guy Lombardo]],{{sfnm|Levin|2010|Mok|1938}} [[Greta Keller]],{{sfn|Rust|Debus|1973|p=387}} [[Mieczyslaw Fogg]],{{sfn|Lerski|2003|p=279}} [[Slim Gaillard]],{{sfn|Hersch|2016|pp=118, 133}} [[Zarah Leander]],{{sfn|Seiler|1997|p=41}} [[Willie "The Lion" Smith]],{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}} [[Eddie Rosner]],{{sfn|Szwed|2006|p=192}} [[Adrian Rollini]],{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1p=150|Van Delden|2019|2p=350}} [[Tommy Dorsey]],{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1p=150|Levin|2010}} and others had all recorded the song.
{{listen | type = music | pos = left | filename = Bei Mir Bistu Shein.ogg | title = "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" (2014) | description = Sample of the song "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" by [[The Hot Sardines]].{{sfn|Hot Sardines|2014}} | format = [[Ogg]]}}
From the 1940s to 1960s, additional covers were performed by a younger generation of artists which included [[Ramsey Lewis]],{{sfn|Levin|2010}} [[Louis Prima]] (with [[Keely Smith]]),{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}} [[The Crew-Cuts]],{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}} and [[June Christy]].{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=150}}

Over time, the song grossed approximately $3 million ({{Inflation|US|3000000.00|1937|fmt=eq}}), with its original creators Secunda and Jacobs missing significant royalties. In February 1961,{{sfn|Esterow|1961|p=22}} the [[copyright]] on the song expired, and the ownership reverted to Secunda and Jacobs, who signed a contract with Harms, Inc., securing proper [[Royalties#Music royalties|royalties]].{{sfn|Esterow|1961|p=22}} That same year, Secunda and Jacobs developed a new musical around the song itself, eponymously titled ''Bay mir bistu sheyn''.{{sfnm|Levin|2010|Esterow|1961|2p=22}}

The revamped 1961 musical focuses on a "a [[rabbi]] and his two sons and a matchmaker and his daughter. One of the rabbi's sons is in love with the matchmaker's daughter."{{sfn|Esterow|1961|p=22}} Their desired marriage eventually occurs, but not before the usual romantic misunderstandings and complexities.{{sfn|Esterow|1961|p=22}} In his later years, shortly before his death, Secunda purportedly expressed dismay that he would be remembered solely for writing the song.{{sfn|Levin|2010}}

=== Other countries ===
==== Nazi Germany ====
In 1938, the song was a smash hit in [[Nazi Germany]] under its [[German language|Germanized]] title "{{lang|de|Bei mir bist du schön}}".{{sfn|Levin|2010}} According to contemporary journalist Michael Mok, the song was likewise immensely popular among the German diaspora in America where pro-Nazi sympathizers in [[Yorkville, Manhattan|Yorkville]] ale-houses often chorused the tune under the mistaken impression that it was "a [[Joseph Goebbels|Goebbels-approved]]" ballad.{{sfn|Mok|1938}} Initially assumed to be an uncontroversial song in a [[Upper German|southern German dialect]], an uproar occurred when its Jewish provenance was abruptly discovered and widely publicized by the press.{{sfn|Hersch|2016|p=51}}{{sfn|Levin|2010}} Following this embarrassing discovery, as "any music by composers of Jewish ancestry was forbidden under the Nazi regime," the song was promptly banned by state authorities in Germany.{{sfn|Levin|2010}}

Later during [[World War II]], an unusual exception to this ban occurred: Noticing that radio audiences wished to hear American jazz, the Nazis decided to exploit such music for their propaganda efforts.{{sfn|Dash|2012}} Accordingly, [[Charlie and his Orchestra]]—a [[National Socialist German Workers Party|Nazi]]-sponsored [[Germany|German]] [[propaganda]] [[Swing (genre)|swing ensemble]] derisively nicknamed "Goebbels' band"—recorded a state-approved [[anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]] and [[anti-Communism|anti-Bolshevik]] version of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön."{{sfn|Steinbiss|Eisermann|1988}} This version was played by Nazi broadcasters in occupied countries.{{sfnm|Petit|2012|Dash|2012}}{{sfn|Bergmeier|Lotz|1997}} This Nazi propaganda version of the song was entitled "Anthem of the International Brotherhood of Bolsheviks" and has been credited by scholar Élise Petit with increasing anti-Semitic sentiment amid [[the Holocaust]].{{sfn|Petit|2012}}

==== Poland ====
In 1938 two separate Polish-language versions appeared in Poland. The first one, with lyrics by [[Andrzej Włast]], "Ty masz dla mnie coś", was sung by [[Mieczysław Fogg]]. The other one, with lyrics by [[Zenon Friedwald]], "Czy wiesz, mała miss?", was performed by top Polish [[Crooner|crooners]] of the pre-war era, [[Adam Aston]], [[Albert Harris (singer)|Albert Harris]] and [[Mieczysław Fogg]], and by less known artists, such as Henryk Wróblewski and Edward Zayenda.

In post-war Poland [[Agnieszka Osiecka]] wrote new Polish lyrics, "Ty masz w sobie coś".

==== Soviet Union ====
There have been several parody songs to the tune in the [[Soviet Union]], some of them performed by popular jazz orchestra. In 1943, a [[Russian-language]] song with the same melody was produced entitled "Baron von der Pshik" ("Барон фон дер Пшик");{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1p=151|Starr|1994|2p=190}} presumably to avoid paying royalties, this version was falsely credited to a Soviet songwriter.{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1p=151|Levin|2010}} It featured satirical [[Anti-fascism|anti-Nazi]] lyrics by Anatoli Fidrovsky, with music arrangement by Orest Kandat.{{sfn|Secunda|1982|p=151}} Initially, it was recorded by the [[jazz orchestra]] (director [[Nikolay Minkh]]) of the Baltic Fleet Theatre,{{sfn|Starr|1994|pp=183–184}} and later it was included into the repertoire of [[Leonid Utyosov]]'s jazz orchestra.{{sfnm|Secunda|1982|1p=151|Starr|1994|2p=190}}

In the late Soviet period, a version came out under the name "In the [[Port of Cape Town]]" ("V Keiptaunskom portu"), with lyrics by {{ill|Pavel Gandelman|ru|Гандельман, Павел Моисеевич}}, a Jewish native of [[Leningrad]].<ref>[http://enc.biblioclub.ru/termin/1539034 "Гандельман, Павел Моисеевич"]</ref> It quickly became part of the Soviet [[urban folklore]]. This song was performed, among others, by Russian singer [[Larisa Dolina]].

== Parodies ==
* "[[The Bear Missed the Train]]," was written by the Smith Street Society Jazz Band in 1964 and became a favorite on [[Jean Shepherd]]'s radio program.{{sfn|Bergmann|2005|p=203}}
* "The Ballad of Shane Muscatel" is a humorous song written by [[Tom Constanten]].  Set amidst a fictional Old West rivalry between wine vintners and beer brewers, it tells of the titular [[Oenophilia|oenophile]]'s wanderings.  The narrative's final verse includes the punchline, "Buy a beer, Mr. Shane".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/the-ballad-of-shane-muscatel-mt0012720451 |title=The Ballad of Shane Muscatel |website=AllMusic |access-date=June 20, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Shasta (soft drink)|Shasta Beverages]] ran commercials for Shasta Root Beer, during the 1970s, where a dusty cowpoke entered a saloon, asking "Barkeep, whadya got that's real good", and everyone in the bar breaks out in song to answer, "Root beer, Mr. Shane".{{sfn|Shasta Root Beer|1976}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|18em}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book | last = Bergmann | first = Eugene B. | title = Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd | year = 2005 | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] | location = Lanham, Maryland | isbn = 1-55783-600-0 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ms-GDwAAQBAJ | access-date = March 29, 2019 | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last1 = Bergmeier | first1 = Horst J. P. | last2 = Lotz | first2 = Rainer E. | title = Hitler's Airwaves: The Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing | location = New Haven, Connecticut | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0-300-06709-5 | access-date = March 29, 2019 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gT2HQgAACAAJ | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite web | last = Dash | first = Mike | title = Hitler's Very Own Hot Jazz Band | date = May 17, 2012 | website = [[Smithsonian Institution]] | location = Washington, D.C. | access-date = April 4, 2019 | url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hitlers-very-own-hot-jazz-band-98745129/ }}
* {{cite news | last = Esterow | first = Milton | title = 'Bei Mir Bistu Schoen' at the Anderson | date = October 23, 1961 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | location = New York | access-date = March 29, 2019 | url = https://nyti.ms/2CKQMlw | page = 22 | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Gottlieb | first = Jack | title = Funny, It Doesn't Sound Jewish: How Yiddish Songs and Synagogue Melodies Influenced Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-jQzZfNYKWsC | year = 2004 | publisher = [[State University of New York Press]] | location = Albany, New York | isbn = 978-0-8444-1130-9 | access-date = March 29, 2019 | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Hersch | first = Charles B. | title = Jews and Jazz: Improvising Ethnicity | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zzMlDwAAQBAJ | publisher = [[Taylor & Francis]] | location = Milton Park, United Kingdom | year = 2016 | isbn = 978-1-317-27039-3 | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription | access-date = March 29, 2019 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Lerski | first = Tomasz | title = Poland's First Recording Company | year = 2003 | publisher = Karin | language = pl | isbn = 978-8-391-71890-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4E5EAQAAIAAJ | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite web | last = Levin | first = Neil W. | title = Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn: To Me You're Beautiful | year = 2010 | series = Volume 13: Great Songs of the American Yiddish Stage | url = http://www.milkenarchive.org/works/view/583#/works/program_notes/583 | website = [[Milken Archive of Jewish Music]] | location = Santa Monica, California | publisher = [[Milken Family Foundation]] | access-date = July 23, 2016 }}
* {{Cite news | last = Mok | first = Michael | title = Composer of 'Bei Mir' Tells How He Had to Split $30 Fee: Got Only That Sum for Rights to Old Song That In New Dress is Sweeping U.S. — And $15 Went to Lyricist | newspaper = [[Camden Courier-Post]] | location = Cherry Hill, New Jersey | page = 9 | date = January 26, 1938 | access-date = March 29, 2019 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/446284361/ | via = [[Newspapers.com]] | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Nimmo | first = Harry Arlo | title = The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record | pages = 73–76 | year = 2007 | orig-year = 2004 | publisher = [[McFarland & Company]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9mE2-RxDyZsC | access-date = March 29, 2019 | isbn = 978-0-7864-3260-8 | location = Jefferson, North Carolina | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last1 = Rust | first1 = Brian | last2 = Debus | first2 = Allen G. | title = The Complete Entertainment Discography, from the Mid-1890s to 1942 | year = 1973 | publisher = [[Arlington House Publishers|Arlington House]] | location = New York City | isbn = 978-0-87000-150-5 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ezXaAAAAMAAJ | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite web | last = Petit | first = Élise | title = Charlie and his Orchestra | url = http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/politics-and-propaganda/third-reich/charlie-and-his-orchestra/ | website = Music and the Holocaust | publisher = [[World ORT]] | location = London, United Kingdom | year = 2012 | access-date = March 29, 2019 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Secunda | first = Victoria | title = Bei Mir Bist Du Schön: The Life of Sholom Secunda | year = 1982 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HQIIAQAAMAAJ | publisher = Magic Circle Press | location = United States | isbn = 978-0-913660-15-7 | access-date = March 29, 2019 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Seiler | first = Paul | title = Zarah Leander: Ich Bin Eine Stimme | year = 1997 | publisher = [[Ullstein Verlag|Ullstein]] | location = Berlin, Germany | language = de | isbn = 978-3-548-35711-9 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2PU5AQAAIAAJ | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite web | author = [[Shasta Beverages]] | title = Shasta Root Beer Commercial (1976) | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IQEnzjQDfs | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210324083956/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IQEnzjQDfs | archive-date = March 24, 2021 | url-status = live | website = YouTube | date = 8 October 2017 | ref = {{harvid|Shasta Root Beer|1976}} | access-date = December 5, 2020 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Smith | first = Jessie Carney | title = Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture | year = 2011 | publisher = [[ABC-CLIO]] | location = Santa Barbara, California | isbn = 978-0-313-35797-8 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=10rEGSIItjgC | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Starr | first = S. Frederick | title = Red and Hot: The Fate of Jazz in the Soviet Union 1917-1991 | year = 1994 | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield|Limelight]] | isbn = 978-0-87910-180-0 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1lc_vp4_lJoC | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite news | last1 = Steinbiss | first1 = Florian | last2 = Eisermann | first2 = David | title = Wir haben damals die beste Musik gemacht | newspaper = [[Der Spiegel (website)|Der Spiegel]] | location = Hamburg, Germany | date = April 18, 1988 | language = de | url = http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13528677.htm | access-date = January 1, 2022 | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Szwed | first = John | title = Crossovers: Essays on Race, Music, and American Culture | publisher = [[University of Pennsylvania Press]] | location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | date = October 19, 2006 | isbn = 0-8122-1972-4 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=d5p0BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA192 }}
* {{Cite web | author = The Hot Sardines | title = New Album Out October 7 on Decca Records | date = August 7, 2014 | website = HotSardines.com | url = https://hotsardines.com/blog/new-album-out-october-7-on-decca-records/ | ref = {{harvid|Hot Sardines|2014}} | access-date = March 18, 2019 }}
* {{Cite book | last = Van Delden | first = Ate | title = Adrian Rollini: The Life and Music of a Jazz Rambler | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PhS9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT350 | publisher = [[University Press of Mississippi]] | location = Jackson, Mississippi | date = November 29, 2019 | isbn = 978-1-4968-2517-9 | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription }}
* {{Cite book | last = Whitfield | first = Stephen J. | authorlink = Stephen J. Whitfield | title = In Search of American Jewish Culture | pages = 1–2 | year = 2001 | publisher = [[University Press of New England]] | location = Lebanon, New Hampshire | isbn = 978-1-58465-171-0 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cj_2I-6Xj60C | via = Google Books | url-access = subscription | access-date = March 29, 2019 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Wikisourcelang-inline|yi | בייַ מיר ביסטו שיין | Lyrics in Yiddish}} (in the Hebrew script)
* {{YouTube|id=04WH5ewE2RM|title=History of Bei Mir Bistu Shein featuring archival film clips}} {{in lang|ru}}
* {{YouTube|id=4Vvo3MaFcxw|title=The Andrews Sisters sing Bei Mir Bistu Shein with new English lyrics (1937)}}
* {{YouTube|id=KalNkl4V3gM|title=Lyricist's granddaughter tells "The Real Story of Bei Mir Bistu Shein" (2011)}}

{{The Andrews Sisters}}
{{The Crew-Cuts}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1933 songs]]
[[Category:Songs with lyrics by Sammy Cahn]]
[[Category:Songs written by Saul Chaplin]]
[[Category:Yiddish theatre]]
[[Category:Yiddish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Sholom Secunda]]
[[Category:Songs in Yiddish]]
[[Category:1938 singles]]
[[Category:The Andrews Sisters songs]]
[[Category:Kate Smith songs]]
[[Category:Belle Baker songs]]
[[Category:Al Bowlly songs]]
[[Category:Guy Lombardo songs]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:Quotations from music]]
[[Category:1933 quotations]]