Swanee (song)
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Script error: No such module "Listen". "Swanee" is an American popular song from 1919 composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Irving Caesar. It is most often associated with singer Al Jolson.
The song was written for a New York City revue called Demi-Tasse, which opened in October 1919 at the Capitol Theater. Caesar, who was then aged 24, claimed to have written the song in about ten minutes riding on a bus in Manhattan, finishing it at Gershwin's apartment. It was partly inspired by Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home", including that phrase in its lyrics. It was originally used as a big production number, with 60 chorus girls dancing with electric lights in their slippers on an otherwise darkened stage.[1]
Jolson versions
The song had little impact in its first show, but not long afterwards Gershwin played it at a party where Al Jolson heard it. Jolson then put it into his show Sinbad, already a success at the Winter Garden Theatre, and recorded it for Columbia Records in January 1920.[2] "After that", said Gershwin, "Swanee penetrated the four corners of the earth." The song was charted in 1920 for 18 weeks, holding the No. 1 position for nine.[3] It sold a million sheet music copies and an estimated two million records.[4] It became Gershwin's first hit and the biggest-selling song of his career; the money he earned from it allowed him to concentrate on theatre work and films rather than writing further single pop hits. Arthur Schwartz said: "It's ironic that he never again wrote a number equaling the sales of Swanee, which for all its infectiousness, doesn't match the individuality and subtlety of his later works."[5]
Jolson recorded the song several times in his career and performed it in the movies The Jolson Story (1946), Rhapsody in Blue (1945),[6] and Jolson Sings Again (1949). For the song's performance in The Jolson Story, Jolson, rather than actor Larry Parks, appeared as himself, filmed in long shot. Although usually associated with Jolson, "Swanee" has been recorded by many other singers, most notably Judy Garland in A Star Is Born.[1]
See also
- Suwannee River of southern Georgia and northern Florida.
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Al Jolson Society
- ↑ CD liner notes: Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, 1998 ASV Ltd.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Open Writing: Swanee Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Template:Gilliland
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External links
- Swanee: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Template:George Gershwin Template:Al Jolson Template:Judy Garland songs Template:Authority control
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with hAudio microformats
- Music infoboxes with malformed table placement
- Works with IMSLP links
- Articles with International Music Score Library Project links
- 1919 songs
- Songs with music by George Gershwin
- Songs with lyrics by Irving Caesar
- Al Jolson songs
- Judy Garland songs
- United States National Recording Registry recordings
- Songs about rivers