Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1931
When It's Sleepy Time Down South
Buy When It's Sleepy Time Down South now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'When It's Sleepy Time Down South'", also known as "'Sleepy Time Down South'", is a 1931 jazz song written by Clarence Muse, Leon Ren and Otis Ren. It was sung in the 1931 movie 'Safe in Hell' by Nina Mae McKinney, and became the signature song of Louis Armstrong, who recorded it almost a hundred times during his career.Charles Hersch: 'Subversive Sounds: Race and the Birth of Jazz in New Orleans'. University of Chicago Press, 2008. . p. 199 The song is now considered a jazz standard and it has been recorded by a plethora of artists. A popular recording in 1931 was by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (vocal by Mildred Bailey).
Al Hirt released a version on his 1963 album, 'Our Man in New Orleans,'[http://www.discogs.com/Al-Hirt-Our-Man-In-New-Orleans/release/1528310 Al Hirt, 'Our Man in New Orleans']. Retrieved April 10, 2013. and Harry James released a version on his 1972 album 'Mr. Trumpet' (Longines Symphonette Society SYS 5459/LS 217C/LS 217U). A British cover version was released in 1932 by Bob and Alf Pearson.
Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1975 for his album 'A Southern Memoir'.
The lyrics concern the Great Migration in the United States, the movement of African Americans from the South to cities in the North, with the singer talking about the "dear old Southland... where I belong", and contain many racial stereotypes.William Howland Kenney: 'Jazz on the River'. University of Chicago Press, 2005, p. 85. . Armstrong's popularity among African-American audiences dropped because of the song, but at the same time it helped the trumpeter to make his fan base broader. In protest during the 1950s, African Americans burned their copies of the song, which forced Armstrong to re-evaluate and change the song's lyrics in a reissue. There is a 1942 film short of the song where Armstrong and others played slaves and farm workers.
See also
*List of 1930s jazz standards
Notes
Buy When It's Sleepy Time Down South now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1931