Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1924
Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)
Buy Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah) 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
"'Hard Hearted Hannah, the Vamp of Savannah'" is a popular song with words by Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, and Charles Bates, and music by Milton Ager. The song was published in June 1924 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc., New York.
'Hard Hearted Hannah' tells in humorous fashion the story of a sadistic "vamp" or femme fatale from Savannah, Georgia.
Popularized by vocalist Margaret Young, it also had early recordings by vocalists Lucille Hegamin[http://www.redhotjazz.com/hegamin.html] Lucille Hegamin at RedHotJazz.com and Dolly Kay,[http://www.redhotjazz.com/dollykay.html] Dolly Kay at RedHotJazz.com Vernon Dalhart in 1924, Herb Wiedoeft's band (1924) and by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.[http://www.redhotjazz.com/pwo.html] Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra at RedHotJazz.com A quarter century later Peggy Lee revived "Hannah" very successfully for Capitol Records, and the Ray Charles Singers made a hit version for Decca.Shana Alexander, 'Happy Days: My Mother, My Father, My Sister & Me', New York: Doubleday, 1995.
The song has been recorded numerous times by such performers as Patti Austin, Belle Baker, Jim Croce, Bobby Darin, Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards, Ella Fitzgerald, Sue Keller, Stacey Kent, Julie London, Turk Murphy, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Nancy Sinatra, Kay Starr, Pat Suzuki, The Temperance Seven, Toni Tennille, Mary Testa, Sophie Tucker, Margaret Whiting and Sun Ra.[http://www.allmusic.com/search/track/Hard+Hearted+Hannah/order:default-asc] List of performers who have recorded 'Hard Hearted Hannah' at allmusic.com
Memorable television or film performances of the song include those by Carol Burnett, Peggy Lee, Dorothy Loudon, Ella Fitzgerald (on 'Pete Kelly's Blues'), and Beatrice Arthur on 'Maude' and 'The Golden Girls'. The song was performed by vampire Bill Compton (played by Stephen Moyer) in the sixth episode of the second season of the HBO show True Blood, also called 'Hard-Hearted Hannah'; Dolly Kay's recording of the song plays over the final credits.[http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/episodes/2/18-hard-hearted-hannah/music.html] HBO True Blood
In season 1 of American Idol, contestant Nikki McKibbin sang this song in the finals where she ended up in the Bottom 3.
References
See also
*List of 1920s jazz standards
Category:1924 songs
Category:Songs written by Jack Yellen
Category:Songs with music by Milton Ager
Category:1920s jazz standards
Category:Jim Croce songs
Category:Belle Baker songs
Category:Ray Charles songs
Buy Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1924