Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Robert B. Waltz Origins: Chicago/I Used to Work in Chicago (bawdy) (52* d) RE: Origins: Chicago/I Used to Work in Chicago (bawdy) 13 Jul 23

Lighter wrote: Sammy Kaye and his orchestra recorded "I Used to Work in Chicago" (with "It's a Lie" on the flip side) on RCA Victor 20-2037 in 1946.

(Etc.)

Now this is truly interesting. Notice what we have: a whole bunch of printings of a single verse in the early 1920s, but no recordings. Then, just after World War II, we have a similar explosion, but this time of recordings.

Obviously that says that the piece has a very strong (if perhaps juvenile) appeal -- but it also hints that the single verse is the original, and that someone c. 1946 set the tune and added some lyrics, and that version again became popular. One might conjecture that the poem was converted to a song by Vincent and Skylar, although I'd hate to bet on it.

Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.
   * Click on the linked number with * to view the thread split into pages (click "d" for chronologically descending).

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.