Makin' Whoopee
"Makin' Whoopee" is a jazz/blues song, first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical Whoopee!. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical.
"Makin' Whoopee" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Published | 1928 by Donaldson, Douglas & Gumble |
Released | 1928 |
Genre | Jazz, blues |
Songwriter(s) | Gus Kahn |
Composer(s) | Walter Donaldson |
The title refers to celebrating a marriage. Eventually "making whoopee" became a euphemism for intimate sexual relations.[1] The song has been called a "dire warning", largely to men, about the "trap" of marriage.[2] "Makin' Whoopee" begins with the celebration of a wedding, honeymoon and marital bliss, but moves on to babies and responsibilities, and ultimately on to affairs and possible divorce, ending with a judge's advice.
Other versions
- Timothy Spall and Eddie Marsan performed a version of the song in the 2005 film Pierrepoint.
- Yoko Ono under the title "I'm Your Angel" and with altered lyrics, 1980, Double Fantasy
- George Olsen and His Music. Released by Victor on November 12, 1928 as catalog number 21816-A. Vocal refrain by Fran Frey.
- Bing Crosby recorded the song on December 22, 1928 with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.[3][4] It made #8 on the Billboard charts.
- Rudy Vallée recorded the song for his album Dancing in the Moonlight in 1929[5]
- The King Cole Trio recorded the song August 7, 1947 in Los Angeles (2139-3 (Capitol 10101, 1669)).[6][7]
- Doris Day recorded the song in a duet with Danny Thomas in November 1951. It was released on the 10" soundtrack-LP I'll See You in My Dreams by Columbia Records as catalog number CL-6198 on December 14, 1952. Conductor: Paul Weston.[8] She recorded a new version in November 1958. It was released on the LP Cuttin' Capers by Columbia Records as catalog number CS-8078 (stereo) and CL-1232 (mono) on March 9, 1959. Conductor: Frank De Vol.[9]
- Frank Sinatra. Released on the LP Songs For Swingin' Lovers by Capitol Records as catalog number W-653 in 1956.[10]
- Louis Armstrong. Released as a bonus track on the CD Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson
- Dinah Washington. Released on the LP The Swingin' Miss "D" by EmArcy Records as catalog number MG 36104 in 1956. Arranger and conductor: Quincy Jones. Producer: Bob Shad.[11]
- Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Released on the double LP Ella and Louis Again by Verve as catalog number MGV 4006-2 and reissued in 2006 on a 2 CD-set as Verve 0602517036918.
- Ella Fitzgerald. Recorded at the Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on November 24, 1958. It was released on the LP Ella Fitzgerald Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers by Verve Records as catalogue number VS-6072 (stereo) and V-4032 (mono) in 1959. Arranger and conductor was Frank De Vol.
- Bill Doggett recorded an instrumental version on his 1959 album Big City Dance Party, King Records KS-641.
- Marlene Dietrich performed the song on her 1959 live album Dietrich in Rio.
- The McGuire Sisters recorded the song on their 1960 album "His and Hers."
- Don Lusher, Orchestra directed by Pete Moore. Released on the LP Makin' Whoopee by CBS Records as catalog number 63021 in 1967.
- Gerry Mulligan performed a version with Chet Baker in 1953, and then performed it live with Jon Eardley in 1954.
- Harry Nilsson performed the song on his 1973 album A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.
- Hawkeye Pierce. It was played on a gramophone at the Swamp and partially sung by Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) at the end of an episode of M*A*S*H titled "Dear Dad... Three".[12]
- Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones performed "Makin' Whoopee" on Dr. John's album In a Sentimental Mood. It was released by Warner Bros. Records, earning a Grammy Award in 1989.
- Michelle Pfeiffer sang "Makin' Whoopee", sprawled over a piano in a red evening dress, in the 1989 film The Fabulous Baker Boys.[13]
- Cyndi Lauper covered the song as a duet with Tony Bennett on her 2003 studio album At Last.
- Ray Charles sang a humorous version of "Makin Whoopee" live while playing the piano.
- Rachael MacFarlane released it on her debut album Hayley Sings.
- Elton John performs on the Best Buy 2004 Christmas CD "Sweet Tracks"
- Amanda Palmer released her version on the 2011 album "Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under"
- Vicki Lewis and Phil Hartman performed the song in the 1997 NewsRadio episode "Stupid Holiday Charity Talent Show." [14]
- Rod Stewart and Elton John perform a duet of the song on Stewart’s album Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV.
In advertising
- Pepsi used the melody of "Makin' Whoopee" with new lyrics, sung by Joanie Sommers, for its advertising campaign "Now It's Pepsi -- For Those Who Think Young" starting in 1961.[15]
- Heinz created a 1993 commercial in which a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of salsa "make whoopee" in a refrigerator, resulting in a salsa-style ketchup.[16]
In popular culture
The song appears in Bioshock Infinite, performed by Rudy Vallée.[17]
This song appears in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Season 1, Episode 6, Ruddy Gore, 2012.
This song is included in the Simpsons episode "The Fabulous Faker Boy" making reference to the 1989 film "The Fabulous Baker Boys" in the scene where actress Michelle Pfeiffer sings this song.
The song is included on the video game Mafia 2.
The song is included in the Family Guy episode Lottery Fever, where Quagmire and Joe sing the song while Peter Griffin shoots them with a BB gun.
References
- "Whoopee". Merriam-Webster. Webster.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
- Holden, Stephen (April 19, 2002). "Crooning About the Woes of Whoopee". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-10-08. A review of a James Naughton cabaret performance. "Mr. Naughton pounces on the dire warning to men lurking beneath the song's playful surface: that once the honeymoon is over, marriage can become a trap from which there is no escape."
- "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- 10CD-set Bing Crosby, CD 1 Early Bing Vol. 1, Mebran Music Ltd. (2008), ISBN 978-3-86860-027-8
- https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4064961/Rudy+Vallée/Makin%27+Whoopee
- Cool Cole, The King Cole Trio Story, Proper Records, 2001
- Nature Boy, Nat King Cole, Living Era, 2003
- "Music | Original Columbia LP "I'll See You In My Dreams" [1951]". DorisDayTribute.com. 1951-12-14. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- "Music | Original Columbia LP "Cuttin' Capers" [1959]". DorisDayTribute.com. 1959-03-09. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- "Frank Sinatra Album List : Release Date Ascending". Sinatrafamily.com. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- "Mercury Records Discography: 1956". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- ""M*A*S*H" Dear Dad.... Three (TV episode 1973)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- "The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- ""NewsRadio" Stupid Holiday Charity Talent Show (1997)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "Pepsi-Cola Uses Old 'Whoopee' Hit as Jingle Theme". Billboard Music Week. 1961-02-13. p. 36. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- Gurwitch, Annabelle. (2015). I see you made an effort : compliments, indignities, and survival stories from the edge of 50. ISBN 9780142181874. OCLC 881869606.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20150429011342/http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/music