Lovin 'Sam (The Sheik of Alabam)
Lovin 'Sam (The Sheik of Alabam) is a song written by Milton Ager (music) and Jack Yellen (lyrics) and published in 1922.
History of origin
With the hit song Lovin 'Sam (The Sheik of Alabam) and Who Cares? (presented by Al Jolson in Bombo ) began the collaboration between Jack Yellen and Milton Ager in 1922, who subsequently founded the music publisher Ager, Yellen & Bernstein as his composition . The song was introduced by Al Herman and Sophie Tucker ; the singer Grace Hayes introduced the song in 1923 in the musical The Bunch and Judy ; Eddie Cantor interpreted him in the JJ and Lee Shubert production Make it Snappy .
Music and lyrics
Thematically, Lovin 'Sam was influenced by the popularity of Rudolph Valentino through the silent film The Sheik (1921). The song verses are in D major while the chorus changes to G major . Such key changes were rarely found in popular music of the time. The first song verse begins as if a preacher is singing it: Listen, sister and brothers, I suppose you've heard of the Sheik . “Then he says that he knows a man who is a greater lover than the Sheikh; all the girls in town wanted to be the bride of this Romeo. ”The chorus text finally tells of this Lovin 'Sam, the Sheik of Alabam ; Sam be a mean love makin ', a heart-breakin' man . "We're told we could love as much as Sam, we should only eat the eggs and ham from the best kitchens in the Alabam."
Don Tyler notes that some words in the text are racist , such as high browns and culled (which means black).
- There ain't a high-brown gal in town
- who wouldn't throw her cracker papa down
- to be the bride of these colored Romeo
Cover versions
As early as October 1922, the song was recorded in the United States by Margaret Young (Brunswick) and the Harry Reser Trio (Gennett), in the field of early jazz by Ted Lewis , The Virginians (a studio formation around Ross Gorman , Henry Busse and Ferde Grofé ), The Dixie Daisies (a pseudonym for the Bob Haring Orchestra) as well as in 1923 in Paris by the Orchester Syncopated Six and in Berlin in 1924 by the Chapel Evans . Most commercially successful in the United States was the version of singer Nora Bayes (1880–1928) for Columbia . The discographer Tom Lord lists a total of 17 (as of 2015) cover versions in the field of jazz , such as Emmett Miller , Gene Kardos , the Firehouse Five Plus Two and Sippie Wallace .
The song is not to be confused with Loving Sam from Alabam by Perry Bradford , u. a. Taken in 1920 by Mamie Smith (Okeh 4253). This song may have influenced Yellen and Ager.
Web links
- Inclusion in the catalog of the German National Library: DNB 355715236
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Don Tyler: Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era . 2007, p. 134.
- ↑ Lovin Sam at University of Alabama
- ^ Warren W. Vaché : The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melodies , 2000, p. 561
- ↑ Sheet music from Lovin 'Sam (The Sheik of Alabam) (1922)
- ↑ Sheet music from Lovin 'Sam (The Sheik Of Alabam), with Eddie Cantor Photo as Blackface , sheet music
- ↑ a b c d Nick Tosches: Blackface: au confluent des voix mortes . 2003, p. 166.
- ↑ a b Tom Lord: Jazz discography (online)