"Alley Cat", also known as "Alleycat" and "The Alley Cat," is a popular instrumental song made most famous by the Danish pianist and composer Bent Fabric

Bent Fabric

Bent Fabricius-Bjerre , better known internationally as Bent Fabric, is a Danish pianist and composer.-Biography:...

, released in 1962.

History

The song was originally released under the Danish title "Omkring et Flygel," which means "Around the Piano." It was made popular in 1938 by Glen Gray, but in 1962, the Bent Fabric composition reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart and number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In Australia, it went to number 1 and in Germany it went to number 49. It also won a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 for Best Rock & Roll Recording

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song was awarded between 1960 and 1971. The award had several minor name changes:*In 1960 the award was known as Best Performance by a "Top 40" Artist...

 during the 5th Grammy Awards. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

Popular culture

The song has appeared in numerous films, including the 1989 film Shag

Shag

Shag may refer to:*Collegiate shag, a swing dance that originated in the 1920s *Carolina shag, a swing dance that originated in South Carolina in the 1940s*St...

, starring Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates is an American film actress, model, and entrepreneur known for her roles in several teen films, most notably Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins.-Early life:...

 and Bridget Fonda

Bridget Fonda

Bridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...

, the 1994 film Cabin Boy

Cabin Boy

Cabin Boy is a 1994 fantasy comedy film directed by Adam Resnick and produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Adam Resnick...

, starring Chris Elliott

Chris Elliott

Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond...

 and Andy Richter

Andy Richter

Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...

, the 1999 film Just Looking

Just Looking

Just Looking is an American feature film from the year 1999. It starred Ryan Merriman, was directed by Jason Alexander and received a limited theatrical release....

, starring Ryan Merriman

Ryan Merriman

Ryan Earl Merriman is an American actor. He began his acting career as a child actor during the mid-1990s and has appeared in several feature films and television shows.-Background:...

, the 2000 film Duets

Duets

An original motion picture soundtrack CD was released on September 12, 2000 by Hollywood Records. The CD contained twelve tracks including the original music composed for the film by David Newman....

, starring Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...

 and Huey Lewis

Huey Lewis

Huey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...

 and the 2004 film Imaginary Heroes

Imaginary Heroes

Imaginary Heroes is a 2004 American drama film written and directed by Dan Harris. It focuses on the traumatic effect the suicide of the elder son has on a suburban family.-Plot:...

, starring Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...

 and Emile Hirsch

Emile Hirsch

Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In...

. It was also used in the 1990 Get a Life

Get a Life (TV series)

Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...

episode "Zoo Animals on Wheels."

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Matt Dennis of the Windsor Star

Windsor Star

The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...

said the song had an "infectious, toe-tapping tempo."

Cover versions

The song has been covered by multiple artists, including Al Hirt

Al Hirt

Al Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million selling recordings of "Java", and the accompanying album, Honey in the Horn . His nicknames included 'Jumbo' and 'The Round Mound of Sound'...

, Ray Conniff

Ray Conniff

Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.-Biography:...

 and The Champs

The Champs

The Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". Formed by studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-Side for the Dave Burgess single, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to...

.