Carolina in the Morning
Encyclopedia
"Carolina in the Morning" is a popular song
with word
s by Gus Kahn
and music
by Walter Donaldson
, first published in 1922 by Jerome H. Remick & Co.
The song debuted on Broadway
in the elaborate (and risqué) musical revue The Passing Show of 1922 at the Winter Garden Theater by William Frawley
(who later sang it on an episode of I Love Lucy
), where it generated moderate attention. Vaudeville
performers incorporated it into their acts and helped popularize it.
Notable recordings when the song was new were made by such artists as Marion Harris
, Van & Schenck, and Al Jolson
.
"Carolina in the Morning" gradually became a standard, being revived regularly as a popular song into the 1950s. Al Jolson
's 1947 re-recording of the song outsold the original.
Other artists to have later successes with the song included Bing Crosby
, Dean Martin
, Jimmy Durante
, Dinah Shore
, Judy Garland
, and Danny Kaye
. In 1957, Bill Haley & His Comets
recorded a rock and roll
version.
in the United States
due to age) are given below. The chorus remains well known, but the verses have generally been omitted from vocal performances since the early years of the song's popularity. The verses give a hint of melancholy to the song, while the chorus on its own can be an almost ecstatic reverie.
The popular chorus has a catchy melody, constructed more creatively by Walter Donaldson than most Tin Pan Alley
popular songs of the era. Gus Kahn's clever lyrics use playful wording and subsidiary rhyme
s within lines in a manner found in some of the better novelty song
s of the era, but seldom found in songs where the effect was romantic
rather than comic
.
(Repeat Chorus)
and South Carolina
. It is also frequently sung by collegiate a cappella
groups. The song was also recorded by Brent Spiner
for his 1991 album Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back
. Among the more colorful renditions of this song was in the Warner Bros.
cartoon Book Revue
(1946) in which Daffy Duck
sings a Russian-accented version, imitating a then famous Danny Kaye
characterization, saying "feener", "Caroleena", etc., while wearing a zoot suit
. In 1951, Alfred Hitchcock
chose a mechanical-orchestra version to play at an amusement park as a prelude to Miriam's murder in Strangers on a Train
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
with word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
s by Gus Kahn
Gus Kahn
Gustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
by Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson was a prolific United States popular songwriter, composing many hit songs of the 1910s and 1920s.-History:...
, first published in 1922 by Jerome H. Remick & Co.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in the elaborate (and risqué) musical revue The Passing Show of 1922 at the Winter Garden Theater by William Frawley
William Frawley
William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
(who later sang it on an episode of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
), where it generated moderate attention. Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performers incorporated it into their acts and helped popularize it.
Notable recordings when the song was new were made by such artists as Marion Harris
Marion Harris
Marion Harris was an American popular singer, most successful in the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs....
, Van & Schenck, and Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
.
"Carolina in the Morning" gradually became a standard, being revived regularly as a popular song into the 1950s. Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
's 1947 re-recording of the song outsold the original.
Other artists to have later successes with the song included Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, and Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
. In 1957, Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
recorded a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
version.
Lyrics
The original 1922 lyrics (now public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to age) are given below. The chorus remains well known, but the verses have generally been omitted from vocal performances since the early years of the song's popularity. The verses give a hint of melancholy to the song, while the chorus on its own can be an almost ecstatic reverie.
The popular chorus has a catchy melody, constructed more creatively by Walter Donaldson than most Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
popular songs of the era. Gus Kahn's clever lyrics use playful wording and subsidiary rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
s within lines in a manner found in some of the better novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
s of the era, but seldom found in songs where the effect was romantic
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
rather than comic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
First verse
- Wishing is good time wasted,
- Still it's a habit they say;
- Wishing for sweets I've tasted,
- That's all I do all day.
- Maybe there's nothing in wishing,
- But speaking of wishing I'll say:
Chorus
- Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning,
- No one could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her in the morning.
- Where the morning glories
- Twine around the door,
- Whispering pretty stories
- I long to hear once more.
- Strolling with my girlie where the dew is pearly early in the morning,
- Butterflies all flutter up and kiss each little buttercup at dawning,
- If I had AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
's lamp for only a day, - I'd make a wish and here's what I'd say:
- Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.
Second verse
- Dreaming was meant for nighttime,
- I live in dreams all the day;
- I know it's not the right time,
- But still I dream away.
- What could be sweeter than dreaming,
- Just dreaming and drifting away.
(Repeat Chorus)
Use
Carolina in the Morning has been used in public celebrations in the states North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It is also frequently sung by collegiate a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
groups. The song was also recorded by Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner
Brent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr...
for his 1991 album Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back
Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back
Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back is a 1991 album by Brent Spiner, best known for his role as Data in the American television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The title is a parodic reference both to Frank Sinatra's Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back and the Data character, whose eyes are golden yellow...
. Among the more colorful renditions of this song was in the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon Book Revue
Book Revue
Book Revue is a 1945 Looney Tunes cartoon short featuring Daffy Duck, released in 1946, with a plotline essentially similar to 1938's Have You Got Any Castles?. It is directed by Bob Clampett, written by Warren Foster and scored by Carl Stalling. An uncredited Mel Blanc and Sara Berner provided...
(1946) in which Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
sings a Russian-accented version, imitating a then famous Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
characterization, saying "feener", "Caroleena", etc., while wearing a zoot suit
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
. In 1951, Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
chose a mechanical-orchestra version to play at an amusement park as a prelude to Miriam's murder in Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film)
Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,...
.