Come on-a My House
Encyclopedia
"Come on-a My House" is a song performed by Rosemary Clooney
on her album Come On-A My House, released on June 6, 1951. The song was written by Ross Bagdasarian and noted Armenian American writer William Saroyan
in the summer of 1939 but did not become a hit until the release of Clooney's recording. It was probably Saroyan's only effort at popular songwriting, and it was one of Bagdasarian's few well-known works that was not connected to his best-known creation, Alvin and the Chipmunks
. The melody is based on an Armenian folk song.
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The song was a major hit for Clooney in 1951; it was the first of a number of dialect songs she did. She recorded the song with Mitch Miller
and his orchestra and harpsichord
ist Stan Freeman
in the early part of 1951, and the song reached #1 on the Billboard charts, staying in the top position for eight weeks.
Clooney sang the song in the 1953 film The Stars Are Singing
in a scene where she ended up mocking the song and said no one would listen to it.
Although she performed "Come on-a My House" for many years, Clooney later confessed that she hated the song. She said she had been given a practice record of the song and told Miller that the song wasn't for her. Miller gave her an ultimatum - record the song or be fired. During a 1988 interview, Clooney said that whenever she listens to the recording she could hear the anger in her voice for being forced to sing it. Little did she know that the song would become one of her biggest hits.
, as one side of a single whose other side was also a cover of a Clooney hit, "Mixed Emotions
," on Decca Records
(catalog number
27875).
The song was later performed by Kay Starr
, who added a few lines with funny, nearly surrealistic details and ended the song with an even more explicit offer. Elliot Everlett also recordered the song. In 1952, Japanese singer Chiemi Eri
covered the Kay Starr version. Della Reese
also recorded the song, and it is her version that Madonna
mimes to in the remake
of Swept Away. Many have offered a non-tradition twist to the song: Mickey Katz
sings it in Yiddish; Julie London
oozes a more blatant sexiness in her version; and, Eartha Kitt
performs a Japanese rendition.
The song was later used as the theme for the reality television
series The Girls Next Door
, performed by the Nasty Tales and their orchestra. The Surf Punks
remade the song in the late 1980s.
The composers performed the song themselves – Bagdasarian singing, Saroyan offering occasional narration – for Coral Records
. Bagdasarian also performs the song on his album The Mixed-Up World of Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks
sang it for their Thanksgiving
episodem "A Chipmunk Celebration". In the 1987 animated movie The Chipmunk Adventure
, it is sung briefly by Miss Miller, voiced by Dody Goodman
.
American Country music artist K.T. Oslin covered the song on her 2001 album, Live Close By, Visit Often. Her version reached #40 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.
Parody
In late 1951 MGM Records released a novelty response song, "Where's-a Your House?", which charted on the Cash Box Hot 50 list. Sung by Robert Q. Lewis
in dialect, the tune details the singer's frustrated attempts to follow up "Rosie's" invitation.
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
on her album Come On-A My House, released on June 6, 1951. The song was written by Ross Bagdasarian and noted Armenian American writer William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
in the summer of 1939 but did not become a hit until the release of Clooney's recording. It was probably Saroyan's only effort at popular songwriting, and it was one of Bagdasarian's few well-known works that was not connected to his best-known creation, Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
. The melody is based on an Armenian folk song.
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History
The song (written by two Armenian Americans) touches upon traditional Armenian customs of inviting over relatives and friends and providing them with a generously overflowing table of fruits, nuts, seeds, and other foods.The song was a major hit for Clooney in 1951; it was the first of a number of dialect songs she did. She recorded the song with Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
and his orchestra and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist Stan Freeman
Stan Freeman
Stanley Freeman was an American composer, lyricist, musical arranger, conductor, and studio musician.-Biography:...
in the early part of 1951, and the song reached #1 on the Billboard charts, staying in the top position for eight weeks.
Clooney sang the song in the 1953 film The Stars Are Singing
The Stars Are Singing
The Stars Are Singing is a 1953 Paramount Pictures musical starring Rosemary Clooney, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and Lauritz Melchior. A 15-year-old Polish girl attempts to enter the U.S...
in a scene where she ended up mocking the song and said no one would listen to it.
Although she performed "Come on-a My House" for many years, Clooney later confessed that she hated the song. She said she had been given a practice record of the song and told Miller that the song wasn't for her. Miller gave her an ultimatum - record the song or be fired. During a 1988 interview, Clooney said that whenever she listens to the recording she could hear the anger in her voice for being forced to sing it. Little did she know that the song would become one of her biggest hits.
Cover versions
The song was covered by Ella FitzgeraldElla Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, as one side of a single whose other side was also a cover of a Clooney hit, "Mixed Emotions
Mixed Emotions (1951 song)
"Mixed Emotions" is a popular song by Stuart F. Louchheim, published in 1951.The best-known version of the song was recorded by Rosemary Clooney on Columbia Records in 1951....
," on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
(catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
27875).
The song was later performed by Kay Starr
Kay Starr
Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....
, who added a few lines with funny, nearly surrealistic details and ended the song with an even more explicit offer. Elliot Everlett also recordered the song. In 1952, Japanese singer Chiemi Eri
Chiemi Eri
, was a Japanese popular singer and actress.Eri was born as Chiemi Kubo on January 11, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. She started her singing career at the age of 14 with her version of "Tennessee Waltz." She sang American songs such as "Jambalaya" & "Come on-a My House". Eri started her career as an...
covered the Kay Starr version. Della Reese
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
also recorded the song, and it is her version that Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
mimes to in the remake
Swept Away (2002 film)
Swept Away is a 2002 Franco-British romantic comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Madonna, Adriano Giannini, and Bruce Greenwood. It was released by Screen Gems and produced by Matthew Vaughn. It received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box office failure.-Plot:Amber...
of Swept Away. Many have offered a non-tradition twist to the song: Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz
Mickey Katz , was an American comedian and musician who specialized in Jewish humor. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey.-Family:...
sings it in Yiddish; Julie London
Julie London
Julie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
oozes a more blatant sexiness in her version; and, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
performs a Japanese rendition.
The song was later used as the theme for the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series The Girls Next Door
The Girls Next Door
The Girls Next Door, also known as The Girls of the Playboy Mansion, is an American reality television series broadcast on the E! cable television network...
, performed by the Nasty Tales and their orchestra. The Surf Punks
Surf Punks
The Surf Punks were a pop punk band formed in 1976 by Malibu residents Dennis Dragon , and Drew Steele...
remade the song in the late 1980s.
The composers performed the song themselves – Bagdasarian singing, Saroyan offering occasional narration – for Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
. Bagdasarian also performs the song on his album The Mixed-Up World of Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
sang it for their Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
episodem "A Chipmunk Celebration". In the 1987 animated movie The Chipmunk Adventure
The Chipmunk Adventure
The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 American animated film featuring the characters from NBC's Saturday morning cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Chipmunk Adventure was directed by Janice Karman from a screenplay by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr....
, it is sung briefly by Miss Miller, voiced by Dody Goodman
Dody Goodman
Dolores "Dody" Goodman was an American character actress known for her playing the mother of the title character Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman...
.
American Country music artist K.T. Oslin covered the song on her 2001 album, Live Close By, Visit Often. Her version reached #40 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.
Parody
In late 1951 MGM Records released a novelty response song, "Where's-a Your House?", which charted on the Cash Box Hot 50 list. Sung by Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis was an American radio and television personality, game show host, and actor. Lewis added the middle initial "Q." to his name accidentally on the air in 1942, when he responded to a reference to radio comedian F. Chase Taylor's character, Colonel Lemuel Q...
in dialect, the tune details the singer's frustrated attempts to follow up "Rosie's" invitation.