The Hut-Sut Song
Encyclopedia
The Hut-Sut Song is a novelty song
from the 1940s with nonsense lyrics. The song was written in 1941
by Leo V. Killion, Ted McMichael and Jack Owens
. The first and most popular recording was by Horace Heidt
and His Musical Knights.
The lyrics state that a Swedish
boy skipped school to sit by a stream and sing what is purportedly a Swedish folk song. The chorus goes in part:
The song then purports to define some of the words, a boy and a girl by a river and their dreams. The song has an unusual and contagious rhythm.
The song was also recorded by various artists such as Mel Torme
, Freddy Martin
and Spike Jones
. The song is of the same genre as other novelty songs of the era, such as Mairzy Doats
and Three Little Fishies
(Itty Bitty Poo) - all three of which were subjected to the musical arrangements of Spike Jones
. Some contend that the song was a rewriting of an unpublished Missouri River
song called Hot Shot Dawson.
The popularity of the song is lampooned in a 1940s film short . In the film, the King's Men (who also performed on Fibber McGee and Molly
), play young men living in a boarding house who are endlessly singing the song while getting dressed, eating dinner, playing cards, etc., until the exasperated proprietor finally has them removed to an insane asylum.
The song is featured in the movies From Here to Eternity
, Ace in the Hole, A Christmas Story
, and the 1942 version of Horton Hatches the Egg
.
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...
from the 1940s with nonsense lyrics. The song was written in 1941
1941 in music
-Events:*January 5 – Ernesto Bonino makes his début on Italian radio.*January 15 – Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps is premiered in Stalag VIIIA in Silesia.*January 20 – Béla Bartók's String Quartet No...
by Leo V. Killion, Ted McMichael and Jack Owens
Jack Owens (singer-songwriter)
John Milton "Jack" Owens , singer/songwriter, gifted pianist, and a star of the longest running network radio show, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, was known as "The Cruising Crooner" because of his unique showmanship of cruising through mostly female audiences attending the live Breakfast Club...
. The first and most popular recording was by Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television through the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Born in Alameda, California, Heidt attended Culver...
and His Musical Knights.
The lyrics state that a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
boy skipped school to sit by a stream and sing what is purportedly a Swedish folk song. The chorus goes in part:
- Hut-Sut Rawlson on the rillerah and a brawla, brawla sooit.
The song then purports to define some of the words, a boy and a girl by a river and their dreams. The song has an unusual and contagious rhythm.
The song was also recorded by various artists such as Mel Torme
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, Freddy Martin
Freddy Martin
Frederick Alfred Martin was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist.-Early life:Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Raised largely in an orphanage and with various relatives, Martin started out playing drums, then switched to C-melody saxophone and later tenor saxophone, the latter the one...
and Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
. The song is of the same genre as other novelty songs of the era, such as Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats is a novelty song composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. It was first played on radio station WOR, New York, by Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists. The song made the pop charts several times, with a version by the Merry Macs reaching No. 1 in March 1944...
and Three Little Fishies
Three Little Fishies
Three Little Fishies is a song sung by Kay Kyser, with words and music by Saxie Dowell. The song was a #1 hit in 1939....
(Itty Bitty Poo) - all three of which were subjected to the musical arrangements of Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
. Some contend that the song was a rewriting of an unpublished Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
song called Hot Shot Dawson.
The popularity of the song is lampooned in a 1940s film short . In the film, the King's Men (who also performed on Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
), play young men living in a boarding house who are endlessly singing the song while getting dressed, eating dinner, playing cards, etc., until the exasperated proprietor finally has them removed to an insane asylum.
The song is featured in the movies From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the...
, Ace in the Hole, A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
, and the 1942 version of Horton Hatches the Egg
Horton Hatches the Egg
Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published in 1940. The character Horton appeared again in Horton Hears a Who!, published in 1954...
.