Yakety Sax
Encyclopedia
"Yakety Sax" is a piece of music written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and popularized by saxophonist Boots Randolph
.
The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel
", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
. Two bars
of "Entrance of the Gladiators
" are also worked into it.
The song is not to be confused with the Leiber and Stoller
song "Yakety Yak
", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters
. The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax
" sound, but have distinctly different melodies. Randolph first recorded "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor
, but it was not until his re-recording for Monument Records
in 1963 that it became a hit, reaching #35 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
, where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences typically involving a farcical
chase scene. This use of the piece, and the chase scenes themselves, have been parodied in many other movies and TV shows.
The piece is featured in the 2005 film V for Vendetta
, playing during a TV comedy skit which Gordon Dietrich, played by Stephen Fry
, writes without censor approval. The piece is also used in the 1987 comedy film Rags to Riches with Joseph Bologna
and Douglas Seale
. It also appears in the 2006 Dreamworks
movie Flushed Away
. A variation of the theme was used in an episode of animated TV series Back at the Barnyard
and in the episode Quest for Ratings
of the cartoon series South Park
. The piece was also featured in The Simpsons
episode "A Star Is Born - Again".
Jim Rome
, host of the sports talk show The Jim Rome Show
, uses "Yakety Sax" to make light of bad situations. When a sports figure makes a bad move or is wronged, he will usually play it preceding a line, trying to illustrate that "Yakety Sax" makes everything better. Jim Rome plays "Yakety Sax" numerous times during a program, making it a big running joke on the show. According to "Jungle" lore, anything is funny as long as "Yakety Sax" is playing at the same time. This has become a moderately common genre of video on YouTube
in which disastrous/tragic scenes from films, television shows, and video games are paired with this song. There is also an entire website dedicated to replacing soundtracks from YouTube videos with Yakety Sax called "The Benny Hillifier".
In the Baltimore, Maryland area, "Yakety Sax" was more popularly known as "The Lorenzo Stomp" as it was a regular feature on a local children's television show starring Gerry Wheeler, who portrayed a clown. As a regular feature on the show the television audience was invited to get up to dance "The Lorenzo Stomp" along with Lorenzo.
"Home James...", from the James Bond spoof "Casino Royale" was re-arranged as "Bond Street", appearing on Burt Bacharach's album Reach Out and on a 45. It bears a fair resemblance to the non-Casino Royale-related instrumental, "Yakety Sax" (as frequently heard on The Benny Hill Show).
Remixed by a Russian project "Classic Dance", this track was released in 1999 on the "Dvigai Popoi 6" compilation.
Boots Randolph
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit, "Yakety Sax"...
.
The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel
Chicken Reel
"Chicken Reel" is a dance tune. It was composed by Joseph M. Daly in 1910. Joseph Mittenthal added lyrics in 1911.Along with "Turkey in the Straw," "Chicken Reel" is probably best known for its use in early animated cartoons as a catchy tune used to represent animal activity. Originally composed...
", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
. Two bars
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
of "Entrance of the Gladiators
Entrance of the Gladiators
"Entrance of the Gladiators" or "Entry of the Gladiators" is a military march composed in 1897 by the Czech composer Julius Fučík...
" are also worked into it.
The song is not to be confused with the Leiber and Stoller
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
song "Yakety Yak
Yakety Yak
"Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters and released on Atlantic Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as number one on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Hot 100 pop list...
", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
. The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
" sound, but have distinctly different melodies. Randolph first recorded "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, but it was not until his re-recording for Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
in 1963 that it became a hit, reaching #35 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.
Other noteworthy performances
- Guitarist Chet AtkinsChet AtkinsChester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
recorded a variant version of "Yakety Sax" in 1965 called "Yakety Axe". Atkins' version used a similar tempo and showcased his country guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
picking style in place of a saxophone. The title change referred to the colloquial term for an electric guitar as an "axe". In 1990 he collaborated with Mark KnopflerMark KnopflerMark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
on the album Neck and NeckNeck and NeckNeck and Neck is a 1990 collaborative album by Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler released by Columbia Records. "Poor Boy Blues" was released as a single and won the 1991 Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. "So Soft Your Goodbye" won the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance...
where he recorded a slower-tempo version, with verses composed by Merle TravisMerle TravisMerle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
that he recited rhythmically to the music. - Bill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His CometsBill 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 "Yakety Sax" on three occasions: for OrfeónOrfeónOrféon is a record label from Mexico, which has released a large number of recordings for the Latin American market since at least the 1950s. During the 1960s, the label signed American rockers Bill Haley & His Comets and the band had numerous regional hits on the label...
of Mexico in 1964, for Guest Star Records of the US in 1964, and for Sonet RecordsSonet RecordsSonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...
of Sweden in 1968. and it was a staple of their live performances, usually featuring saxophonist Rudy PompilliRudy PompilliRudy Pompilli in Chester, Pennsylvania on April 16, 1924 — died February 5, 1976) was an American musician best known for playing tenor saxophone with Bill Haley and His Comets.-Biography:...
. - An electronic version (titled "Yakety MoogMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
") was recorded on the album Country Moog - Switched on Nashville by Gil Trythall. - Sax Player Marty MaggioMarty MaggioMartin Anthony Maggio was an American musician best known for his legendary Saxophone playing. His playing was compared to that of the late Boots Randolph yet some people say his version of “Yackety Sax” was even better than Boots.-Biography:Maggio was born in Houston, Texas and raised there as...
released on BSW Records in Early 2011.
Television, film and radio
"Yakety Sax" is often used in television and film as a soundtrack for outlandishly humorous situations. It was frequently used to accompany comedic sketches in the comedy programme The Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
, where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences typically involving a farcical
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
chase scene. This use of the piece, and the chase scenes themselves, have been parodied in many other movies and TV shows.
The piece is featured in the 2005 film V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, playing during a TV comedy skit which Gordon Dietrich, played by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, writes without censor approval. The piece is also used in the 1987 comedy film Rags to Riches with Joseph Bologna
Joseph Bologna
Joseph Bologna is an American actor.-Life and career:Bologna was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brown University, where he majored in art history. After a hitch with the marines, Bologna was hired to produce and direct Manhattan-based TV commercials.The actor has a long history in film...
and Douglas Seale
Douglas Seale
Douglas Seale was a British stage and film actor.He provided the voice of Krebbs in The Rescuers Down Under . Two years later, Seale voiced the Sultan in Aladdin. He also appeared in several movies including Amadeus and Ernest Saves Christmas...
. It also appears in the 2006 Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
movie Flushed Away
Flushed Away
Flushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.The film...
. A variation of the theme was used in an episode of animated TV series Back at the Barnyard
Back at the Barnyard
Back at the Barnyard is a Nickelodeon CGI animated show that is a spin-off of the 2006 film Barnyard. The debut series premiered on September 29, 2007 on Nickelodeon. The show is produced by Omation Animation Studio, in association with Nickelodeon Animation Studios. The show mainly features pop...
and in the episode Quest for Ratings
Quest for Ratings
"Quest for Ratings" is the 122nd episode in the Comedy Central series South Park. Its original air date was November 17, 2004.-Plot synopsis:...
of the cartoon series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. The piece was also featured in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "A Star Is Born - Again".
Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
, host of the sports talk show The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show hosted by Jim Rome. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. The show is produced in Los Angeles, California, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate radio stations in the U.S...
, uses "Yakety Sax" to make light of bad situations. When a sports figure makes a bad move or is wronged, he will usually play it preceding a line, trying to illustrate that "Yakety Sax" makes everything better. Jim Rome plays "Yakety Sax" numerous times during a program, making it a big running joke on the show. According to "Jungle" lore, anything is funny as long as "Yakety Sax" is playing at the same time. This has become a moderately common genre of video on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
in which disastrous/tragic scenes from films, television shows, and video games are paired with this song. There is also an entire website dedicated to replacing soundtracks from YouTube videos with Yakety Sax called "The Benny Hillifier".
In the Baltimore, Maryland area, "Yakety Sax" was more popularly known as "The Lorenzo Stomp" as it was a regular feature on a local children's television show starring Gerry Wheeler, who portrayed a clown. As a regular feature on the show the television audience was invited to get up to dance "The Lorenzo Stomp" along with Lorenzo.
"Home James...", from the James Bond spoof "Casino Royale" was re-arranged as "Bond Street", appearing on Burt Bacharach's album Reach Out and on a 45. It bears a fair resemblance to the non-Casino Royale-related instrumental, "Yakety Sax" (as frequently heard on The Benny Hill Show).
Remixed by a Russian project "Classic Dance", this track was released in 1999 on the "Dvigai Popoi 6" compilation.