Ain't Misbehavin' (song)
| "Ain't Misbehavin'" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Leo Reisman and His Orchestra with Lew Conrad | |
| A-side | "Moanin' Low" |
| Released | 1929 |
| Recorded | New York City, July 9, 1929[1] |
| Genre | |
Victor | |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
"Ain't Misbehavin'" is a 1929
First performances
The song was first performed at the premiere of Connie's Hot Chocolates in Harlem at Connie's Inn as an opening song by Paul Bass and Margaret Simms, and repeated later in the musical by Russell Wooding's Hallelujah Singers. Connie's Hot Chocolates was transferred to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway during June 1929, where it was renamed to Hot Chocolates and where Louis Armstrong became the orchestra director. The script also required Armstrong to play "Ain't Misbehavin'" in a trumpet solo, and although this was initially slated only to be a reprise of the opening song, Armstrong's performance was so well received that the trumpeter was asked to climb out of the orchestra pit and play the piece on stage. As noted by Thomas Brothers in his book Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, Armstrong was first taught "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Waller himself, "woodshedding" it until he could "play all around it"; he cherished it "because it was 'one of those songs you could cut loose and swing with.'"[3]
Recordings
During the first half of the 20th century, when a tune was successful in terms of sheet music sold, it was typically recorded by several different artists. All six "Ain't Misbehavin'" recordings of 1929 were successes in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) rankings for that year:
- Leo Reisman and his orchestra (with vocals by Lew Conrad, No. 2).
- Louis Armstrong (No. 7).
- Bill Robinson (with Irving Mills & his Hotsy Totsy Gang, No. 8).
- Gene Austin (with Leonard Joy & his orchestra, No. 9).
- Ruth Etting (No. 16).
- Fats Waller (instrumental version, No. 17).
Waller re-recorded the song with vocals for the 1943 movie
Ain't Misbehavin' has been recorded by many other performers over the years, including
In 1960, Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers had a number 3 hit in the UK Singles Chart with their cover version of the song.[5] During 1976,
Movie renditions
- 1943 Stormy Weather - performed by Fats Waller[6]
- 1944 Atlantic City - sung by Louis Armstrong[7]
- 1948 You Were Meant for Me
- 1955 Anita Ellis) and Chorus
- 1975 Lucky Lady - Burt Reynolds sang the song on a ship in this comedy[8]
- 1979 Just You and Me, Kid
- 2008 Mos Def, although Fats Waller's rendition is also heard
- 2013 The Great Gatsby Instrumentally played – this was an anachronism.
- 2015 The Intern While Ben and Davis Are talking in Ben's house.
See also
References
- ^
Rust, Brian (1975). The American Dance Band Discography 1917–1942: Arthur Lange to Bob Zurke. New Rochelle, New York: ISBN 978-0870002489.
- ^ Wilson, Jeremy. "Jazz Standards Song and Instrumentals (Ain't Misbehavin')". Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-393-06582-4.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. 17 November 1943. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ^ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. 15 September 1944. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-881907-09-1.
