Cruising Down the River
"Cruising Down the River" is a 1946 popular recording song, which became the winner of a public songwriting competition held in the UK. Words and music were entered by two middle-aged women named Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton. The words had been written by Eily in the 1920s, and the melody composed by music hall artist Ena Dayne; as she could not read music, it was transcribed by Tollerton. It was sung in concert parties throughout the 1930s, mainly by Charles Ray. One of the original early recordings of this song, issued in the UK in January 1946 on the Columbia record label (FB 3180), was by Lou Preager and his Orchestra, with vocals by Paul Rich. This was immensely popular on radio, with record and sheet music sales making it one of the biggest hits of 1946 in the United Kingdom.
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It has been covered numerous times by various artists, including Connie Francis on her 1959 album My Thanks to You.
The song was sung by Dick Haymes in the 1953 film Cruisin' Down the River.