"Happy Feet" is a song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen, first published in 1930. It was originally introduced in the Universal Pictures revue film King of Jazz (1930), where it was performed by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys.[citation needed]
| "Happy Feet" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys | |
| Published | 1930 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. |
| Recorded | February 10, 1930[1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Columbia W149810 |
| Composer(s) | Milton Ager |
| Lyricist(s) | Jack Yellen |
Background
editIn film, the song was introduced in one of the musical-dancing sequences. It begins with the verse and chours sung by the Rhythm Boys (featuring future multimedia star Bing Crosby in his onscreen debut) with the Sisters G reprising the chorus in German. The rest of "Happy Feet" sequence contains the latter's dance show along with the Russell Markert Girls.[citation needed] A memorable "rubber legs" solo was danced by Al Norman.[2]
According to the labels on the shellac records, the target dance for the song was a foxtrot.[1]
Notable recordings
edit| Date | Main recording artist | Vocalist(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 10, 1930 | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra | The Rhythm Boys | Featuring Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. | [1] |
| April 9, 1930 | Leo Reisman and his Orchestra | Lew Conrad | ||
| May 8, 1930 | Frankie Trumbauer's Orchestra | Smith Ballew | ||
| May 9, 1930 | Jack Hylton and his Orchestra | Pat O’Malley | ||
| May 26, 1930 | The Mariners Trio | |||
| October 7, 1930 | The Revelers | |||
| October 14, 1930 | Cab Calloway and his Orchestra | Cab Calloway | ||
| October 3, 1933 | Horace Henderson and his Orchestra | Henry Allen | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Jack Yellen – Discography of American Historical Recordings".
- ^ "The Happy Feet of Al "Crazy Legs" Norman". Travalanche. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-23.