Buttons and Bows
Encyclopedia
"Buttons and Bows" is a popular
song
. The music was written by Jay Livingston
with lyric by Ray Evans
. The song was published in 1947
. The song appeared in the Bob Hope
and Jane Russell
film, The Paleface, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
. It was a vocal selection on many radio programs in late 1948.
The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dinah Shore
in 1947 and reached the charts the following year. Charting versions of the song were also recorded by The Dinning Sisters, Betty Rhodes, Evelyn Knight
, and Betty Garrett
the same year. In addition, the song was recorded by Gene Autry
and by Geraldo and his orchestra (with vocalist Doreen Lundy).
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
. The music was written by Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
with lyric by Ray Evans
Ray Evans
Raymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films...
. The song was published in 1947
1947 in music
-Events:*August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.*October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army...
. The song appeared in the Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
film, The Paleface, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. It was a vocal selection on many radio programs in late 1948.
The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
in 1947 and reached the charts the following year. Charting versions of the song were also recorded by The Dinning Sisters, Betty Rhodes, Evelyn Knight
Evelyn Knight
Evelyn Knight was a popular American singer of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1948, she recorded "A Little Bird Told Me" with The Stardusters, which was #1 for seven weeks and stayed on the charts for five months...
, and Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett was an American actress, comedienne, singer and dancer who originally performed on Broadway before being signed to a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
the same year. In addition, the song was recorded by Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
and by Geraldo and his orchestra (with vocalist Doreen Lundy).
Recording and chart history
- The Dinah ShoreDinah ShoreDinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
version was recorded on November 30, 1947, and released by Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog numberCatalog numbering systems for single recordsThis article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
38284. The record first reached the BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts on September 17, 1948, and lasted 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at number one.
- The Dinning Sisters' version was recorded on December 29, 1947, and released by Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 15184. The record first reached the Billboard charts on October 22, 1948, and lasted 16 weeks on the chart, peaking at number seven.
- The Betty GarrettBetty GarrettBetty Garrett was an American actress, comedienne, singer and dancer who originally performed on Broadway before being signed to a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
version was recorded on December 29, 1947, and released by MGM RecordsMGM RecordsMGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
as catalog number 10244. The record first reached the Billboard charts on November 5, 1948, and lasted two weeks on the chart, peaking at number 27.
- The Betty Rhodes version was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3078. The record first reached the Billboard charts on November 12, 1948, and lasted six weeks on the chart, peaking at number 15.
- The Evelyn KnightEvelyn KnightEvelyn Knight was a popular American singer of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1948, she recorded "A Little Bird Told Me" with The Stardusters, which was #1 for seven weeks and stayed on the charts for five months...
version was recorded on November 29, 1947, and released by Decca RecordsDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number 24489. The record first reached the Billboard charts on November 12, 1948, and lasted six weeks on the chart, peaking at number 22.
- The Gene AutryGene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
version was recorded in December 1947, and released by Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 20469.
- Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and The Clark Sisters recorded the song on October 14, 1948. It was released on Capitol 15292.
- The Geraldo/Doreen Lundy version was recorded on November 10, 1948, and released by Parlophone Records as catalog number F 2326.
- The Connie FrancisConnie FrancisConnie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
version was recorded on April 27, 1962, at RCA Italiana Studios in Rome. It was originally intended for inclusion on the album Connie Francis Sings Award Winning Motion Picture Hits on MGM RecordsMGM RecordsMGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
E-/SE-4048. However, before the album was released in March 1963, the song was shelved and remained in the vaults unreleased until 1996.
- The Sum Sum 森森 (Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer/artist) versions were recorded in 1971 and 1974. The 1971 version was performed in Mandarin Chinese language with ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics written by Szeto Ming (司徒明) and given the title name of 莫奔跑, appearing on her LP album 一寸相思一寸淚 (Bitter Love In Tears), and released by EMI Regal RecordsRegal RecordingsRegal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone.-Background:Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1914 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Records known as Columbia Graphophone Company...
as catalog number LRHX-849. For the 1974 version, it was performed in CantoneseCantoneseCantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
language with Chinese lyrics (different from the 1971 one) written by So Yung (蘇翁) and given the title name of 不敢再領教, appearing on her LP album 森森 Sum Sum, and released by EMI Regal RecordsRegal RecordingsRegal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone.-Background:Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1914 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Records known as Columbia Graphophone Company...
as catalog number S-LRHX-1002.
- The Ervinna (SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
-based female singer) With Charlie & His Boys version was recorded between Between 1972 and 1974, appearing on her LP album Golden Hits Of 20th Century Vol. 4, and released by White Cloud Record of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
as issue number EALP-1231.
- The Snazin Smith/RyoRyo version was recorded in May 1999, and released by ToiBoi Records.
In sitcoms
- The melody to "Buttons and Bows" was used as a character theme in the 1960s TV sitcom F TroopF TroopF Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
. It was frequently heard over the entrance of "Wrangler Jane", played by Melody PattersonMelody PattersonMelody Patterson is an American actress best known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s TV series F Troop...
.
- It was performed (with most of the lyric forgotten) by Kelsey Grammar in the FrasierFrasierFrasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
episode "Look Before You Leap."
See also
- List of number-one singles of 1948 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles of 1949 (U.S.)