In the Mood
Encyclopedia
"In the Mood" is a big band
era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller
. Joe Garland
and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme (see below) composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s. Miller's "In the Mood" did not top the charts until 1940 and one year later was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade
.
s that are rhythmically displaced; trumpets and trombones add accent riffs. The arrangement has two solo sections; a "tenor fight
" solo—in the most famous recording, between Tex Beneke
and Al Klink
—and a 16-bar trumpet solo. The arrangement is also famous for its ending: a coda that climbs triumphantly, then sounds a simple sustained unison tonic pitch with rim shot.
and Andy Razaf based on a pre-existing melody. The main theme, featuring repeated arpeggio
s rhythmically displaced, previously appeared under the title of "Tar Paper Stomp" credited to jazz trumpeter/bandleader Wingy Manone
. Manone recorded "Tar Paper Stomp" which did not become popular until the middle of 1930, just months before Horace Henderson
used the same tune in "Hot and Anxious", recorded by his brother's band, The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, on 1931 March 19.
Under copyright rules of the day, a tune that had not been written down and registered with the copyright office could be appropriated by any musician with a good ear. A story says that after "In the Mood" became a hit, Manone was paid by Miller and his record company not to contest the copyright
.
The original recording of Joe Garland's version was made by Edgar Hayes and his Orchestra in 1938, with Garland participating. In this recording there was a baritone sax duet rather than a tenor sax battle. Popular thought is that the melody had already become popular with Harlem bands (e.g. at the Savoy Ballroom) before being written down by Joe Garland. Before offering it to Glenn Miller Garland sold the tune to Artie Shaw, who could not record it because the original arrangement was too long. The Hayes recording also bears signs of being a shortened arrangement. The tune was finally sold to Glenn Miller, who played around with its arrangement for a while. Although the arranger of most of the Miller tunes are known, things are a bit uncertain for "In The Mood". It is often thought that Eddie Durham (who contributed other arrangements on the recording date of "In The Mood", August 1, 1939 as well), John Chalmers McGregor (Miller's pianist) and Miller himself contributed most to the final version.
magazine. While it led the Record Buying Guide (jukebox
list) for 13 weeks and stayed on the Billboard charts for 30 weeks, it never made the top 15 on the sheet music charts, which were considered by many to be the true measure of popular song success. The popular Your Hit Parade
program ranked the song no higher than ninth place, for one week only (1940).
The Glenn Miller 1939 recording on RCA Bluebird, B-10416-A, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1983. The recording by Glenn Miller is one of the most recognized and most popular instrumentals of the 20th century. The song even appeared in The Beatles
"All You Need is Love" #1 single in 1967 and in the Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
rendition in 1989, "Swing the Mood
", a worldwide hit. The Glenn Miller RCA Bluebird recording was released as V-Disc
123B in February 1944 and a new version was released as V-Disc 842B in May 1948 by Glenn Miller and the Overseas Band by the U.S. War Department.
, Tommy Dorsey
, Duke Ellington
, Benny Goodman
, Artie Shaw
, Lubo D'Orio, the Brian Setzer Orchestra
, The Shadows
and John Williams
with the Boston Pops Orchestra
.
Non-big-band renditions were recorded by the Andrews Sisters
, Jerry Lee Lewis
, Chet Atkins
, Bill Haley & His Comets
, Bad Manners
, the Puppini Sisters
. In addition, in 1959, Ernie Fields
and his Orchestra, peaked at number 4 on the pop chart and number 7 on the R&B charts . The song was charted at number 16 in 1953 with Johnny Maddox
. Jonathan King
scored a UK Top 50 hit with his version of the song in 1976. Bette Midler
recorded the song in 1973 (on the album Bette Midler
). The avant-garde synthpop act Art of Noise occasionally performed a rendition of the song on their live shows, in their trademark sampled style. The rock band Chicago
added their version in 1995. An unusual version of the song was released on Maynard Ferguson
's 'Lost Tapes Volume 2' album. The first 30 seconds are the traditional version, but the band then re-starts with the trumpets taking the lead.
A novelty version of the song was recorded by country/novelty artist Ray Stevens
in 1977. Stevens' version consisted of him performing the song in chicken clucks, bar-for-bar. The performance was credited to the "Henhouse Five Plus Two". The single was a Top-40 hit in both America and the UK.
In 1951 a Ferranti Mark 1 computer at the University of Manchester
played "In the Mood", one of the first songs to be played by a computer, and the oldest known recording of digitally generated music.
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
recorded a version of the song as part of a medley entitled "Swing the Mood
" which went no. 1 in the UK for 5 weeks. The record reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States where it also went gold. It was the 2nd best-selling single of 1989 in the UK.
Bluesman John Lee Hooker
has said that "In the Mood" was the inspiration for "I'm In the Mood" which became a #1 hit on the R&B Singles
chart.
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
. Joe Garland
Joe Garland
Joseph Copeland "Joe" Garland was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger, best known for writing "In the Mood"....
and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme (see below) composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s. Miller's "In the Mood" did not top the charts until 1940 and one year later was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade
Sun Valley Serenade
Sun Valley Serenade is a 1941 musical film starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features The Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge, performing "Chattanooga Choo Choo", which was nominated for an Academy...
.
Composition
"In the Mood" opens with a now-famous sax section theme based on repeated arpeggioArpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s that are rhythmically displaced; trumpets and trombones add accent riffs. The arrangement has two solo sections; a "tenor fight
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
" solo—in the most famous recording, between Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee Beneke , professionally known as Tex Beneke, was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gorme...
and Al Klink
Al Klink
Al Klink was an American swing jazz tenor saxophonist.Klink played with Glenn Miller from 1939 to 1942, and is heard trading solos with Tex Beneke on the most well-known version of "In the Mood". When Miller started playing in the U.S...
—and a 16-bar trumpet solo. The arrangement is also famous for its ending: a coda that climbs triumphantly, then sounds a simple sustained unison tonic pitch with rim shot.
Origins
"In The Mood" was arranged by Joe GarlandJoe Garland
Joseph Copeland "Joe" Garland was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger, best known for writing "In the Mood"....
and Andy Razaf based on a pre-existing melody. The main theme, featuring repeated arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s rhythmically displaced, previously appeared under the title of "Tar Paper Stomp" credited to jazz trumpeter/bandleader Wingy Manone
Wingy Manone
Wingy Manone was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. His major recordings included "Tar Paper Stomp", "Nickel in the Slot", "Downright Disgusted Blues", "There'll Come a Time ", and "Tailgate Ramble".- Biography :Manone was born Joseph Matthews Mannone in New Orleans,...
. Manone recorded "Tar Paper Stomp" which did not become popular until the middle of 1930, just months before Horace Henderson
Horace Henderson
Horace W. Henderson Born in Cuthbert, Georgia , younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader....
used the same tune in "Hot and Anxious", recorded by his brother's band, The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, on 1931 March 19.
Under copyright rules of the day, a tune that had not been written down and registered with the copyright office could be appropriated by any musician with a good ear. A story says that after "In the Mood" became a hit, Manone was paid by Miller and his record company not to contest the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
.
The original recording of Joe Garland's version was made by Edgar Hayes and his Orchestra in 1938, with Garland participating. In this recording there was a baritone sax duet rather than a tenor sax battle. Popular thought is that the melody had already become popular with Harlem bands (e.g. at the Savoy Ballroom) before being written down by Joe Garland. Before offering it to Glenn Miller Garland sold the tune to Artie Shaw, who could not record it because the original arrangement was too long. The Hayes recording also bears signs of being a shortened arrangement. The tune was finally sold to Glenn Miller, who played around with its arrangement for a while. Although the arranger of most of the Miller tunes are known, things are a bit uncertain for "In The Mood". It is often thought that Eddie Durham (who contributed other arrangements on the recording date of "In The Mood", August 1, 1939 as well), John Chalmers McGregor (Miller's pianist) and Miller himself contributed most to the final version.
Reception
Glenn Miller's "In the Mood", though undisputably a hit, represents an anomaly for chart purists. "In the Mood" was released in the period immediately prior to the inception of retail sales charts in 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...
magazine. While it led the Record Buying Guide (jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
list) for 13 weeks and stayed on the Billboard charts for 30 weeks, it never made the top 15 on the sheet music charts, which were considered by many to be the true measure of popular song success. The popular Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
program ranked the song no higher than ninth place, for one week only (1940).
The Glenn Miller 1939 recording on RCA Bluebird, B-10416-A, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1983. The recording by Glenn Miller is one of the most recognized and most popular instrumentals of the 20th century. The song even appeared in The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
"All You Need is Love" #1 single in 1967 and in the Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers were a 1980s and early 1990s novelty pop music act from Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. The face of the group was Jive Bunny, a cartoon rabbit who appeared in the videos, and also did promotional appearances for them...
rendition in 1989, "Swing the Mood
Swing the Mood
"Swing the Mood" is a song by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers from their debut album The Album.Produced by the father and son DJ team of Andy and John Pickles, "Swing the Mood" was a cut and paste record which fused a number of early rock and roll records with liberal use of Glenn Miller's "In the...
", a worldwide hit. The Glenn Miller RCA Bluebird recording was released as V-Disc
V-Disc
V-Disc was a morale-boosting initiative involving the production of several series of recordings during the World War II era by special arrangement between the United States government and various private U.S. record companies. The records were produced for the use of United States military...
123B in February 1944 and a new version was released as V-Disc 842B in May 1948 by Glenn Miller and the Overseas Band by the U.S. War Department.
Renditions
Notable artists who have recorded big-band versions of "In The Mood" include the Joe Loss Orchestra, Xavier CugatXavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
, Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
, Lubo D'Orio, the Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Brian Setzer Orchestra is a swing and jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer. The group had success covering Louis Prima's "Jump Jive an' Wail", which appeared on Prima's 1957 album The Wildest!...
, The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
and John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
with the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
.
Non-big-band renditions were recorded by the Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester 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...
, Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill 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...
, Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
, the Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters are a vocal trio. Arion Berger described them as part of "Retro's futuristic vanguard" and described their sound as "swing-punk". The group has sought to be associated with a burlesque revival....
. In addition, in 1959, Ernie Fields
Ernie Fields
Ernie Fields was an African American trombonist, pianist, arranger and bandleader. He first became known for leading the Royal Entertainers, which were based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and toured along a circuit stretching from Kansas City, Kansas, to Dallas, Texas.-Early life and career:Fields was born...
and his Orchestra, peaked at number 4 on the pop chart and number 7 on the R&B charts . The song was charted at number 16 in 1953 with Johnny Maddox
Johnny Maddox
Johnny Maddox is a ragtime pianist and collector of ragtime memorabilia.His interest in the era of ragtime and blues was fueled by his Aunt Zula Cothron. She played ragtime piano at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and taught Johnny to play...
. Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
scored a UK Top 50 hit with his version of the song in 1976. Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
recorded the song in 1973 (on the album Bette Midler
Bette Midler (album)
Bette Midler is the eponymous second studio album by American female vocalist Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label...
). The avant-garde synthpop act Art of Noise occasionally performed a rendition of the song on their live shows, in their trademark sampled style. The rock band Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
added their version in 1995. An unusual version of the song was released on Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
's 'Lost Tapes Volume 2' album. The first 30 seconds are the traditional version, but the band then re-starts with the trumpets taking the lead.
A novelty version of the song was recorded by country/novelty artist Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
in 1977. Stevens' version consisted of him performing the song in chicken clucks, bar-for-bar. The performance was credited to the "Henhouse Five Plus Two". The single was a Top-40 hit in both America and the UK.
In 1951 a Ferranti Mark 1 computer at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
played "In the Mood", one of the first songs to be played by a computer, and the oldest known recording of digitally generated music.
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers were a 1980s and early 1990s novelty pop music act from Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. The face of the group was Jive Bunny, a cartoon rabbit who appeared in the videos, and also did promotional appearances for them...
recorded a version of the song as part of a medley entitled "Swing the Mood
Swing the Mood
"Swing the Mood" is a song by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers from their debut album The Album.Produced by the father and son DJ team of Andy and John Pickles, "Swing the Mood" was a cut and paste record which fused a number of early rock and roll records with liberal use of Glenn Miller's "In the...
" which went no. 1 in the UK for 5 weeks. The record reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States where it also went gold. It was the 2nd best-selling single of 1989 in the UK.
Bluesman John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
has said that "In the Mood" was the inspiration for "I'm In the Mood" which became a #1 hit on the R&B Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.