Sleepy Lagoon (song)
Encyclopedia
By the Sleepy Lagoon is a light orchestral
"valse serenade" by British
composer
Eric Coates
composed in 1930. In 1940, lyrics were added with Coates' approval by Jack Lawrence
, and the resultant song "Sleepy Lagoon" became a popular music
standard of the 1940s.
Coates had originally been inspired to write the piece in 1930 while overlooking a beach in West Sussex. His son, Austin Coates
, remembers:
The resultant piece is a slow waltz for full orchestra lasting roughly four minutes in duration. Michael Jameson suggests that the piece is "elegantly orchestrated" with "a shapely theme for violins presented in the salon-esque genre entirely characteristic of British light music in the 1920s and '30s". In 1942, Coates' original orchestral version was chosen (with added seagulls) to introduce the BBC Home Service
radio series Desert Island Discs
, which it still does to this day on BBC Radio 4
.
In early 1940, songwriter Jack Lawrence
came across the piano solo version of By the Sleepy Lagoon and wrote a song lyric, then took it to Chappell, the publisher of Coates' original melody. The head of Chappell's New York
office, Max Dreyfus, was concerned that this lyric had been added without consulting the composer, who was a famous British classical composer and told Lawrence that he "may resent your tampering with his melody." Dreyfus also didn't think the melody belonged in the popular genre, and was better suited to its original treatment as a light classical
piece.
Later that year, Lawrence attempted to contact Coates in person. Britain was in the middle of World War II
, and contrary to Dreyfuss' fears, Coates thought the lyrics fitted so well that he retorted he could hardly believe it had been written to a pre-existing melody:
The resulting song was published as a collaboration of Lawrence and Coates, and when Lawrence showed the song to bandleader Harry James
, it was recorded for a major hit (again counter to Dreyfuss' thoughts). The recording by James was released by Columbia Records
as catalog number
36549. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on 17 April 1942 and lasted 18 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 1.
Other hit versions were recorded by Dinah Shore
, David Rose
, Fred Waring
, Glenn Miller
and others. A recording with Tom Jenkins and his Palm Court Orchestra was made in London
on 15 March 1949. It was released by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number B 9768. Peter Kreuder, piano with rhythm recorded the tune in 1949. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, in a version by the Platters, found originally on the flipside of the 1960 top ten "Harbor Lights".
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
"valse serenade" by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Eric Coates
Eric Coates
Eric Coates was an English composer of light music and a viola player.-Life:Eric was born in Hucknall in Nottinghamshire to William Harrison Coates , a surgeon, and his wife, Mary Jane Gwynne, hailing from Usk in Monmouthshire...
composed in 1930. In 1940, lyrics were added with Coates' approval by Jack Lawrence
Jack Lawrence
Jack Lawrence was an American songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.- Biography :...
, and the resultant song "Sleepy Lagoon" became a popular music
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...
standard of the 1940s.
Coates had originally been inspired to write the piece in 1930 while overlooking a beach in West Sussex. His son, Austin Coates
Austin Coates
Austin Coates was a British civil servant, writer and traveller. He was the son of noted English composer Eric Coates.Austin Coates wrote extensively on topics related to the Asia-Pacific region, particularly Hong Kong and Macau...
, remembers:
It was inspired in a very curious way and not by what you might expect. It was inspired by the view on a warm, still summer evening looking across the "lagoon" from the east beach at SelseySelseySelsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about seven miles south of Chichester, in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea...
towards Bognor RegisBognor RegisBognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
. It's a pebble beach leading steeply down, and the sea at that time is an incredibly deep blue of the Pacific. It was that impression, looking across at Bognor, which looked pink – almost like an enchanted city with the blue of the Downs behind it - that gave him the idea for the Sleepy Lagoon. He didn't write it there; he scribbled it down, as he used to, at extreme speed, and then simply took it back with him to London where he wrote and orchestrated it."
The resultant piece is a slow waltz for full orchestra lasting roughly four minutes in duration. Michael Jameson suggests that the piece is "elegantly orchestrated" with "a shapely theme for violins presented in the salon-esque genre entirely characteristic of British light music in the 1920s and '30s". In 1942, Coates' original orchestral version was chosen (with added seagulls) to introduce the BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
radio series Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
, which it still does to this day on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Sleepy Lagoon
Jack Lawrence
Jack Lawrence was an American songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.- Biography :...
came across the piano solo version of By the Sleepy Lagoon and wrote a song lyric, then took it to Chappell, the publisher of Coates' original melody. The head of Chappell's New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
office, Max Dreyfus, was concerned that this lyric had been added without consulting the composer, who was a famous British classical composer and told Lawrence that he "may resent your tampering with his melody." Dreyfus also didn't think the melody belonged in the popular genre, and was better suited to its original treatment as a light classical
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
piece.
Later that year, Lawrence attempted to contact Coates in person. Britain was in the middle of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and contrary to Dreyfuss' fears, Coates thought the lyrics fitted so well that he retorted he could hardly believe it had been written to a pre-existing melody:
You have set the words to my music so cleverly that one would never suspect that the music had been written first!"
The resulting song was published as a collaboration of Lawrence and Coates, and when Lawrence showed the song to bandleader Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
, it was recorded for a major hit (again counter to Dreyfuss' thoughts). The recording by James was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia 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
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
36549. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on 17 April 1942 and lasted 18 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 1.
Other hit versions were recorded by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, David Rose
David Rose
David Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
, Fred Waring
Fred Waring
Fredrick Malcolm Waring was a popular musician, bandleader and radio-television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing." He was also a promoter, financial backer and namesake of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric...
, 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"...
and others. A recording with Tom Jenkins and his Palm Court Orchestra was made in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 15 March 1949. It was released by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number B 9768. Peter Kreuder, piano with rhythm recorded the tune in 1949. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, in a version by the Platters, found originally on the flipside of the 1960 top ten "Harbor Lights".