Temptation (1933 song)
Encyclopedia
"Temptation" is a popular
song
, published in 1933
, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown
and lyrics by Arthur Freed
. The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain
(1952) and later in the 1983 musical based on the film
, and is prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini
's Violent Summer (1959).
The song was introduced by Bing Crosby
in the 1933 film Going Hollywood
. Crosby recorded the song with Lennie Hayton
's orchestra on October 22, 1933. He recorded it again with John Scott Trotter's Orchestra on March 3, 1945.
and his Orchestra on September 7, 1940 and by Mario Lanza
in 1952
. Andy Williams
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and others also recorded the song.
A parody version, entitled "Tim-tay-shun", was recorded in a country music
style by Red Ingle
with a vocal by "Cinderella G. Stump" (actually a pseudonym for Jo Stafford
) in 1947.
The Everly Brothers
' version (b/w "Stick With Me Baby", Warner Bros. Records
WB5220) released in May 1961 reached #1 in the UK charts.
Charlie Parker
recorded an instrumental version on the Verve
label.
Released on her posthumous album in 2003, Wildwood Flower
, another version of the song was recorded by June Carter Cash
and Johnny Cash
. The song was also performed live by the legendary duo in 2002.
, with Miss Piggy
, four chickens, four frogs, and two males pigs being led by Kermit the Frog
in the Muppet Glee Club
, Miss Piggy sang a solo in the third verse until the end, her voice being performed by Richard Hunt
instead of Frank Oz
, her then-regular performer.
This song is currently played by "Ohio's Pride", The University of Akron Marching Band.
The Michigan Marching Band
has been playing a version of Temptation arranged by Jerry Billik for over 40 years. They also a play a shortened version whenever an opponent is stopped on third down. It is also played during their traditional post game performance followed by Hawaiian War Chant
, because according to announcer Carl Grapentine, "you can't have one without the other." The same arrangement is also used by the University of Michigan
Athletic Bands, including the Hockey, Women's Volleyball and the Men's and Women's Basketball Bands.
The song "Remember," performed by Josh Grobin and Tanja Tzarovska
for the 2004 film Troy
, is largely based upon the melody of "Temptation."
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...
, published in 1933
1933 in music
-Events:*January 23 – Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 is premiered in Frankfurt*National Association for American Composers and Conductors is founded by Henry Hadley.*Billie Holiday is "discovered" singing at Monette's club....
, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown
Nacio Herb Brown
Nacio Herb Brown was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores, and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s.-Biography:...
and lyrics by Arthur Freed
Arthur Freed
Arthur Freed was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a Jewish American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer.- Biography :Freed began his career as a song-plugger and pianist in Chicago...
. The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
(1952) and later in the 1983 musical based on the film
Singin' in the Rain (musical)
Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original...
, and is prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini
Valerio Zurlini
Valerio Zurlini was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter.-Biography:During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlini became a member of the Italian Communist Party...
's Violent Summer (1959).
The song was introduced by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
in the 1933 film Going Hollywood
Going Hollywood
Going Hollywood is an American black-and-white musical film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Marion Davies and Bing Crosby, written by Donald Ogden Stewart, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film tells the story of Sylvia , a French teacher at an all-girl school, who wants to find love...
. Crosby recorded the song with Lennie Hayton
Lennie Hayton
Leonard George "Lennie" Hayton was an American Jewish composer, conductor and arranger. His trademark was the wearing of a captain’s hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle....
's orchestra on October 22, 1933. He recorded it again with John Scott Trotter's Orchestra on March 3, 1945.
Recordings by Perry Como
- In mid-February, 19451945 in music-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
, for a radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program, issued as a V-DiscV-DiscV-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...
. - On March 27, 1945, issued as:
- an RCA Victor 78rpm single, catalog numberCatalog numbering systems for single recordsThis article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
20-1658-B with flip side "I'll Always Be With You" (Chart position #15 in the US) - an RCA Victor 78rpm single, catalog number 20-1919-A with flip side "Goodbye Sue"
- an HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
78rpm single, catalog number BD-1153 with flip side "Surrender" - an RCA Victor 78rpm single, catalog number 20-3298-B and 45rpm single, catalog number 47-2886, with flip side "Prisoner of LovePrisoner of Love (1931 song)"Prisoner Of Love" is a 1931 popular song with music by Russ Columbo and Clarence Gaskill and lyrics by Leo Robin. The song was popularized by Columbo and later became a major hit for Perry Como. It was also recorded by Billy Eckstine.-Perry Como versions:...
"
- an RCA Victor 78rpm single, catalog number
- On January 7, 1974, for an album, issued as:
- an RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
stereo 12" LP, catalog number CPL1-0585 and quadraphonic 12" LP, catalog number CPD1-0585 - an RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
45rpm single, catalog number PB-10045-A with flip side "In These Crazy Times" (Chart position #28 on the US Adult Contemporary charts)
- an RCA
- In 19801980 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
at a live performance July 29-31, issued on an RCA 12" stereo LP album Perry Como Live On Tour (catalog number AQL1-3826)
Other notable recordings
Other versions of the song were recorded by Artie ShawArtie 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....
and his Orchestra on September 7, 1940 and by Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
in 1952
1952 in music
-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...
. Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and others also recorded the song.
A parody version, entitled "Tim-tay-shun", was recorded in a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
style by Red Ingle
Red Ingle
Ernest Jansen "Red" Ingle was an American musician, singer and songwriter, arranger, cartoonist and caricaturist. He is best known for his comedy records with Spike Jones and his own Natural Seven sides for Capitol....
with a vocal by "Cinderella G. Stump" (actually a pseudonym for Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
) in 1947.
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
' version (b/w "Stick With Me Baby", Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
WB5220) released in May 1961 reached #1 in the UK charts.
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
recorded an instrumental version on the Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
label.
Released on her posthumous album in 2003, Wildwood Flower
Wildwood Flower
"Wildwood Flower" is an American song, best known through performances and recordings by the Carter Family. However, the song predates them. The original title was "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets"...
, another version of the song was recorded by June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. The song was also performed live by the legendary duo in 2002.
Other performances
An interpretation was featured in the very first episode of The Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, with Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....
, four chickens, four frogs, and two males pigs being led by Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
in the Muppet Glee Club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, Miss Piggy sang a solo in the third verse until the end, her voice being performed by Richard Hunt
Richard Hunt (puppeteer)
Richard Hunt was an American puppeteer best known as a Muppet performer. Hunt's Muppet roles included Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, and Sweetums.-Early years:...
instead of Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
, her then-regular performer.
This song is currently played by "Ohio's Pride", The University of Akron Marching Band.
The Michigan Marching Band
Michigan Marching Band
The Michigan Marching Band is the University of Michigan's marching band.-History:In 1896 the MMB was founded as a student organization and became a firm part of the Michigan tradition in 1898. Shortly after William D. Revelli became director he aligned the MMB with the School of Music which...
has been playing a version of Temptation arranged by Jerry Billik for over 40 years. They also a play a shortened version whenever an opponent is stopped on third down. It is also played during their traditional post game performance followed by Hawaiian War Chant
Hawaiian War Chant
"Hawaiian War Chant" was an American popular song whose original melody and lyrics were written in the 1860s by Prince Leleiohoku. The original title of the song was Kaua I Ka Huahua`i or "We Two in the Spray." It was not written as a chant, and the Hawaiian lyrics describe a clandestine meeting...
, because according to announcer Carl Grapentine, "you can't have one without the other." The same arrangement is also used by the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Athletic Bands, including the Hockey, Women's Volleyball and the Men's and Women's Basketball Bands.
The song "Remember," performed by Josh Grobin and Tanja Tzarovska
Tanja Tzarovska
Tanja Tzarovska is a singer, song-writer and composer. She lives in London, United Kingdom. As well as being described by her fans as “the girl with the angelic voice”, she also writes original songs in English as well as singing traditional songs in her own language, specialising in Balkan and...
for the 2004 film Troy
Troy (film)
Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...
, is largely based upon the melody of "Temptation."