The Little Shoemaker
Encyclopedia
"The Little Shoemaker" is a popular
song
based on the French
song, "Le petit cordonnnier," by Rudi Revil. The original French lyric was written by Francis Lemarque. The English language
lyrics were written by Geoffrey Claremont Parsons
, Nathan Korb (Francis Lemarque) and John Turner
.
In the United States
, the best-selling version was recorded by the Gaylords, charting in 1954
. In the United Kingdom
, the song was the first charted hit for Petula Clark
the same year.
The recording by the Gaylords was released by Mercury Records
as catalog number
70403. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 23, 1954 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2.
The recording by the Hugo Winterhalter
orchestra on May 25, 1954 was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5769. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 7, 1954 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9. The flip side of this recording, "The Magic Tango," also charted, reaching #25. Eddie Fisher
provided the vocal but was credited on the label only as "a friend"!
The song has also been recorded by Rosemary Clooney
on July 9, 1954, combining the English lyrics with some of the original French lyrics.
It has also been recorded by Alma Cogan
and The Kordites with orchestra cond. by Frank Cordell in London on April 7, 1954. Her recording was released in 1954
by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number
s B 10698 and 7M 219. The flip side was "Chiqui Chaqui".
Knud Pfeiffer wrote the Danish
lyrics. The Danish title is "Den lille skomager". Raquel Rastenni
, acc. Harry Felbert's sextet, Cond.: Harry Felbert recorded it in Copenhagen
in 1954. The song was released on His Master's Voice X 8211. It was arranged by Ole Mortensen.
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...
based on the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
song, "Le petit cordonnnier," by Rudi Revil. The original French lyric was written by Francis Lemarque. The English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics were written by Geoffrey Claremont Parsons
Geoffrey Claremont Parsons
Geoffrey Parsons was an English lyricist.He worked at the Peter Maurice Music Company run by James Phillips, who wrote under the pseudonym John Turner. The company specialized in adapting songs originally in foreign languages into the English language...
, Nathan Korb (Francis Lemarque) and John Turner
John Turner (lyricist)
John Turner was the pseudonym used by the English lyricist James John Turner Phillips.He ran the Peter Maurice Music Company whose most important lyricist was Geoffrey Parsons. The company specialized in adapting songs originally in foreign languages into the English language. He would usually...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the best-selling version was recorded by the Gaylords, charting in 1954
1954 in music
-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
. In the United Kingdom
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...
, the song was the first charted hit for Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
the same year.
The recording by the Gaylords was released by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
70403. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 23, 1954 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2.
The recording by the Hugo Winterhalter
Hugo Winterhalter
Hugo Winterhalter was an American musician.An easy listening arranger and composer, Winterhalter was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Mount St. Mary's near Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1931, where he played saxophone for the orchestra and sang in two of the choirs...
orchestra on May 25, 1954 was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5769. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 7, 1954 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9. The flip side of this recording, "The Magic Tango," also charted, reaching #25. Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
provided the vocal but was credited on the label only as "a friend"!
The song has also been recorded by Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
on July 9, 1954, combining the English lyrics with some of the original French lyrics.
It has also been recorded by Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
and The Kordites with orchestra cond. by Frank Cordell in London on April 7, 1954. Her recording was released in 1954
1954 in music
-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
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 catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
s B 10698 and 7M 219. The flip side was "Chiqui Chaqui".
Knud Pfeiffer wrote the Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
lyrics. The Danish title is "Den lille skomager". Raquel Rastenni
Raquel Rastenni
Raquel Rastenni , born Anna Rachel Rastén, was a popular Danish singer. She was born in Copenhagen, and grew up in a little apartment in the poor central part of the city. Her Jewish parents had immigrated to Denmark from Russia at the start of the 1900s...
, acc. Harry Felbert's sextet, Cond.: Harry Felbert recorded it in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1954. The song was released on His Master's Voice X 8211. It was arranged by Ole Mortensen.