Swanee (song)
| "Swanee" | |
|---|---|
1919 "Swanee" sheet music with Jolson on the cover | |
| Single by Al Jolson, "Incidental whistling by Mr. Jolson" (disc label) | |
| B-side | "My gal" by Frank Crumit |
| Published | October 31, 1919 T. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc., T.B. Harms, Inc., Warner Bros, Inc. |
| Released | April 1920 |
| Recorded | January 9, 1920 |
| Studio | New York City |
| Venue | Winter Garden Theatre |
| Genre | Popular Music |
| Length | 2.39 |
| Label | Columbia A-2884 Label Printing Code BW (February 1920) |
| Composer(s) | George Gershwin |
| Lyricist(s) | Irving Caesar |
"Swanee" is an American popular song from 1919 composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Irving Caesar. It is most often associated with singer Al Jolson.
The song was written for a New York City revue called Demi-Tasse, which opened in October 1919 at the Capitol Theater. Caesar, who was then aged 24, claimed to have written the song in about ten minutes riding on a bus in Manhattan, finishing it at Gershwin's apartment. It was partly inspired by Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home", including that phrase in its lyrics. It was originally used as a big production number, with 60 chorus girls dancing with electric lights in their slippers on an otherwise darkened stage.