GET HAPPY
Music: Harold Arlen- Lyrics: Ted Koehler
Year: 1929
Origin of the song
On 31 July 1929, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler signed a 1-year-contract with George and Arthur Piantadosi’s company. The first song that the new team composed was ‘Get Happy’. Little time after it was finished, the producer Ruth Selwyn used it at the end of the first act of her new show Nine-Fifteen Review, that was released on 11 February 1930 in the George M. Cohan’s Theatre of New York and asked them to compose two other acts for the revue. The night of the premiere it was sang by Ruth Etting, who, however, never recorded the song. Even if the musical was a failure (there were only 7 performances), ‘Get Happy’ became a great hit.
The first recording of ‘Get Happy’ that I know belongs to Ted Wallace & His Campus Boys, on 19 February 1930 for the Columbia label, with Smith Ballew’s voice. Years later, the unforgettable version by Judy Garland in the film Summer Stock (1950) brought the song back to life.
Other notable collaborations of Arlen and Koehler are: ‘Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ (1931), ‘I’ve Got the World on a String’ (1932), ‘I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues’ (1932), ‘Stormy Weather’ (1933), ‘Let’s Fall in Love’ (1933), ‘Ill Wind’ (1934), ‘As Long As I Live’ (1934), and ‘When the Sun Comes Out’ (1941).
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
Frankie Trumbauer Orchestra |
1930.05.10 |
1930.08.22 |
3 |
15 |
Frankie Trumbauer (voc) |
|
1930.05.12 |
1930.07.05 |
7 |
6 |
Phil Dewey, Frank Luther, Leo O’Roarke (voc) |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1940.02.22 |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1943.12.23 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Eddie Heywood, Jr. (p), Oscar Pettiford (b), Shelly Manne (d) |
|
|
1945.06.06 |
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Charlie Parker (as), Flip Phillips (ts), Red Norvo (vib), Teddy Willson (p), Slam Stewart (b), J.C. Heard (d) |
|
|
1950.02.?? |
Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
|
1950.05.08 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Major Holley (b) |
|
|
1952.06.10 |
Gerry Mulligan (bars), Red Mitchell (b), Chico Hamilton (d) |
|
|
1953.06.22 |
Clifford Brown (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Jimmy Heath (ts, bars), John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b), Kenny Clarke (d) |
|
|
1954.11.?? |
Benny Goodman (cl), Charlie Shavers (tp), Mel Powell (p), Steve Jordan (g), George Duvivier (b), Robert Donaldson (d) |
|
|
1956.08.04 |
Jimmy Smith (org), Thornel Schwartz (g), Donald Bailey (d) |
|
|
1957.11.03 |
Sonny Rollins (ts), Wilbur Ware (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
Mal Waldron Trio |
1958.09.26 |
Mal Waldron (p), Addison Farmer (b), Kenny Dennis (d) |
|
2004.??.?? |
Brad Mehldau (p), Larry Grenadier (b), Jorge Rossy (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1930.05.10 |
Frankie Trumbauer (C-ms, voc, dir), Andy Secrest (cnt), Harry Goldfield (tp), Bill Rank (tb), Charles Strickfaden (as), Min Leibrook (bars), Irving Friedman (cl, ts), Joe Venuti (vn), Roy Bargy (p), Eddie Lang (g), George Marsh (d) |
|
|
1949.09.29 |
June Christy (voc), Pete Rugolo (p, dir), Alex Gershunoff (fl), Laurindo Almeida (g), Don Whitaker (b), Jackie Mills (d), string section |
|
|
1950.03.15 |
Judy Garland (voc), MGM Orchestra, Johnny Green (dir) |
|
|
1954.12.15 |
Mel Tormé (voc), Al Pellegrini (p), James Dupre (b), Richard Shanahan (d) |
|
|
1960.08.02 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Ted Nash (as), Paul Smith (p), John Collins, Al Hendrickson (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Alvin Stoller (d), Billy May (dir) |
|
|
2006.04.28 |
Tierney Sutton (voc), Christian Jacob (p), Kevin Act, Trey Henry (b), Ray Brinker (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Get Happy' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
DATE OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Illicit |
Ilícito |
1931 |
Background music |
|
My Past |
Mi pasado |
1931 |
Background music |
|
Summer Stock |
Repertorio de verano |
1950 |
Judy Garland and chorus |
|
Young Man With A Horn |
El trompetista |
1950 |
Hoagy Carmichael, Harry James and others |
|
Tomorrow Is Another Day |
Unidos por el crimen |
1951 |
Background music |
|
With A Song In My Hear |
Con una canción en mi corazón |
1952 |
Susan Hayward (dubbed by Jane Froman) |
|
The McConnell Story |
La historia de McConnell |
1955 |
|
|
That’s Entertainment! |
Érase una vez en Hollywood |
1974 |
Secuence of 'Summer Stock' |
|
City Heat |
Ciudad muy caliente |
1984 |
Irene Cara |
|
Crimes Of Passion |
La pasión de China Blue |
1984 |
Anthony Perkins |
|
Haunted Honeymoon |
Terrorífica luna de miel |
1986 |
Gene Wilder |
|
Time Share |
Juntos pero no revueltos |
1989 |
|
|
That’s Entertainment! III |
That’s Entertainment! III |
1994 |
Secuence of 'Summer Stock'
|
|
The Celluloid Closet |
El celuloide oculto |
1995 |
Kenneth Nelson |
|
Little Voice |
Little voice |
1998 |
Jane Horrocks |
|
Story Of Us |
Historia de lo nuestro |
1999 |
|