Lulu's Back In Town
February 24, 2015 1:11 PM   Subscribe

Harry Warren and Al Dubin wrote it for the smooth harmonies of the Mills Brothers in the 1935 film Broadway Gondolier. Fats Waller popularized it with more spark and swing soon after, and Art Tatum performed a blistering yet tuneful version that same year. Young heartthrob Frank Sinatra crooned it in 1945, and 11 years later Mel Tormé crooned it some more. Thelonious Monk had a humorous take on it in 1964, while 1968 saw two wildly different versions from Oscar Peterson and an actual Lulu. Need more? Here's The Four Freshmen, Leon Redbone, and Ellis and Branford Marsalis. TV loves Lulu too! Sanford and Song on Sanford and Son, and Circe on the Justice League (voiced by Broadway singer Rachel York). But here's what happens when Lulu's back on Sesame Street. (With introduction by Mr. Hooper, Bob, Susan, Matt Robinson's Gordon, and a very orange Oscar.)
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide (4 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
NOLA's Tin Men did a great cover of this on their first album, Super Great Music for Modern Lovers (2003), but alas no online copy of the song exists.
posted by Kitteh at 1:22 PM on February 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Thank you for including the Sesame Street clip. That's where I first learned this song when I were but a wee lad.
posted by briank at 1:27 PM on February 24, 2015 [3 favorites]


Yessss. The Dick Powell/Mills Bros. version on this Warner Bros. 4-CD set is permanently engraved in my brain, I think.

Despite being of an age for it, I'd never seen/heard that Sesame Street version! That's wonderful. (Also, Oscar's reaction to the "pass it on" is pretty much my reaction to any kind of chain letter, including Facebook "share this!" and Tumblr "reblog this for good luck!" posts. Except I don't slam my lid as loudly, so as not to be rude.)
posted by theatro at 2:12 PM on February 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Most definitely the Fats Waller...
posted by jim in austin at 3:11 PM on February 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


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