"A Bushel and a Peck" is a popular song written by

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...

and published in 1950. The song was introduced in the Broadway

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'', which opened at the 46th Street Theater on November 24, 1950. It was performed on stage by

Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of ''Guys and Dolls'', as well as appearin ...

and a women's chorus as a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

act at the Hot Box. It is the first of two nightclub performances in the musical. Blaine later reprised her role as Miss Adelaide in the 1955 film version of the play, in which "A Bushel and a Peck" was omitted and replaced by a new song, "Pet Me, Poppa." In the musical, the number can be performed either as "Miss Adelaide and her Chick Chick Chickadees", with the women dressed in yellow feathers, or as "Miss Adelaide and the Hot Box Farmerettes", where skimpy farmer outfits are worn (often jean cutoffs and checkered racing shirts or short gingham

sundress A sundress or summer dress is an informal or casual dress intended to be worn in warm weather, typically in a lightweight fabric, most commonly cotton, and usually loose-fitting. It is commonly a bodice-style sleeveless dress, typically with a w ...

es). The script calls the dancers the Farmerettes and describes the costume as "abbreviated Farmerette costumes with large hats and carrying rakes, hoes and pitchforks". During the original production, the dancers wore large Daisy barrettes, with loose petals behind permanent ones. When they sang "He loves me, he loves me not", they would throw the loose petals into the audience. A number of popular singers released recordings of "A Bushel and a Peck" while the show was still in rehearsals. The most popular recording was by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

and

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appea ...

, made on September 12, 1950, and released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

. It reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' chart on October 21, 1950, and lasted 18 weeks, where it peaked at number 3. See also Joel Whitburn, ''Pop Memories 1890-1954'', Record Research, Menomonee Falls, WI, 1986, p. 99, 122, 29, 126 Another popular contemporary recording, made the day after the Como-Hutton one, was by

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American singer of popular music who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard'', January 12, ...

and

Jimmy Wakely James Clarence Wakely (February 16, 1914 – September 23, 1982) was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western ...

(recorded on September 13, 1950, and released by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

as Capitol 1042). The record reached the ''Billboard'' chart a week after the Como-Hutton version, on October 28, 1950, and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 6.

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

's recording (also made on September 13, 1950, and released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as 78rpm catalog number 39008 and 45rpm catalog number 45-838) made the chart on November 4, 1950, for 8 weeks, peaking at number 16. Day's rendition of the song enjoyed a surge in popularity due to its usage in a

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TV commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

. Other 1950 recordings that charted were by

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

, (Decca 27252) charting on December 9, charting for four weeks, peaking at number 22, and

Johnny Desmond Johnny Desmond (born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone; November 14, 1919 – September 6, 1985) was an American singer who was popular in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Biography Early years Desmond was born Giovanni de Simone in Detroit, Michigan. ...

, (MGM 10800) charting the same day for one week at number 29.Whitburn, ''Memories'', pp. 29, 126 On December 9, all four recordings were on the ''Billboard'' chart. On ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

s Best-Selling Record charts, where all versions of the song are combined, the song reached number 5 on December 2, 1950. The song gained so much popularity before the musical actually opened that it was moved from its original spot at the start of the second act into the first act.

Recorded versions

(1950) *

(1953) *

and

(1950) *

Connie Haines Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fr ...

(1950) *

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

and

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

(1953) *

and

(1950) *

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, incl ...

"A" You're Adorable: Love Songs for Children (1965) *

Sharon, Lois & Bram Sharon, Lois & Bram (also known as Sharon, Bram & Friends, Sharon & Bram or Sharon & Randi) are a Canadian children's music group founded in Toronto, Ontario, 1978. The group's original lineup consisted of Sharon (née Trostin) Hampson, L ...

: ''From In The Schoolyard'' (1981) TV recording (1987) *

VeggieTales ''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, Christian Computer animated, CGI-animated series and multimedia franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumb ...

: ''Junior's Bedtime Songs'' (2002) *

Dan Zanes Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American rock, folk, and children's musician. He was a member of the 1980s band the Del Fuegos, the frontman of the group Dan Zanes and Friends, and currently performs with his wife, Claudia El ...

& Friends: ''Rocket Ship Beach'' (1990) *

Faith Prince Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life and career Prince wa ...

Guys and Dolls 1992 Broadway Revival Cast Recording

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushel and a Peck, A 1950 songs Perry Como songs Doris Day songs Songs written by Frank Loesser Songs from Guys and Dolls Margaret Whiting songs Jimmy Wakely songs