"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced 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 ...

in the Abbott and Costello

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

'' Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording reached number six on the U.S. pop singles chart in the spring of 1941 when the film was in release. The song is ranked No. 6 on Songs of the Century.

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

's 1972 recording of the song also reached the top ten on the U.S. ''

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 ...

'' Hot 100. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

but lost to " The Last Time I Saw Paris". The song is closely based on an earlier Raye-Prince hit, "

Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

," which is about a virtuoso boogie-woogie piano player. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" has become an iconic song of World War II, commonly featured and referenced in media set during that era. The song inspired the 1941 cartoon ''Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B'', produced by

Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1949 and then from 1950 to 1972, and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Pictures. The studio was originally formed as Universal Carto ...

, and, long afterward, the

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

song " Candyman" (released as a single in 2007) from Aguilera's hit album '' Back to Basics'', as a tribute to both the Andrews Sisters and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

Storyline

According to the lyrics, a renowned trumpet player from

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is drafted into the U.S. Army but is reduced to blowing the wake-up call ("Reveille"). Restrained from playing boogie-woogie, he is depressed until the captain empathizes and drafts other musicians. The bugler now plays "Reveille" in his own style, with a positive effect on the rest of the company.

Creation

Abbott and Costello's first starring film for Universal pictures, '' Buck Privates'', was designed to capitalize on the

Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, , was the first peacetime conscription in United States history. This Selective Service Act required that men who had reached their 21st birthday ...

. The studio added the Andrews Sisters, who were also under contract, for musical relief, and hired Don Raye and Hughie Prince to compose songs for the film. (The sisters also performed songs written by others in the film.) Raye and Prince had previously composed the hits "Rhumboogie" and "

" for the trio. The songwriters turned in "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith"; "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"; and "Bounce Me Brother, With a Solid Four", while also composing a novelty tune, "When Private Brown Becomes a Captain", for Lou Costello. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" closely follows the template of "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", which is about a famous syncopated piano player. However, in its earliest stages, "Boogie Woogie Bugler" (as it was then known) was originally conceived for Lou Costello, but reworked for the Andrews Sisters, while a separate song was composed for the comedian.

Inspiration

Articles published in '' Stars & Stripes'' on 19 March 1943, as well as ''Billboard Magazine'' and ''The Christian Science Monitor'' during WWII claimed that Clarence Zylman of

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

, was the original Boogie Woogie Bugler. The song's lyrics agree with several aspects of Zylman's life. Drafted at age 35, Clarence had been performing for 20 years, beginning with Chicago radio station WBBM and then with several big bands, beginning with Paul Specht and Connie Connaughton, and most recently with the Tommy Tucker Orchestra. He brought his playing style to

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where he was a bugler for an engineer company, playing "Taps" and "Reveille". He eventually was transferred to an army band. Articles in ''

'' and ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' (

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) support this, and go on to claim that Clarence was sent to teach other buglers his techniques. However, Clarence Zylman did not enlist in the Army until June 9, 1942, well after "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was written and recorded. Nonetheless, a sculpture of Zylman as the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy has been dedicated in his hometown of Muskegon, Michigan, at the LST-393 Veterans Museum. The sculpture was created by artist Ari Norris.

Bette Midler version

American actress and singer

included a remake of the song on her 1972 '' The Divine Miss M'' album, and released it as the B side of the album's second single, " Delta Dawn". However, faced with the near-simultaneous release of

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...

's rendition of Delta Dawn (which would peak at #1 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts) on Long Hard Climb, Midler's singles were quickly flipped, with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" becoming the new A side. Midler's version peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in mid-1973, introducing it to a new generation of pop music fans. The single was produced by Barry Manilow. The track was also a number-one single on the ''Billboard''

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

have recorded at least four different versions on different labels. The Original on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in 1941, V-Disc in 1944,

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 ...

in 1956, and Dot Records in 1962. *In 1990, pop/R&B group En Vogue did a shortened version of the song for their album '' Born to Sing'', rewording it to sound more urban, calling him the "Boogie Woogie Hip-hop Boy". *In 1991,

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and businesswoman. She is known for her girl next door, girl-next-door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. Her musi ...

recorded the song as an inspiration for the military and as part of her

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

tour for

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and Operation Desert Storm. *In 1995, UK dance act 2 In A Tank produced a dance version called "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Don't Stop". *In 1997, the Kidsongs Kids and the Biggles recorded the song for their Kidsongs video "I Can Do It!". *In 2003, Brighton downtempo act Backini remixed a version called "Company B Boy" for their album ''Threads''. *In 2006, the Puppini Sisters recorded the song for their album '' Betcha Bottom Dollar''. *In 2007, R&B/Gospel group Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town recorded the song on their album ''Jerry Lawson Talk of the Town''. *In 2015,

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. Ferguson began her television acting career in 1999 with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' and made her motion picture acting debut in 2004 with the Swedish slash ...

, Pixie Lott and Laura Wright performed the song at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in London.

Samples

"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is one of the tracks that was sampled for " Moments in Love" by

Art of Noise Art of Noise (also the Art of Noise) were a British avant-garde synth-rock group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and ...

, which appeared on both the 1983 EP '' Into Battle with the Art of Noise'' and their debut studio album '' Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?'' (1984).

References

External links

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
at SecondHandSongs

ay Arthur W. Diamond Law Librarybr>Music Plagiarism Project
{{authority control Songs of World War II Songs about the military Boogie-woogie songs Songs about music Songs about musicians Songs about trumpets Songs about soldiers Songs written for films 1941 songs 1941 singles 1973 singles Atlantic Records singles The Andrews Sisters songs Bette Midler songs Songs written by Don Raye Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Pop standards Songs written by Hughie Prince