"Juke Box Saturday Night" is a song written by

Al Stillman Al Stillman ''(né'' Albert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York City, New York – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York City, New York) was an American lyricist. Biography Al Stillman was born as Albert Irving Silverman to American ...

and Paul McGrane that was recorded by

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

and his Orchestra in 1942 on

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 ...

with vocals by

Marion Hutton Marion Hutton (born Marion Thornburg; March 10, 1919 – January 10, 1987) was an American singer and actress. She is best remembered for her singing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1938 to 1942. She was the sister of actress and s ...

Tex Beneke Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke ( ; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. Hi ...

, and

The Modernaires The Modernaires were an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Career The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffa ...

. The song was from the 1942 production ''Stars on Ice''. The Glenn Miller recording peaked at #7 on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart in 1942.

Background

The song was first recorded on July 15, 1942 in Chicago by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra on RCA Victor. The 78 single was released in October, 1942, peaking at #7 on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart. The B side was "Sleepy Town Train", recorded the following day. The Stars on Ice cast did the first live performance on July 2, 1942. Glenn Miller was one of the top-selling musical performers of the 1940s whose recordings were in every jukebox in America. "By the early 1940s, a third of all records played on American jukeboxes were Glenn Miller recording." The song highlights three top

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

leaders of the era,

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, Kay Kyser, and

. There are also tributes to

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

and

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ...

, whose styles are invoked.

Cover versions

*"Juke Box Saturday Night" was later covered by

Nino and the Ebb Tides Nino and the Ebb Tides were a doo-wop musical group based in the Bronx, New York, formed in 1956. Their first recording, ''Franny Franny'' (credited to "The Ebb Tides"), was the result of meeting talent scout Murray Jacobs in 1957 and was widely ...

, whose version charted at #57 on Billboard's Top 100 on September 4, 1961. This was an updated version of the 1942 song in a rock and roll style. *

recorded a version in 1946 on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

featuring Paula Kelly with

Mitchell Ayres Mitchell Ayres (December 24, 1909 – September 5, 1969) was an orchestra leader, music arranger, composer and performer. He is best known for his many years of work with Perry Como on radio, records, and television and as the musical condu ...

. A

soundie A soundie is a three-minute American film displaying both the audio and video of a musical performance. Over 1,850 soundies were produced between 1940 and 1946, regarded today as "precursors to music videos". Soundies exhibited a variety of mu ...

was also filmed in 1944 featuring Harriet Clark on vocals with The Modernaires: Tommy Morgan, Hal Dickinson, Fran Scott, and Ralph Brewster."Jukebox Saturday Night". Versions. Second Hand Songs. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
/ref> The Modernaires also released an updated version of the song entitled "New Juke Box Saturday Night" in 1953 on

Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...

with

George Cates George Cates (October 19, 1911 – May 10, 2002) was an American music arranger, conductor, songwriter and record executive known for his work with Lawrence Welk and his orchestra. Biography Born and raised in New York City, New York, United St ...

. *

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

recorded the song in 1983. *

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

recorded the song in 1960.

References

{{authority control Songs about jukeboxes 1942 songs Glenn Miller songs 1940s songs Pop standards