The Band Played On
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"The Band Played On", also known (by its refrain) as "Casey Would Waltz with a Strawberry Blonde", is a song that was written in
1895 Events January * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island (off French Guiana) on what is much later admitted to be a false charge of tr ...
with lyrics by John F. Palmer and music by Charles B. Ward. Unusually, as originally published the verses are in time, while the chorus is in (waltz) time. The chorus is much better known than the verses to later generations. The lyrics of the refrain: : ''Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde'' : ''And the band played on.'' : ''He'd glide 'cross the floor with the girl he adored'' : ''And the band played on.'' : ''But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded;'' : ''The poor girl would shake with alarm.'' : ''He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curls'' : ''And the band played on. '' The song became a
pop standard Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
with many recordings made. One of the first was by Dan W. Quinn for
Berliner Gramophone Berliner Gramophone – its discs identified with an etched-in "E. Berliner's Gramophone" as the logo – was the first (and for nearly ten years the only) disc record label in the world. Its records were played on Emile Berliner's invention, the ...
in 1895, the same year the song was published. The song was later featured in many films, including Raoul Walsh's ''
The Strawberry Blonde ''The Strawberry Blonde'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias. Set in New York City aro ...
'' (1941), the title of which was inspired by the lyrics, and
Alfred Hitchcock's Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
'' Strangers on a Train'' (1951).


Cover versions

One of the most famous recordings, by
Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...
's orchestra (vocal by
Kenny Gardner Kenneth A. Gardner (March 20, 1913 – July 26, 2002) was an American singer for Guy Lombardo's band the Royal Canadians. Early years Kenneth A. Gardner was born on March 20, 1913, in Lake View, Iowa, the eldest son of Norman and May Chambers Ga ...
and the Leonardo Trio), was made on February 26, 1941, and issued by
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 ...
as catalog number 3675 (reissued as number 25341), coinciding with the release of the film ''
The Strawberry Blonde ''The Strawberry Blonde'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, and featuring Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Tobias. Set in New York City aro ...
'', in which the song appeared. It first reached the
Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
Best Seller chart on May 9, 1941, and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6. The Guy Lombardo version included only the famous chorus, omitting the 2/4-time verses. The numerous other recordings of the number include: Frank D'Rone - a single release as "The Strawberry Blonde" (this reached the UK charts in 1960, peaking at No. 24);
Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...
- for her album ''Sing Along with Connie Francis '' (1961);
Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...
in the 1962 album '' The Chipmunk Songbook'';
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
who included the song in a medley on his album '' On the Sentimental Side'' (1962);
Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as '' On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime ...
- for the album ''Alice Faye Sings Her Greatest Movie Hits'' (1962); and
Mandy Patinkin Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway (theatre), Broadway performer he has collaborated with Step ...
- for his album ''Mandy Patinkin'' (1989).


References


External links


Lyrics of the song on https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Guy-Lombardo/The-Band-Played-On
on
Musixmatch Musixmatch is an Italian music data company and platform for users to search and share song lyrics with translations. Musixmatch has 80 million users (50M active users), 12 million songs with their respective lyrics, and 115+ employees. In 202 ...
1895 songs Guy Lombardo songs Songs about music Songs about musicians {{pop-standard-stub