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"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)" is a classic American song that was written in 1913 by composer James Royce Shannon (1881–1946) for the
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
musical '' Shameen Dhu''. The original recording of the song, by Chauncey Olcott, peaked at #1 on the music charts. The song was brought back to prominence by
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 ...
's performance in 1944's '' Going My Way''. Crosby's single sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on the Billboard music charts.


History

The song's eponymous
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
("toora-loora-loo") is attested to at least as far back as 1837 in humorist doggerel in '' The New Monthly Magazine'' and elsewhere during the 19th century. It likely has roots in the same nonsense word "turelurelu" as that used to indicate the sound of a flute in the French-language Christmas song " Patapan" recorded in 1720. The 1913 song was written by lyricist and actor Shannon for the play ''Shameen Dhu'' ("Black-Haired Jimmy" or "Dark Jimmy").Shannon, Royce.
Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullabye)
, 1913. M. Witmark & Sons.
Prior to the play's debut, singer Chauncey Olcott took it into the studio to record it on July 30, 1913. Popular, his single peaked at #1 on the music charts in December 1913. In 1944, Bing Crosby released a version of the song which brought it to public attention again. First performed in the film ''Going My Way'', it was subsequently released as a single that sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on Billboard music charts. His first recording was made on July 7, 1944, but mechanical difficulties with the matrix led to it being recorded again on July 17, 1945. It is this version which appears on subsequent LPs and CDs. In 1945, the Crosby version of the song was also featured in the film '' Nob Hill''. In 2019 it featured in ''Ray Donovan'', season 7, episode 5; "An Irish Lullaby".


Other versions

In 1976, Richard Manuel and
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
sang the song, as "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)", during The Band's farewell concert '' The Last Waltz''. " Come On, Eileen''"'', a #1 U.K. chart single from the English band
Dexys Midnight Runners Dexys (known as Dexys Midnight Runners from 1978 to 2011) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul music, soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid- 1980s. They are best known in the UK for their ...
, includes a chorus with the lines "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra Too-Ra-Loo-Rye, Ay / And you'll hum this tune forever." The song appeared on their 1982 album titled ''
Too-Rye-Ay ''Too-Rye-Ay'' is the second studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. It was released in July 1982 by Mercury Records. The album is best known for the hit single " Come On Eileen", which included the refrain that inspired the a ...
''. The same line is also repeated in the song "Vagabond of the Western World" by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy from their 1973 album Vagabonds of the Western World. Steve Martin performed the song for comic effect in the film '' Housesitter''. The song also featured memorably in a Season 2, Episode 8 cold open of ''
Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...
'', as the denizens of the bar sang the lullaby over the telephone to an infant Tortelli. Ed Asner's character, Lou Grant, also sang the lullaby to Mary Richards on her couch to help her get to sleep without using a sleeping pill in an episode of the final season of ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
''. Damian McGinty's character performs the song in the film '' Santa Fake'' to comfort the widow Mrs. Ortega. Others who have recorded the song include
Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, The Ames Brothers, Regis Philbin, Jessi Colter, Slim Whitman,
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
and
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
, The Irish Tenors, Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith,
Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...
, Frances Faye, John Gary, Kenny Loggins, and The Ennis Sisters.


Original lyrics

These are the original lyrics of the song as published in 1913 by Shannon through M. Witmark & Sons. erse 1Over in Killarney, many years ago Me Mother sang a song to me in tones so sweet and low, Just a simple little ditty, in her good ould Irish way, And I'd give the world if she could sing That song to me this day. efrainToo-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush, now, don't you cry! Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, That's an Irish lullaby. erse 2Oft, in dreams I wander To that cot again, I feel her arms a huggin' me As when she held me then. And I hear her voice a hummin' To me as in days of yore, When she used to rock me fast asleep Outside the cabin door. epeat refrain


References

{{Authority control Irish-American culture Irish songs 1914 songs Songs written by James Royce Shannon Songs of the Irish diaspora Lullabies